STEPPING AWAY
Andy Irons Announces Sabbatical from ASP World Tour (by surfline.com)
The ASP and Andy Irons have made 
official what many have whispered for months: Andy will be taking a break from full-time competition in 2009.
Irons isn't the first multiple-world Champion to take a break from competition - Tom Curren stepped away in 1989, and Kelly Slater did the same in 1999. Like Slater before him, Andy has been granted a wildcard for 2010, allowing him to return to the tour after his break without suffering through a year on the WQS. ASP President Rabbit Bartholomew explains:"Three times ASP World Champion Andy Irons requested and was granted an ASP World Tour wildcard for 2010. Andy cited personal reasons for not participating in the full tour in 2009, however he may participate in certain pet events as an event wildcard.
All stakeholders, being the surfers (WPS), the Events Council and ASP Management were supportive of Andy's request, and the ASP Board of Directors ratified this arrangement officially. Andy has made a massive contribution to the advancement of the Dream Tour concept and is recognized for taking surfing performance to a new threshold of performance. His rivalry with Kelly Slater over a 5-year period from 2002 elevated the ASP World Tour and captured the imagination of the global surfing community. This new performance benchmark also captured the attention of the world beyond surfing borders and elevated the Dream Tour into mainstream consciousness. Andy will be sorely missed in 2009 and we look forward to him contending again from 2010. Each year, three tour wildcards are issued, they are for injury, they are sometimes granted to next in line WQS and they are also granted to former ASP World Champions or someone held in high esteem."Surfline caught up with Andy Irons this week to get his perspective on the announcement. Surfline: Why are you taking 2009 off -- what factors contributed to that decision? Andy Irons: Last year was a really long year for me, physically and mentally. I've been doing the tour for 12 years and I came really close to just burning out completely last year. The ASP has been cool about me taking some time off, and I think they understand where I am at right now. They know I need a break, and the fact that they have been able to guarantee me a
wildcard for 2010 takes a lot of pressure off me to just work on myself and my surfing in '09.The last time we talked, you told me "It feels like I have been taking those bad moods all the way across oceans to the next event with me, and I can't figure out why." Have the last few months changed things? Do you feel like you have more clarity as to why competition became a negative for you? No, nothing has really changed too much over the past couple months. Yeah, I surfed the Pipe event, but that was more just because it's a place where I know I can win. Even if I did end up winning that event, I had my mind made up the whole time that I needed this coming year to spend on the road chasing waves, and using that time away to get my competitive nerves jumpstarted again.There's been a lot of talk about selfishness leading to titles -- Mick had to be selfish to win his, Slater has won nine at the expense of personal relationships, 
etc. Do you feel there's truth in that, and are you hesitant to concentrate that much on your own goals at the expense of friends and family? Definitely, 100%. The years I was winning there wasn't a second I wasn't thinking about contests. Everything in between contests was preparation for contests. Looking at Kelly, he's used relationships as drive. If they didn't work out, he used them as fire -- the break-up -- to motivate him to win. For me it was full-on, you're working with boards, you're already thinking about the next contest the second the horn ends at the contest you're at. It's definitely something you've got to be 100% committed to. Once you start not thinking about it... with me where I'm at right now, I don't think a title is worth losing my wife or family over. Definitely not. They're a lot more important to me. I've won my titles.
"...where I'm at right now, I don't think a title is worth losing my wife or family over. Definitely not. They're a lot more important to me. I've won my titles."
How did it feel to put a jersey back on at the Pipe Masters?It felt really weird. Ever since my last interview with you I feel like the microscope has been on me 10 times more than before. I went to Oahu early to work out with Kai (Garcia) a bit, and just get used to the waves over there. Instead of surfing, I was just out there trying not to pay attention to people whispering shit to their friends about what they heard about me and my plans for next year. I am used to people watching me surf, and asking me questions out in the water, it's part of the job, and it usually pushes me, and makes me want to perform, but the vibe is just different right now. Maybe it's just me, and before I just never really paid attention to people around me and what they had to say. Our last interview set a record for Surline Comments. Did the positive comments that readers left effect you? I definitely started to hear stuff after Europe, when the rumors started getting so out of control, when people were believing them and I was hearing them and I was going, "How can this be? I've got to set the record straight." Then that article came out and people who were writing me off kinda understood where I was coming from. And they showed me some leniency, like "He's fried, or whatever," and the feedback that was positive... I don't try to read that stuff too often, cause it does wig me out, but when that positive stuff came back, people showed it to me, and it was awesome. It made me feel good, it made me stoked that people were getting where I was coming from, what I was going through. It helped me a lot to keep psyched on
surfing.What are your plans for 2009? Will this sabbatical be a break from travel in general, or are you planning on doing a bunch of freesurfing trips? 2009 is all about surf trips, and being anywhere but sitting on my ass at home. I want to chase swells all year long with my friends, and do a couple of select Billabong contests as a wildcard. I already committed to doing a Drive Thru episode, and I am going to do a couple of trips for sure with Bruce too. I know he is going to be working on his own movie for the next couple years, so hopefully we will get to go surf some heavy waves together.Did Bruce's retirement from full-time competition influence your decision? Bruce's decision messed with me a little bit. Yeah! Imagining him surfing perfect waves without me anywhere around is the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night. There is a big difference in retiring from tour and taking a break, though.Rabbit suggested you may compete as a wildcard in select events in '09. Which events are you thinking about competing in? Just the Billabong ones. Tahiti, and Pipe. Not too sure about J-Bay, but it's a possibility for sure.At the beginning of last season, Transworld Surf wrote the following about you: "There's been talk of too much partying...now he knows it's time to get serious. Reports say that he's cut out the nightlife and started fresh and clean." What's your response to that assessment? Did partying contribute to your competitive woes over the last couple years, and the subsequent decision to take time off? Nope. It's easy to place the blame on drinking and partying, but honestly, 12 years is the reason why, and that is it. Go ahead and replace the word "partying" in Transworld's quote with "repetition," and you got yourself a quote we can work with. Do you feel like your surfing has suffered at all in recent years, as you've been having less success competitively? When you paddle out these days for a freesurf, do you feel like you're surfing as good as you ever have? No. I don't feel like I am surfing at 100%, and I know it's because I wasn't in the water freesurfing as much as I should've been. I would surf heats, and surf around the contests a bit, but I didn't take time to get used to the wave, the water, or my boards. I fell into a terrible 
routine, took my career for granted, and was more just going through the motions of being on tour instead of fine tuning my surfing and doing everything I could to make sure I was prepared to win the next event. In the past, when world champions have stepped away from the tour (like Curren did in '89) it's been interpreted as a criticism of the ASP. Are you partly taking time off because of issues with the tour, or is this just about you? I'm burnt out, and I don't really know the exact reasons why the other guys took time off, so I'm not gonna comment on them. There is nothing wrong with the ASP, though. I know what you are trying to do here with that question, but they've done nothing but show me respect, and I am happy to do the same with all they've done for me.Have you talked about your decision with any of the guys on tour? Jake Patterson has helped a lot with the ASP, and working out the wildcard deal. Billabong has been extremely supportive as well, and has helped me with a plan of attack for the next couple years. I haven't talked to too many guys on tour about this though. Now that I made the decision public, I would imagine the guys'll stop walking around on eggshells so much around me knowing where I am and what I will be doing for the next 12 months.Are you concerned about having second thoughts once the first contest kicks off? Do you think you'll be watching it online, with a part of you wishing you were there? I know I will miss the tour this year. I watch (WQS) 2-stars online when they're on -- that's how much I love watching and surfing heats. This decision wasn't easy for me to make, but I do know that it is the best one for me at this point in time. Come 2010, waves like Snapper will still be there, and I will be more psyched than ever to surf 'em. Is your competitive legacy important to you? Do you think about it? I don't think about it a lot, but it's definitely important to me. Sometimes I think about it -- where I'll go down, what people will remember me for. Just being able to surf with Kelly, being around with some guy who's won nine world titles. I mean, no one else is going to do that, ever, I guarantee, there's no way. If that happens in 1000 years I'll really be surprised. So to take him on, and actually have some success, I hope people will remember that -- remember me as someone who was definitely psyched, really competitive, and really enjoyed winning, someone who really got psyched off of winning, really loved surfing. I hope they don't forget about it!Any regret in the fact that you won't be there to challenge Kelly while he goes for #10? Are you rooting for Kelly to win it, now that you won't be a fellow contender? I hope Kelly gets 10 this year. No regrets on my side if he does get it while I'm not there.Did Kelly give you any advice during that trip to P-Pass right before the Pipe Masters? No. There were a lot of guys there on that trip, so we never really got deep about anything. I know he's there if I want or need his advice.In the past, the world champion has not always been considered the best surfer in the world. After over a decade on tour, what's your take on that? Is the World Title a fair indication of who the best surfer in the world is? Yes, I think it's true. I think that some guys peak at certain events, but the guy who walks away at the end of the year with the championship was the guy who was the best surfer in the world over that 10-month period.How about the whole financial side of this? Times are tough for a lot of people right now, and as I understand it many of your sponsorship agreements are up for renewal right now. Has that put extra pressure on you in terms of making this decision? Pressure? You have no idea. This negotiation couldn't have come at a worse time with the economy being where it is. People are getting fired from their jobs everyday in the "real" world, and I know I am lucky to even have a job with what is going on out there. I gotta thank Billabong for being so cool, and sticking this past year out with me. I delivered them three world titles so far, and am looking forward to giving them a few more before my time on tour is officially over.When we spoke in October, you told me that you wanted to "win everything, or I don't even want to be there." Do you still feel the same way? Yes, that's exactly why I'm taking a break.In most professions, people get better as they go along - promotions, knowledge, income etc. But for pro athletes, there seems to be an age where you're still relatively young, but your best professional days are behind you. Last time you said, "Titles were my life goal, but I've realized getting them is a type of temporary happiness." Any thoughts on what you might do when you finally retire from professional surfing, and what might provide you with a more lasting sense of happiness? Surfing will always provide me with a sense of happiness whether I am getting paid to do it or not. I have said it since I was 12 years old. I am going to surf for the rest of my life no matter what. Goals are important for me at this stage of my life and career though. Similar to the world title goal of the past, I've created some personal goals to reach in the next couple years, but I'm going to keep them to myself for now.
official what many have whispered for months: Andy will be taking a break from full-time competition in 2009.Irons isn't the first multiple-world Champion to take a break from competition - Tom Curren stepped away in 1989, and Kelly Slater did the same in 1999. Like Slater before him, Andy has been granted a wildcard for 2010, allowing him to return to the tour after his break without suffering through a year on the WQS. ASP President Rabbit Bartholomew explains:"Three times ASP World Champion Andy Irons requested and was granted an ASP World Tour wildcard for 2010. Andy cited personal reasons for not participating in the full tour in 2009, however he may participate in certain pet events as an event wildcard.
All stakeholders, being the surfers (WPS), the Events Council and ASP Management were supportive of Andy's request, and the ASP Board of Directors ratified this arrangement officially. Andy has made a massive contribution to the advancement of the Dream Tour concept and is recognized for taking surfing performance to a new threshold of performance. His rivalry with Kelly Slater over a 5-year period from 2002 elevated the ASP World Tour and captured the imagination of the global surfing community. This new performance benchmark also captured the attention of the world beyond surfing borders and elevated the Dream Tour into mainstream consciousness. Andy will be sorely missed in 2009 and we look forward to him contending again from 2010. Each year, three tour wildcards are issued, they are for injury, they are sometimes granted to next in line WQS and they are also granted to former ASP World Champions or someone held in high esteem."Surfline caught up with Andy Irons this week to get his perspective on the announcement. Surfline: Why are you taking 2009 off -- what factors contributed to that decision? Andy Irons: Last year was a really long year for me, physically and mentally. I've been doing the tour for 12 years and I came really close to just burning out completely last year. The ASP has been cool about me taking some time off, and I think they understand where I am at right now. They know I need a break, and the fact that they have been able to guarantee me a
wildcard for 2010 takes a lot of pressure off me to just work on myself and my surfing in '09.The last time we talked, you told me "It feels like I have been taking those bad moods all the way across oceans to the next event with me, and I can't figure out why." Have the last few months changed things? Do you feel like you have more clarity as to why competition became a negative for you? No, nothing has really changed too much over the past couple months. Yeah, I surfed the Pipe event, but that was more just because it's a place where I know I can win. Even if I did end up winning that event, I had my mind made up the whole time that I needed this coming year to spend on the road chasing waves, and using that time away to get my competitive nerves jumpstarted again.There's been a lot of talk about selfishness leading to titles -- Mick had to be selfish to win his, Slater has won nine at the expense of personal relationships, 
etc. Do you feel there's truth in that, and are you hesitant to concentrate that much on your own goals at the expense of friends and family? Definitely, 100%. The years I was winning there wasn't a second I wasn't thinking about contests. Everything in between contests was preparation for contests. Looking at Kelly, he's used relationships as drive. If they didn't work out, he used them as fire -- the break-up -- to motivate him to win. For me it was full-on, you're working with boards, you're already thinking about the next contest the second the horn ends at the contest you're at. It's definitely something you've got to be 100% committed to. Once you start not thinking about it... with me where I'm at right now, I don't think a title is worth losing my wife or family over. Definitely not. They're a lot more important to me. I've won my titles."...where I'm at right now, I don't think a title is worth losing my wife or family over. Definitely not. They're a lot more important to me. I've won my titles."
How did it feel to put a jersey back on at the Pipe Masters?It felt really weird. Ever since my last interview with you I feel like the microscope has been on me 10 times more than before. I went to Oahu early to work out with Kai (Garcia) a bit, and just get used to the waves over there. Instead of surfing, I was just out there trying not to pay attention to people whispering shit to their friends about what they heard about me and my plans for next year. I am used to people watching me surf, and asking me questions out in the water, it's part of the job, and it usually pushes me, and makes me want to perform, but the vibe is just different right now. Maybe it's just me, and before I just never really paid attention to people around me and what they had to say. Our last interview set a record for Surline Comments. Did the positive comments that readers left effect you? I definitely started to hear stuff after Europe, when the rumors started getting so out of control, when people were believing them and I was hearing them and I was going, "How can this be? I've got to set the record straight." Then that article came out and people who were writing me off kinda understood where I was coming from. And they showed me some leniency, like "He's fried, or whatever," and the feedback that was positive... I don't try to read that stuff too often, cause it does wig me out, but when that positive stuff came back, people showed it to me, and it was awesome. It made me feel good, it made me stoked that people were getting where I was coming from, what I was going through. It helped me a lot to keep psyched on
surfing.What are your plans for 2009? Will this sabbatical be a break from travel in general, or are you planning on doing a bunch of freesurfing trips? 2009 is all about surf trips, and being anywhere but sitting on my ass at home. I want to chase swells all year long with my friends, and do a couple of select Billabong contests as a wildcard. I already committed to doing a Drive Thru episode, and I am going to do a couple of trips for sure with Bruce too. I know he is going to be working on his own movie for the next couple years, so hopefully we will get to go surf some heavy waves together.Did Bruce's retirement from full-time competition influence your decision? Bruce's decision messed with me a little bit. Yeah! Imagining him surfing perfect waves without me anywhere around is the kind of stuff that keeps me up at night. There is a big difference in retiring from tour and taking a break, though.Rabbit suggested you may compete as a wildcard in select events in '09. Which events are you thinking about competing in? Just the Billabong ones. Tahiti, and Pipe. Not too sure about J-Bay, but it's a possibility for sure.At the beginning of last season, Transworld Surf wrote the following about you: "There's been talk of too much partying...now he knows it's time to get serious. Reports say that he's cut out the nightlife and started fresh and clean." What's your response to that assessment? Did partying contribute to your competitive woes over the last couple years, and the subsequent decision to take time off? Nope. It's easy to place the blame on drinking and partying, but honestly, 12 years is the reason why, and that is it. Go ahead and replace the word "partying" in Transworld's quote with "repetition," and you got yourself a quote we can work with. Do you feel like your surfing has suffered at all in recent years, as you've been having less success competitively? When you paddle out these days for a freesurf, do you feel like you're surfing as good as you ever have? No. I don't feel like I am surfing at 100%, and I know it's because I wasn't in the water freesurfing as much as I should've been. I would surf heats, and surf around the contests a bit, but I didn't take time to get used to the wave, the water, or my boards. I fell into a terrible 
routine, took my career for granted, and was more just going through the motions of being on tour instead of fine tuning my surfing and doing everything I could to make sure I was prepared to win the next event. In the past, when world champions have stepped away from the tour (like Curren did in '89) it's been interpreted as a criticism of the ASP. Are you partly taking time off because of issues with the tour, or is this just about you? I'm burnt out, and I don't really know the exact reasons why the other guys took time off, so I'm not gonna comment on them. There is nothing wrong with the ASP, though. I know what you are trying to do here with that question, but they've done nothing but show me respect, and I am happy to do the same with all they've done for me.Have you talked about your decision with any of the guys on tour? Jake Patterson has helped a lot with the ASP, and working out the wildcard deal. Billabong has been extremely supportive as well, and has helped me with a plan of attack for the next couple years. I haven't talked to too many guys on tour about this though. Now that I made the decision public, I would imagine the guys'll stop walking around on eggshells so much around me knowing where I am and what I will be doing for the next 12 months.Are you concerned about having second thoughts once the first contest kicks off? Do you think you'll be watching it online, with a part of you wishing you were there? I know I will miss the tour this year. I watch (WQS) 2-stars online when they're on -- that's how much I love watching and surfing heats. This decision wasn't easy for me to make, but I do know that it is the best one for me at this point in time. Come 2010, waves like Snapper will still be there, and I will be more psyched than ever to surf 'em. Is your competitive legacy important to you? Do you think about it? I don't think about it a lot, but it's definitely important to me. Sometimes I think about it -- where I'll go down, what people will remember me for. Just being able to surf with Kelly, being around with some guy who's won nine world titles. I mean, no one else is going to do that, ever, I guarantee, there's no way. If that happens in 1000 years I'll really be surprised. So to take him on, and actually have some success, I hope people will remember that -- remember me as someone who was definitely psyched, really competitive, and really enjoyed winning, someone who really got psyched off of winning, really loved surfing. I hope they don't forget about it!Any regret in the fact that you won't be there to challenge Kelly while he goes for #10? Are you rooting for Kelly to win it, now that you won't be a fellow contender? I hope Kelly gets 10 this year. No regrets on my side if he does get it while I'm not there.Did Kelly give you any advice during that trip to P-Pass right before the Pipe Masters? No. There were a lot of guys there on that trip, so we never really got deep about anything. I know he's there if I want or need his advice.In the past, the world champion has not always been considered the best surfer in the world. After over a decade on tour, what's your take on that? Is the World Title a fair indication of who the best surfer in the world is? Yes, I think it's true. I think that some guys peak at certain events, but the guy who walks away at the end of the year with the championship was the guy who was the best surfer in the world over that 10-month period.How about the whole financial side of this? Times are tough for a lot of people right now, and as I understand it many of your sponsorship agreements are up for renewal right now. Has that put extra pressure on you in terms of making this decision? Pressure? You have no idea. This negotiation couldn't have come at a worse time with the economy being where it is. People are getting fired from their jobs everyday in the "real" world, and I know I am lucky to even have a job with what is going on out there. I gotta thank Billabong for being so cool, and sticking this past year out with me. I delivered them three world titles so far, and am looking forward to giving them a few more before my time on tour is officially over.When we spoke in October, you told me that you wanted to "win everything, or I don't even want to be there." Do you still feel the same way? Yes, that's exactly why I'm taking a break.In most professions, people get better as they go along - promotions, knowledge, income etc. But for pro athletes, there seems to be an age where you're still relatively young, but your best professional days are behind you. Last time you said, "Titles were my life goal, but I've realized getting them is a type of temporary happiness." Any thoughts on what you might do when you finally retire from professional surfing, and what might provide you with a more lasting sense of happiness? Surfing will always provide me with a sense of happiness whether I am getting paid to do it or not. I have said it since I was 12 years old. I am going to surf for the rest of my life no matter what. Goals are important for me at this stage of my life and career though. Similar to the world title goal of the past, I've created some personal goals to reach in the next couple years, but I'm going to keep them to myself for now. 
Hope to see you very soon in the lineup Andy!!! (here with Felix Frank - Strandleben Frankfurt)
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL!
posted by Strandleben Frankfurt at 12:58 PM
0 comments
Fabiola ist langjähriges Mitglied der brasilianischen Schwimmnationalmannschaft und kennt deshalb die hohe Anspruchsfähigkeit von Strand- und Poolbekleidung. 
Die Artikel sind hochwertig verarbeit - durch Schnürung auch der Oberteile ermöglicht sicheren Halt auch bei Sprüngen und Wellen - und die Farben behalten auch trotz Chlor- und Salzwasser ihre Leuchtkraft. ...endlich gute Bikinis und Badehosen aus Brasilien in Deutschland!
Exklusiv bei STRANDLEBEN FRANKFURT!
