Pro Surfing and Contests
Forever number two - Cheyne Horan
While Rabbit Bartholomew and Mark Richards were Bustin’ down door and winning World Titles, fellow Australian, Cheyne Horan was busy coming in second place. Cheyne was runner-up to the crown a record four times, 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982. While others on tour were moving from a single fin to twin fins and then to thrusters, Cheyne fought the trend and stuck with his non-contemporary shapes and single fins. In an even more bizarre design twist, Cheyne further bucked the trend of fellow pro surfers by riding his mid 70s shapes well into the late 80s, only altering his fin arrangement for the worst, with the less practical and highly unconventional starfin. Scream in Blue, A film that followed Cheyne’s frustrations and refusal to adapt was released in 1987, featuring his slide into obscurity via his odd behavior and even stranger equipment. One of the more memorable moments in the film featured Cheyne working on carving 360s at Waimae Bay. Cheyne managed to stay on tour through all his troubles, from 1976 to 1993, with the title always eluding him. Cheyne was something of a 1970s to 1980s Donovan Frankenreiter, who stayed on tour despite his not quite fitting in, through pure competitive drive and for lack of another viable option (free surfing didn’t pay the bills back then). In a pseudo happy ending for Cheyne’s surfing career, he won the 1999 World Master’s title, taking home the first place ranking that always eluded him earlier in his life. Cheyne now resides on Australia’s Gold Coast, where he hosts one of the countries most popular surf schools. While many derided his choices in his professional career, his style, equipment and attitude towards surfing have inspired generations to come. Good on ya Cheyne for being yourself!
Related Posts
Surf Central
WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck requires Flash Player 9 or better.
Daily Email from DailyStoke
Get DailyStoke right to your email once a day - Sign up here to stay stoked!
// Home // About // Subscribe // Editorial Policy // Advertise to Surfers // Surf Archives // Legal // Sitemap
Discussion
No comments for “Forever number two - Cheyne Horan”
Post a comment