Pro Surfing and Contests
Marlon Lipke’s Road to WCT Surfing Glory
Marlon Lipke’s road to the ASP Surfing World Tour has been like a rocket. If Lipke survives Brazil, the Canaries, Portugal and the big H – Hawaii - he’ll be the first surfer with “DEU” after his name on the competition sheets and one of the newest of a number of up-and-coming European surfers who are making it to the ASP big leagues. I interviewed Marlon recently (and surfed with his brother Melvin) about Lipke’s road through the WQS.
There’s not a surfer who follows the world of professional surfing who hasn’t taken note of the elder Lipke’s surfing this year. He’s making an amazing run for a seat on the 2009 World Tour. Says Marlon: “I’m just really enjoying myself on tour. I’m very focused on winning contests, but the ride is a lot of fun.” Indeed. Since the party scene that accompanies professional surfing is the stuff of legends, does Marlon ever get caught up in all the partying on tour? “I do when I’m not competing,” Lipke admits. “But when I’m competing, I don’t.” (I could sense the smile through the phone.) Lipke is obviously a guy who knows how to let his hair down, though he maintains a level of focus that many younger surfers (and even guys his own age) lack. He knows what he wants, and he’s not about to let a little drinking get in his way. Now, women on the other hand…
When pressed on his least favorite parts of the WQS, Lipke explained that the travel can be a bit much. “I just came back home from 8 contests in a row, in 8 weeks. It’s constant stress, constant travel. Finish the contest, get on a plane, head to the next contest. It’s not just surfing and fun. It’s a lot harder than people think.” In Marlon’s case, you could even sense the overtiring nature of the tour in his voice.
Does he have any goals for the next few years? “No goals beyond qualifying really. I just want to compete and have fun.” Melvin Lipke, Marlon’s younger brother, puts it a little differently: “Marlon is a World Tour level surfer, currently on the wrong tour” – but that will likely all change very soon. That’s likely to make sponsor, Hurley, very happy for picking him out of the crowds on the WQS. “The Hurley guys are terrific. They’re like my family. Everyone is so cool. They take such good care of me. Hurley is the best thing that ever happened to me,” gushed Lipke.
Does the German power surfer have any favorite maneuvers or moves? “Not really,” Lipke admits. “I really like variation. I like to do a little bit of everything.” And, he does do a bit of everything, from big carving turns, to crisp new school airs, to impossible-recovery-unnamed-maneuvers. He’s incredibly well rounded; more so than several guys on this year’s World Tour. “Right now, I’m really just focusing on winning contests.” And, his results are showing that this focus is paying off in spades.
The focus has been showing impressive results, the down time is over the next few weeks, but what’s next on Marlon’s busy schedule? Several more contests. His contest schedule reads like a laundry list of places to surf before you die. “First I’ll go to Brazil, then to the Canaries, then Portugal, and then Hawaii.”
There’s the “H” word again.
Hawaii is the word in surfing that makes or breaks many a pro surfer. The place that has chased out Brazilians like Neco Padaratz, beat down American champs, and was the door that had to be busted down by Aussie and Saffo pioneers a few decades back. Lipke has been there before and, in his own words: “I really need to work on surfing there.” Hawaii figures prominently in his plans once he makes the World Tour. We can bet we’ll see a lot of him on the North Shore, as well as in Tahiti and Fiji, as Lipke gets his South Pacific repertoire ready for the big leagues. And what about Yankee soil? “Absolutely. I’ll definitely be back to California and I’d really like to go to New York.” As his younger brother Melvin tells it, they’ll hold Marlon’s party in New York the moment he qualifies for the 2009 World Tour. See you in New York, Marlon.
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