BY Jack Mainella
As you head south from Brisbane along the Varsity Lakes train line, you will hit the epicenter of the world’s top surfing. Beaches and waves that rival the best surf in the world have respectably produced top surfers in the world. The Gold Coast is renowned for its vibrant beaches, large party scene, and amazing surfers; one of the most famous being Mick Fanning. Upon reading his biography Surf For Your Life by Tim Baker, I’ve discovered a lot about the local area, and the pride Fanning and many of his close friends carry within them by not only being Australian, but also the Cooly Kids.
Fanning was born in the Sydney suburb of Penrith and began surfing at the age of 5, merely following his older brother Sean and his friends. Mick traditionally had a passion for soccer, which he accelerated greatly at but enjoyed surfing more when his family moved to Coolangatta, a coastal town in Queensland. Shortly after moving, Mick would often tag along with Sean and his friends at the beach. One day at the beach, Sean met with a representative in hopes of getting sponsored. After the rep. saw them both surf, they each gained sponsorship, which was a turning point for Mick’s surfing. After gaining sponsorship, Mick and Sean started competing in contests all around the Gold Coast and many in New South Wales.
As Mick and his brother began working with top trainers, they were quickly introduced to other young local surfers. This resulted in the formation of the Cooly Kids, which was a pack of 13 young surfers, one member was the 2012 ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson. The group even pushed their school, Palm Beach Currumbin, to sponsor a surfing program. Palm Beach now boasts one of the most prestigious surfing schools in the world, largely due to the success of the Cooly Kids.
I thought Mick’s strength and perseverance throughout his life and his passion for surfing has helped him to overcome challenges. For example when Mick was 17 years old, his brother Sean and a close friend died in a car accident less than a kilometer from their home. After Sean’s death, Mick made the decision to make surfing into a professional career for his brother. Another defining moment in Mick’s surfing came in 2004 on a Rip Curl sponsored trip to Indonesia, where Mick tore his hamstring clean off from his pelvic bone. He was not able to surf for 6 months, but largely contributes his rehabilitation, a refocus on his training and diet on his ASP World Championship in 2007.
Mick describes the greatest feeling of his life is stepping off the plane at the Gold Coast Airport after his World Championship victory. He describes a riot of fans at the airport and a quick departure to one of his favorite pubs in Kirra with all of his closest friends. Many contribute his win in 2007 as a championship for Australia, but Gold Coast locals claimed specifically as their own championship for the Cooly Kids. Last week, Mick and Joel Parkinson lost in the quarterfinal round and tied for 5th place in the Quiksilver Pro France tournament. Currently, Fanning is ranked as the number 12 surfer in the world, while Parkinson is ranked 9th.
Mick Fanning (Left) and Joel Parkinson (Right) after Mick’s J-Bay South Africa Open win over Joel in 2014.
When looking for an avenue into Australian culture, I personally turned to the passion of sports. I knew prior to my arrival that the Gold Coast was renowned for its surfing, and began to look at local successes in the sport. I came across Mick’s biography and was interested in learn more about this top athlete’s personality and character. I was blown away by his passion for surfing, but also his core family values and appreciation for his home. He is proud to represent the Gold Coast and Australia in general in the sport of surfing. I would recommend Surf For Your Life to any athlete traveling or living in Australia to gain an understand and appreciation for the true reality of the surfing culture.
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