Our Great Coach on this episode is Surf coach Andy King.
Andy says he that started walking, talking and surfing all at the same time so it wasn’t surprising that he became a professional surfer in 1996. His career lasted for 8 years but then on a night out with his girlfriend and now wife, Nadene; he was hit from behind and fell to the round smashing his cochlear. When he woke he was deaf and had lost his sense of equilibrium.
With the help of other pro surfers he was able to receive a cochlear implant so that he could hear again. He re-learnt to walk and was eventually able to surf again, but his days as a professional were over. This led him into coaching.
He started as a coach for young surfers on the Red Bull circuit in America, and went on to coach Mick Fanning on his way to 3 World Championships in 2007, 2009 and 2013.
Then in 2013, with surfing confirmed as an Olympic Sport at the 2020 games, he was appointed as National Surfing Australia based at the Hurley High Performance Centre on the Gold Coast.
Today he is a professional coach for many surfers on the world tour.
In our interview we talk about the shark attack that Mick Fanning experienced in 2015; and the memory was particularly emotional for Andy as just 2 days prior a surfer had been killed at Greenmount Beach in Coolangatta, a place he surfs at on the weekends with his children.
Andy blends a deep appreciation for life with a desire to be the type of coach that can help improve the lives of others and the culture of the sport he loves.
This was a terrific interview, with a human that has embraced the 2nd chance life has given him and I hope you enjoy it as much as Jim and I did.
If you would like to send us any feedback or if you know a great coach, who has a unique story to share, then we would love to hear from you, please contact us at paul@thegreatcoachespodcast.com or contact us through our website thegreatcoachespodcast.com
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