The Lineup with Dave Prodan - A Surfing Podcast

In this special episode of the pod, host Dave Prodan wraps up the year by diving into the mailbag and answering listener questions about all things surfing. Beyond the podcast and the Championship Tour, topics include Dave’s surfing bucket list, the incoming CT rookie class, helping surfers after they retire from the tour, the new three-tier system, The Lineup fantasy league, and how the WSL decides when to run heats. Plus, Dave shares the most rewarding part of the podcast and reveals some of his favorite conversations from the past 97 episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2021’s final “Break Room” episode of the podcast, host Dave Prodan speaks with a panel of fellow WSL employees that work across the league. Get insights from inside headquarters on the upcoming 2022 Championship Tour roster. They react to the finale of the Challenger Series, get pumped for the massive, diverse, and exciting rookie class headed to the CT, discuss the new generation of women that are about to shake up the rankings, and pick a few surfers they’re most excited to watch in 2022. They also look back at their favorite memories from the long, winding road that was the 2021 season and each provide warm, hot, and SPICY takes for the upcoming year. As always, they answer a long list of fan questions, ranging from dream podcast guests to the tour’s golden era to what would happen if the Break Room faced off in a surf contest of its own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Championship Tour surfer Brisa Hennessy joins the pod to talk about her strong showing on the Challenger Series and requalifying for the CT. She breaks down her success on the new Challenger Series, the pressure she felt at the US Open, qualifying early, and how that impacted her nerves, expectations, and confidence going forward. She dives into the importance of mental strength in this sport, the uncontrollable nature of the ocean, how working with a sports psychologist has helped her be a better competitor, and some valuable advice given to her by Mick Fanning in Europe. She looks back at her unique upbringing off the grid in Costa Rica and how her childhood shaped her, moving to Oahu to pursue competition, and then eventually moving again to Namotu with her family. Brisa also shares stories about competing for Costa Rica in the Olympics, her rookie season on tour, trying new equipment, surfing for her dream sponsor Rip Curl, and her experiences training for the first Championship Tour event at Pipeline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Championship Tour surfer Ezekiel Lau joins the podcast to talk about the wild past year of his career. He describes focusing all his energy on the upcoming Challenger Series finale at Haleiwa, how different it is to prepare for Haleiwa vs Pipe, the expectations put on him as a local Hawaiian surfer, and requalifying for the CT after a year away. He looks back at his journey to becoming a pro surfer, growing up in a non-surfing family in Honolulu, getting pushed by his father to compete, learning the surf industry, and the uber-talented class of surfers he grew up competing against. He dives into his time on The Ultimate Surfer, why he applied for the show, the risks of appearing on it, who his biggest threats were, and how winning the show helped his career. He also talks about going to Kamehameha schools, navigating the industry shift from magazines to Youtube, filming Snapt 4, making improvements to his surfing, harnessing his power, and what surfer he thinks is the best ever at Pipeline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Championship Tour surfer and current WSL Senior Manager of Tours & Competition Travis Logie talks about the massive changes in pro surfing over the past few seasons. Hear straight from the mouth of the inventor of the Rip Curl WSL Finals format how he came up with the idea, how it became a reality, and how he thought it worked in its first year. He describes the new three-tier system in pro surfing, with the Championship Tour, heightened Challenger Series, and regional Qualifying Series, and how it will impact the sport going forward. He then dives into his own long career as a pro, from growing up in Durban, South Africa, getting a late start in surfing, winning the ISA games, and eventually competing for ten years on the CT. Travis also touches on stories from the golden days of the Quiksilver team, his wild re-surf at Teahupo’o against good friend Jordy Smith, explosive talents like Jordy and Dane Reynolds, and which young South African surfers to watch out for."-----------Oceans Not Oil Petition: https://www.change.org/p/shearwater-geoservices-shearwatergeo-and-shell-stop-blasting-the-wild-coast-our-voices-can-make-a-difference-and-put-an-end-to-shell-blasting-in-the-wild-coast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Irish marine social scientist and big wave surfer Dr. Easkey Britton talks about the We Are One Ocean campaign and the 30x30 petition that calls on world leaders to protect 30% of our shared one ocean by the year 2030. She dives deep into Blue Health and the countless proven mental and physical benefits of being in the ocean, from the healing effects of the water on PTSD, anxiety, and depression to the impact of cool water immersion on the nervous system. She details her family’s roots in surfing, explores her competitive career and how she got into big wave surfing, and breaks down the Irish surf scene. Then, in this week’s “Top 5” segment of the podcast, Easkey breaks down the top five ways that the ocean can benefit your health.----This podcast is brought to you by Open. 30 Day free trial when using promo code 'Lineup'open-together.com/LINEUP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the latest “Break Room” episode of the podcast, host Dave Prodan speaks with a panel of fellow WSL employees that work across the league. Get insights from inside headquarters on the Championship Tour’s “offseason,” the Challenger Series, and WSL PURE’s We Are One Ocean petition. To start, the crew describes what they’ve been working on since the World Champions were crowned at Lower Trestles, how the offseason is getting more packed than ever, and the fast-approaching start to the 2022 season. They discuss all things Challenger Series, break down the France and Portugal events, pick out their favorite moments so far, and make some predictions for the event at Haleiwa that will decide next year’s class of CT surfers. They then talk about WSL PURE and what the league has done in the conservation and sustainability spaces over the past season, the We Are One Ocean petition and campaign, and the upcoming takeover of the UN Biodiversity social accounts. Then as always, the Break Room answers a wide array of listener questions spanning topics such as Julian Wilson’s future on tour, big 2022 predictions, mental health in surfing, the Metaverse, and equal pay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer, journalist, and former professional surfer Jamie Brisick talks about the many phases of his life in surfing. He starts by telling the story of his entrance to the sport, growing up in Los Angeles in the Valley and earning his spot in the lineup at Malibu, using surfing as the way to escape suburban mediocrity, competing as an amateur, and having big dreams to pursue surfing as a career. He details his experiences as a pro surfer, discovering the very real delineation between amateur and pro, traveling to new places around the world, enjoying the characters at the fringe of the sport, seeing the difference between pro surfers then and now, and working through the challenges of life after the tour. Finally, he discusses his long career as a writer and journalist, how he finds inspiration and creativity, filling the void left by surfing with writing, studying youth culture in Japan on a Fulbright Scholarship, processing tragedy through writing, and his upcoming film “Becoming Westerly.”-----------This podcast is brought to you by Open. 30 Day free trial using promo code 'Lineup'open-together.com/LINEUP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three-time WSL Longboard World Champion Honolua Blomfield talks about her recent World Title win at Malibu. She describes what it was like to clinch the title at such an iconic wave, her first time surfing Malibu at age 10, feeling support from the longboard community there, and what another title means for her personally and career-wise. She dissects her mentality during competition, how she feels less and less pressure as the years go on, her mathematical brain, and being fierce while appearing calm. She talks about growing up on the North Shore, competing in both shortboard and longboard events, getting sponsored at a young age, and being influenced by her tight surfing family. Honolua also touches on moving to California, her current quiver, the origin of her name, and her goals going forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ultimate Surfer competitor and Puerto Rican pro surfer Alejandro Moreda about his surfing origins, growing up on the “Hawaii of the East Coast,” charging big waves, and adjusting to small wave contests once he decided to leave and pursue the tour. He describes his early years on the Qualifying Series alongside Dylan Graves and Brian Toth, banding together around a dream, eventually signing on with Billabong, and earning his place on the North Shore. He looks back at the bittersweet 2010 Rip Curl Search event in Puerto Rico, his relationship with Andy Irons, and how the loss of AI changed him. Finally, he breaks down his time on The Ultimate Surfer, from the intense interview process to his time on set to what the show has meant for him and for the kids back home that are aspiring to be surfers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices