The Lineup with Dave Prodan - A Surfing Podcast

WSL Founder Ian Cairns talks about starting the ASP and building what would become the Championship Tour. He looks back at the early days of the tour, their crazy dream, patching it together “with chewing gum and masking tape,” the widespread growth of surfing worldwide, and wanting to end the tour in Australia. He describes living in Western Australia on a farm, surfing all the different waves there including Strickland Bay, the site of the Rip Curl Rottnest Search, and then explains how they relate to some of the iconic breaks on the North Shore. He tells stories from his own successful competitive career, talks title aspirations, details how he knew it was time to hang it up, and calls winning The Duke in 1975 the highlight of his career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Championship Tour surfer Connor O’Leary talks about his unlikely and inspiring road to getting (and staying) on tour. He looks back at his rollercoaster career so far, from starting out as a surf shop kid and surf school instructor to his quick rise through the Qualifying Series and winning Rookie of the Year to falling off tour and battling back. He breaks down his family history, his mom’s competitive surfing career, growing up in Cronulla as a multicultural kid, and representing both Japan and Australia on his jersey. He also touches on the rise in performance level since his rookie year, inspiring the next generation of surfers, finding confidence and being present in the moment, and his desire for more lefts on tour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Championship Tour rookie sensation, Margaret River local, and Boost Mobile athlete Jack Robinson talks about his evolution from bowl-cut grom to tour competitor. He dives into the heavy expectations from a surf industry obsessed with youth, wild times on the QS with his dad, finding his own path, and growing past the pressure. He discusses his hometown, his favorite local breaks, how the Margaret River coastline shaped who he is today, and breaking out of the Western Australia bubble. He also discusses being inspired by Taj Burrow and Kelly Slater, traveling as a kid with Kanoa Igarashi and Leo Fioravanti, surfing instinctually, and then shares his best shark story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Australian Championship Tour star and Boost Mobile athlete Sally Fitzgibbons discusses her long and successful career on tour, coming so close to multiple World Titles, her constant drive to keep pushing herself, and her progression and evolution as a surfer. Before the Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro, she talks about surfing at The Box, her advantage from growing up around rugged waves, and the many different boards she’s brought for the Australian leg. She also touches on the Rip Curl WSL Finals, building non-endemic partnerships, her uber-athletic childhood, learning how to surf Pipeline, how much longer she has on tour, and the therapeutic place running holds in her life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big wave surfer and former Championship Tour competitor Laura Enever talks about her transition to big wave surfing, the differences between charging big swells and small wave performance surfing, the specific training, and her first time at Jaws and Shipstern Bluff. She discusses her film “Undone” which follows her journey from the CT to the big wave scene and her personal evolution along the way. She looks back at her rise to her seven-year run on tour, from growing up at Narrabeen to getting pushed competitively by her family to surfing on the Nike team. She also touches on which tour surfers have been standouts at her local break before the Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic, breaks down the new waves being added to the women’s schedule, and looks forward to the Red Bull Cape Fear contest at Shipstern. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two-time World Champion Damien Hardman talks about the “Girls Can’t Surf” documentary, responds to his comments in the film, and discusses the Championship Tour in the 1980s and 90s. The Narrabeen local describes what fans can expect at the Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic presented by Corona, breaks down the wave and the surf scene in his hometown, gives his predictions for the favorites going into the event, and discusses Mick Fanning’s chances as the Event Wildcard. “The Ice Man” then looks back at his own career, how he started surfing, his rapid rise to success, winning his two World Titles, and what it took to be an exceptional competitor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Momentum Generation icon, former Championship Tour competitor, and commentator-turned-coach Ross Williams talks about the differences between surfing in 2021 compared to when he was on tour in the 1990s, from the boards to the dream contest locations to the level of progression. He looks back at growing up on the North Shore, becoming friends at a young age with Kelly Slater and Shane Dorian, his gradual transition into becoming a pro surfer, and shooting the era-defining Momentum films with his peers. He dives into the world of surf coaching, how he tries to bring out that last 10% that can create a huge difference, and his work with World Champion John John Florence, CT competitor Tatiana Weston-Webb, and some up-and-coming Hawaiian talents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four-time World Champion and Newcastle native Mark Richards talks about his hometown’s strong surfing culture, how it produces so much high-level surf talent, and which tour surfers have looked best during their preparation for the upcoming Rip Curl Newcastle Cup presented by Corona. He tells stories of his first trips to Hawaii during the “Bustin’ Down The Door” era, winning respect from the local surfers, and becoming friends with Eddie Aikau. He looks back at his legendary career, touching on his four World Titles, his insatiable must-win mentality, the massive growth of the tour from its early days, and how hard it was to stop competing. Finally, MR breaks down the inspirations for his infamous twin fin design, his passion for and career in shaping surfboards, and his family’s history of making boards and running surf shops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

South African Championship Tour star Jordy Smith talks about the pro surfing hype machine, surviving the spotlight put on him at a young age, never crumbling under the weight of expectations, and how the media drives sponsorships. He looks back at his eventful quarantine, in which he experienced the birth of his child, was home for a South African winter for the first time in years, and got deep into shaping surfboards. He discusses how other surfers have influenced his surfing, from working to match Dane Reynolds in video parts to pulling inspiration from Taj Burrow’s airs and Joel Parkinson and Tom Curren’s style. Finally, as he prepares for the upcoming Australian leg of the tour, Jordy breaks down the obsessive work and the intense (and secretive) training regimen that goes into his pursuit of a World Title. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author and surf scribe Nick Carroll joins the podcast for a deep discussion about a wide and unexpected array of surfing topics. He breaks down the differences between Australian and American surf journalism as well as the similarities between the California and Australia surf scenes. He describes how you can learn a lot about who a person really is by watching them in the water. He dives into the idea of rebellion in surfing, the long-standing surf institutions, the anti-establishment community, and the death of surf culture. He shares stories of his early competitive aspirations, watching his younger brother win World Titles, and how he moved from competing to writing about surfing for a living. He also touches on the current surfing boom caused by the pandemic and Kelly Slater’s future on tour before giving his top five things that changed the pro surfing game forever.You can follow and subscribe to Caught Inside here: https://link.chtbl.com/CaughtInsideEp01Find us on twitter: @thelineuppodFind us on Instagram: @thelineuppodWant a shoutout on the pod? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/M3q11juNpwpncAcJ8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices