The Lineup with Dave Prodan - A Surfing Podcast

Championship Tour surfer and Olympian Leonardo Fioravanti joins the pod this week to talk about the upcoming season. Fresh of his opening round win at the Pipe Pro, Leo details his approach to the wave, his healthy respect for it, confidence and commitment, and his long history with the North Shore. He shares his path to the tour, growing up in a non-surfing family, being part of the Young Guns program with Jack Robinson and Kanoa Igarashi, succeeding in QS and Prime events before getting crushed in his first run on the CT. Leo also touches on the reputation of European surfers, the next European grom to watch out for, how Jeremy Flores inspires him, his comfort with constant travel, and his career-changing switch from Quiksilver to KWay.Follow Leo and learn more here. Watch the Lexus Pipe Pro pres by YETI live on worldsurfleague.com.Stay locked into the Vissla Shaper Rankings.Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024 Championship Tour rookie and Challenger Series winner Cole Houshmand joins the podcast. He opens up by talking about his first event on tour, the Lexus Pipe Pro pres by YETI. He breaks down his approach to training in the intense lineup, his time logged out at Pipe, the forecast, and the shock of starting at such a challenging location. He previews his rookie season, working with coach Luke Egan, focusing on Sunset Beach, switching to Mayhem boards, and how many boards he brought to Hawaii. He shares his origin story, growing up as a multi-sport athlete, winning two events on the Challenger Series, and joining up with the “2-Percent Crew” of San Clemente surfers and supporting each other as as they rose through the ranks. Cole also touches on his wild hairstyles, new school power surfing, the power of journaling, and his first Pipe matchup.Follow Cole and learn more here. Watch the Lexus Pipe Pro pres by YETI live Jan 29 - Feb 10.Stay locked into the Vissla Shaper Rankings.Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the Championship Tour season opener at Pipeline less than a week away, Mitchell Salazar joins the pod to kick off 2024. He and Dave first break down the recent SAMBAZON World Junior Championships presented by Best Western, discuss the breakthrough performances by budding stars Jett Schilling and Sierra Kerr, and look forward to the young surfers who could make an impact on both the Challenger Series and the Championship Tour this year. They then dive into the Vissla Shaper Rankings, recap last year’s standings, talk Matt Biolos and Mayhem Surfboards’ big win, and make predictions for the 2024 competition. They wrap up with some instagram questions about cold water surfing, rookie surprises, and more.Follow Mitch hereWatch the Lexus Pipe Pro pres by YETI live Jan 29 - Feb 10.Check out the highlights from the SAMBAZON World Junior Championships pres by Best Western.Stay locked into the Vissla Shaper Rankings.Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re joined by multi-hyphenate YETI ambassador Dan Malloy. The surfer, filmmaker, farmer, and all-around waterman talks about the many facets of his career, from competing as a young surfer with Kelly Slater, Shane Dorian, and his brothers Chris and Keith, to making films with Taylor Steele, to traveling to waves all over the globe. He shares the story of his entry to surfing in Ojai, California, his initial inspiration to surf, how he developed such diverse interests, his newest passion of running an educational farm with his family, and his work with YETI, its gear, and its unique crew of people. Dan also touches on the importance of getting outside, access and respect in surfing, and bodysurfing perfect Pipeline.Follow Dan hereSupport and donate to Dan’s educational farm, Poco Farm, here.Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Body Glove surfer Hunter Jones returns to the podcast. He talks about his recent surf trip to Iceland with Jesse Mendes, Dane Anderson, and the Body Glove team, what it’s like to surf in snow and 40 degree water, exploring the country and its waves for 12 days, and the life of a free surfer and filmmaker. After nailing his Championship Tour predictions last time on the pod, Hunter makes some bold picks for the 2024 season, including Shaper of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and of course, the World Champions. He also touches on his dream film to make, testing out twin fins, what he’s up to next, and working with one of his biggest childhood inspirations Laird Hamilton.Follow Hunter and learn more here.Watch the Vans Pipe Masters here.Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Challenger Series surfer and Body Glove athlete Nolan Rapoza joins the pod. He talks about his strong season, coming close to qualifying for the Championship Tour, the relief of requalifying for the Challenger Series, actually getting an offseason, and his thoughts on surfing’s three-tier system. He takes us through his career, coming out of the under-the-radar surf scene in Long Beach, California, thriving under pressure, working with Body Glove for a decade, making his film Embers, and blurring the lines between contest surfer and free surfer. Nolan also touches on his winter plans on the North Shore, goals for 2024, and his mindset in regional events.Follow Nolan and learn more here.Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stab editor-at-large and producer Ashton Goggans joins the three-timers club and returns to The Lineup to talk about everything he’s been up to lately. He starts by discussing the new season of No Contest: Off Tour, the interesting surfers and unexpected places it highlights and getting to film, surf, and meet the locals in Morocco, Tahiti, and beyond. He discusses his role at Stab, the importance of access, making memorable content that lasts, their illuminating series How Surfers Get Paid, and finding the right tone for criticism. Ashton also touches on living in the North Shore surf mecca, the proposed new judging tower in Tahiti, the new Electric Acid Surfboard Test with Shaun Manners, the compendium of surf history and stoke he is building, what a No Contest Residency with Thermal would look like, and what Championship Tour surfer he’d have the best chance against.Follow Ashton here.Watch the latest episodes of No Contest: Off Tour on Red Bull TV.Get involved with Ashton for No Contest in 2024 through their Residency programs with Thermal here.Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

World-renowned Big Wave charger and YETI athlete Tom Lowe joins The Lineup to talk about his career in extreme surf. He discusses his journey to surfing from growing up in Cornwall, UK, moving to Ireland and surfing Mullaghmore, the different chapters of his life in Big Wave, and what surfers he likes watching in heavy surf. He opens up about how having kids has affected his outlook on big waves, his never-ending froth, his near-fatal injury at Teahupo’o and recovery process. Finally, he details his work with YETI, the organic relationship with them, following his instincts when working with sponsors, and his new film with YETI.Follow Tom here.Stay ready for the WSL Big Wave season here. Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Influential surf journalist Matt George joins The Lineup to talk about documenting surfing culture from the late 1980s to now. Matt shares stories from his over 35 years in the business, the importance of long-form surf journalism in the social media age, and how he has immersed himself in the sport, its culture, and its heroes. He dives deep into the power, courage, and indescribable feeling of surfing and takes us through his personal surfing journey, from Hawaii to San Francisco to Santa Barbara to Bali. Matt also touches on the danger of AI, the Mid-season Cut, his favorite free surfers, the most significant events in surf history, and his book In Deep: The Collected Surf Writings.Follow Matt here.Buy In Deep: The Collected Surf Writings by Matt George. Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Wave surfer and YETI ambassador Will Skudin joins The Lineup. He talks about becoming the first New Yorker to earn a spot on the Big Wave Circuit, learning the ropes with Garret McNamara, an “El Niño” season, being part of the big wave community, his worst hold down, and his rule of never chasing the first swell of the season. He discusses the many hats he wears within surfing, from owning his Skudin Surf camps to running the non-profit Surf For All that helps raise money for kids to surf throughout the year. Will also looks back at his origins in surfing, his organic relationship with YETI and using their products both in surfing and at his nonprofit events, and New York’s rich surfing history. Follow Will here and check out Skudin Surf.Learn more about Surf For All.Join the conversation by following The Lineup podcast with Dave Prodan on Instagram and subscribing to our YouTube channel.Get the latest WSL rankings, news, and event info.Special thanks Jason Belsky and Floored Media for production support in NY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices