“First off, I didn’t really retire.” – Freddy P.
Granted, those were Fred Patacchia’s words in December of 2015, just a few short months after his seemingly impromptu exit from the rigors of World Surf League competition. Nearly a year has passed since, and while it’s possible that Patacchia’s perspective has changed, if the game of cornhole we witnessed at his North Shore residence is any indicator, it seems like things are still pretty competitive in the Freddy P. household.
He’s just competing on his own terms: spending time with his kids, mentoring a new generation of surfers through his involvement with Quiksilver’s Young Guns Surf competition, and being a generally friendly and charismatic face of surfing.
“I think the key to happiness would be to do what you want,” says Patacchia. “In my experience just with leaving the tour, a lot of people told me, ‘What are you doing? This is a dumb idea, you’re still surfing great.’ But I stuck to my guns. I did what I wanted to do, because it’s my life. No one’s going to tell me how to do it. And if I made a mistake – if I make a bad decision – and I regret it, then I’ll live with that. But I’m happy…I’m happy with my decision. So that’s what I think. Don’t let anyone steer you in a direction you don’t wanna go. It’s your life, do what you want.”
Special thanks to Juicewhale, Toby “This Board Works Great…This Is a Good Board” Aimer, and Ryan Trautwein on this edit.
