Mick Fanning’s probably learned a lot of lessons in his year away from the Worl Tour, but one in particular stands out – you can just be here. You can be here today and deal with tomorrow when it comes.
“Being on tour, you’re always focusing on the next day,” Fanning says. “Even if you lose your heat it’s like ‘Alright, when am I getting home? How do I have to get my body right for this event or that event?’ Now I can go and actually stop. I can stop and have a moment and actually live today.”
Rip Curl has been following Fanning during his year-long sabbatical. As they put it, “The year off was supposed to be an exploration, of himself and life outside a jersey, to see if competition was still quenching his surfing thirst. Or, if it was maybe time to retire and do something new — video trips, make beer, save the elephants.” But what people really want to know now is whether or not the champ will be back to try and snag
What people really want to know now is whether or not the champ will be back to try and snag a 4th title. “I think the goalposts have changed,” he says. “Obviously, world titles are incredible to pursue – something you strive for as a little kid. People always ask me ‘Do you want to win more?’ and, to be totally honest, I couldn’t care.”
That’s easily the most intriguing piece of Rip Curl’s Crossroads, a story that is supposed to share Mick’s return to his roots as an exercise in self-discovery. But if you’re reading (rather, listening) between the lines, it’s a pretty insightful glimpse and a heavy reality check that this may have been more than just a year off. Of course, the man could announce tomorrow he’s coming back to win it all. At this point we really have no clue. But if you watch these six minutes you’ll probably notice Fanning seems to have little interest in putting a contest jersey (even a yellow one) on any time soon.
