THE SURFER INTERVIEW: WINGNUT

WINGNUT: Well, the movie was really a turning point in my life because it allowed me to establish with my sponsors that longboard sponsorship could be done a different way. Instead of maintaining a high ranking, you could just maintain a high profile. I stuck it out until a fair offer came my way. For the first few months of the movie I was totally unsponsored. I mean, in that Costa Rica segment I was wearing Katins. I had them made black with two white stripes just like Dora. That's when O'Neill knew I was serious and they came to the table. That enabled me to embark on a career as a surfing ambassador of sorts.

SURFER: Then came Go With A Pro. What exactly is that and how did you get involved?

WINGNUT: It's a travel company started by extreme skier Scott Schmidt, a guiding outfit that allows affluent clients to travel to exotic locales all over the world with a famous pro and participate in any sport. I was doing surf guide work before Go With A Pro. I already had clients to take surfing. This was in... (removing his Rolex, checking the inscription on the back) 1998. My first client gave me this as a gift.

SURFER: How'd you pull that off?

WINGNUT: What inspired the surf-guide stuff was this guy called me, told me his sons were big fans of the movie, and that for their birthday, he wanted to fly me out to Connecticut to surf with them. Instead, that February, I had them fly out to Huntington and I showed them California, Malibu to San Diego. And the value of that sort of participation was far more than you would get with, say, a ski instructor. Because more than just being instructed, you get to live the life, meet and surf with celebrity surfers and legends of the sport everywhere you go. Plus, you get to surf the best waves everywhere you go. It's like instead of getting a lesson from a golf pro, you get to go hang out with Tiger Woods for a few days.

SURFER: And it pays?

WINGNUT: Let's just say that the clients aren't too concerned about money.

SURFER: How many trips do you do a year?

WINGNUT: On average, about seven.

SURFER: Walk us through one.

WINGNUT: Take Costa Rica. I've got that one wired down to a four-day weekend for clients who have to work all the time. Out of LA all you do is hop on the redeye Thursday night and wake up in San Jose, Costa Rica. A charter plane flies you right to the beach and they're all surfing in 80-degree perfection by noon, Friday. Plus, I have all the equipment already there, so all you have to bring is a smile.

SURFER: Is it a growing business?

WINGNUT: We've got ski guys, mountain-bike guys, all sorts of sports covered, We're even investing in Go With A Pro LLC lodges at Squaw Valley and Aspen as we speak. It just makes sense to bring your clients to your own establishments. It's really been a lot of fun.

SURFER: And you also have a position at Surftech?

WINGNUT: Yeah. I am the director of marketing and new product development. With all the new shortboard models coming out by shapers like Al Merrick and John Carper and Glen Minami, the thing is just going to explode. These boards are the future--strong, light, beautiful, and designed by the best in the world. It's just an unbeatable combination.

SURFER: What is your take on the whole longboard vs. shortboard rivalry?