THE FO L D
JAC K WHITEFIELD
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What was it like growing up in St. Ives and surfing? St. Ives is great for a kid, loads of people doing different things, surfing and art are the main two that seem to dominate our town, its pretty easy going and there is a close community.
and little videos, but I think s I’m gonna get into these things loads more in the next 12 months, just because I have always done them but haven’t put time into it. And just surfing all the time gets boring. Oh and I’m shit at guitar.
When did you get your first board? How old when you started surfing? My first board was a 6ft pipedreams surfboard; it was funny. I spray painted the whole thing and slapped stickers all over it. I think I was 10.
What people are you stoked on at the moment in surfing/music/ whatever? Music wise I listen to a lot of psych and low-fi. I like Ty Segall, Crystal Syphon, Swell Maps, White Fence then other stuff like, Yardbirds, Sonic Youth, The Fall, Jesus and Mary chain, but anyone shredding really. Surfing wise I don’t care that much on who’s doing the biggest snap turn or whatever. Just if they’re doing something rad and fun to watch, then I get stoked. As long as it is actually them and they haven’t fabricated
Besides surfing what occupies your time creatively? I like to have quite a few things on the go, but I’m yet to become remotely good at any of them. I take a lot of photos, I enjoy it, and its rad to do when I’m traveling. I do a bit of painting
their image because its trendy at the minute. I get stoked off anyone being true to what they enjoy, if that makes any sense? What is the oddest place you’ve ever surfed? Don’t know, there are some fucking weird places at home we surf every so often, like little coves that only work for 13 minutes. I surfed a couple of weird sessions in Indo too. Favourite wave? Home or away? Its going to have to be my local beach Porthmeor when its 1ft windy offshore. Quite crowded (laughs) na it gets fun. A few waves in Cali are fun, and France. What board are you currently riding? A couple of short things 5’5 a 5’4 and a piece of foam, I’ve got a couple of different boards being made for summer.
“It would be nice for kids to see that there is more to surfing than contests and dubstep”
How do you find fitting in to the international surf scene being from UK/Cornwall? I’m not sure, I mean I don’t have anything to do with the UK surf industry anymore, and there’s not a lot going on in it that interests me, so I don’t know a lot about it. But the UK surfing level has gone up loads, a bunch of my friends are UK pro surfers and they shred, but outside of comps and surfing, the UK stuff is pretty boring. Not taking anything away from the surfers, I have full respect for them, they are surfing well. Yeah but its definitely not for me. I feel myself and my close friends fit in better when we travel, none of our sponsors have much to do with the UK. So when I get to travel and meet guys from Cali and Australia that are into the same shit as me, it’s nice.
What are your feelings about the current state of the surf scene? Apart from the actual surfing standard, the UK surf scene is the same as it always has been pretty much. I think a few guys have put a creative side to it like Mickey Smith’s videos and photos, and a select few companies expanding their creative minds, that stuff’s rad. The rest still seems the same old UK scene, feeding off its self and not letting in anything new. Just surfing as a sport, surf surf surf, there is no character or flavour. I think it’s just a sport to them, like football or anything else. I am not sure if its because most UK surfers just don’t enjoy things outside sport like music, art or photography, and think its lame, who knows maybe that’s why it will always be the same scene.
What do you see as your personal role within surfing? What mark would you like to make within surfing? I don’t really have any goals and I have no role in surfing really, it would be nice for kids or anyone to see that there is more to surfing than contests and dubstep, that would be nice. What are you planning next? I’m going to be young for a while, and do things I enjoy.
Find jack at hypnoticpocket.com