Watch: Nate Florence Goes Behind-The-Scenes On Finals Day - Stab Mag

Episode 3 of EAST with Harry Bryant is LIVE, presented by Kona Big Wave and Vans.

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Watch: Nate Florence Goes Behind-The-Scenes On Finals Day

“It was one of the proudest days of my life.”

elsewhere // Oct 2, 2024
Words by Jack O'Neill Paterson
Reading Time: < 1 minute

To hear our full conversation with the now 3x World Champ, click here. 

Nathan Florence has made a habit of toasting to death—sharing a drink, maybe even stealing a kiss—but never going home to the tomb. This week, though, he’s taking a breather. Instead of his usual R-rated content, he’s gone for a softer touch, sharing a behind-the-scenes POV to commemorate the day his older brother clinched his third world title.

“I went from trying to paddle The Right, straight to California, and then John won the world title,” says Nate, blue eyes unblinking, beard that looks like it’s been growing through hard times. “It was one of the proudest days of my life. There was a huge crowd of people on the beach, all wearing Florence, all screaming their heads off.”

Nate’s Finals Day vlog, scored with a frantic violin, becomes even more exhilarating when you crank it up to 1.5x the regular speed (life’s busy, etc.).

Highlights include the camera uncomfortably fixating on John Pyzel’s teeth as they grind through a piece of chewing gum, the crowd’s reaction to that turn, and John John standing behind the competitors’ gate, eyes closed, while Italo fidgets like a caged rat, wrestling with the demons of 17 empty Red Bull cans.

In our recent interview with John, he recounts the situation: “They make you stand behind the stage before they announce you. I was trying to close my eyes, breath, and feel what was happening, and I looked over at Italo, and he was just rapping in Portuguese.”

To listen to the rest of our conversation with the champ, click here. 

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