Bobby Martinez, Ventura, CA

Bobby Martinez has, like most Californian surfers, been enjoying the fruits of the crisp winter swell that’s been hammering the west coast. This backside huck, shot by Jimmy Wilson in Ventura, is the kinda thing you won’t see on tour this year. Bobby, y’see, swore his way through a mid-year cutoff condemnation during a post-heat interview in New York, the result of which was disqualification from the event. Bobby, into his sixth year on tour, took beef with the fact that his place in the top 32 had become harder to work for. During an exclusive interview with Stab, which’ll appear in Jan/Feb issue 56, Brodie Carr said of the Californian: “Bobby has some good points but he chose the wrong way to express them. I said to him, it’s possibly better to tell me your thoughts and I’ll take ’em to the board rather than you venting publicly. I think he has to carry that shield of he’s Bobby and he’s a minority, but then, underneath that shield, he’s actually genuine and has a good heart.” Whether or not you agree with Bobby, the mid-year cutoff has been aborted after two years of life.