Jordy Smith

One of the most influential factors in the success of 22-year-old South African, Jordy Smith on tour this year has been his ability to relax.

  “I’ve matured a bit…Things don’t faze me as much as they used to… The first couple of years on tour I was running this way and that way and taking everything for granted – doing what a young kid does,” he told Stab.

Road trips like the one pictured, in which he and friends drove from J-Bay to Cape Town in the days after his Billabong Pro win, are a classic example of how Jordy’s balanced the scrutiny with surfing’s stripped back side.

Another crucial change in the lifestyle of the South African has been cutting down on his partying.

“You can’t expect to be going out partying 24/7 and win a contest. It’s not gonna happen. I toned everything down a little bit but I’ve still been having fun,” he says.

Nothing, however, was gonna stop the big dog cooking some brain cells following his maiden tour victory at home in South Africa. On Mandela day. Also the same day South African golfer Louis Oosthuizen won the British Open. The upwelling of personal and national pride prompted Jordy to throw down US $5k on the bar to be enjoyed by all present.

“I felt like it was a win for everyone from South Africa…I thought, ‘Oh well, these days don’t come around very often.’”