“Every other world title I’ve won has
been just a battle with one other girl.
This year was every single heat, every
single girl … I mean even in Portugal to
have Carissa, Sally, Tyler and myself all
fighting for the world title was - it was
like I didn’t really know where to look
or what to do. It was kinda good in a
way because it really made me stop and
just say I can only figure out myself, I
can only control what I’m going to do
and that’s about it.” - Steph Gilmore
just another doting father lumping praise on
his prodigal child, as all great fathers do. Jeff
turns to me as the crisp offshore breeze rolls
down our backs and he says, “Luke, you
know she’s going to be world champion one
day.” Of course I nod and agree - anything to
make my client happy and keep him stoked.
Later that night I began the edit. He’d given me
some tapes he’d shot and I added my fresh
footage. It was crude - back then all we had
were a couple of digital recorders and a CD
player. Everything was time-coded manually
and written out by hand, then assembled a
shot at time, by cueing the tape and rolling
each edit one by one. I had a couple of crazy
songs that I laid down with some home-made
analogue titles. I cut it all up and made it a
bit frantic but supremely fun, with as much
energy as I could funnel down from all the
rides I had on tape - and so was born the first
ever Steph Gilmore mix tape from what would
later become the LiQUiFY back-lot studio.
Thirteen years on and 26-year-old Stephanie
has taken the women’s world surfing title once
more - it’s a comeback of sorts really for her,
as she has skilfully regained her place atop
the women’s surfing tribe, amidst personal
struggles and even a little controversy along
the way. You have to admire her incredible
inner confidence when she surfs, that she
so perfectly hides under her bubbly and
infectious personality when she’s back on
land and not out in a heat. Steph is a surfer
for all the ages, for all of time and now in 2014
she has again shown the world just what
kind of legacy and mark she is etching in the
forefront of women’s surfing, and indeed all
surfing //