Our main DK man in Cronulla has been turning lots of heads lately, especially with his crazy antics out some big, heavy Shark Island. Below is an interview that Doc from Fluidzone had with Azza recently.
Aaron Glossop has been pushing himself to lay the knee in bigger and meaner Shark Island pits. Here's a few words with the man to see where he's heading...
Interview by Doc
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| Matt Harber Photo |
AG: Well! I'm just about finished on my 4 yr hospitality apprenticeship, which has been well worth it, but I've felt that my love for body boarding was out weighing my career as a chef. To be honest, I want to be the best in the world at drop knee. I work really close to Cronulla beach, so on my 2 and a ½ hr break, I'm always out the island, or anywhere local that's firing.
FZ: Do you only surf Shark Island and the Cronulla area?
AG: I surf the area a lot! Why wouldn't I? It has so much to offer, but the beaches have a bad reputation for being weak and sloppy most of the year.
On a good day though, it has potential to be one of the best beaches in NSW in my opinion ( especially the
old Ally rip bowl!!), so that's why my DK riding is based mainly on reef breaks like the island, suck rock, and all the other reefs around the area.
I love going south for surf trips, being a chef kind of limits me to do so with mates, because I work split shifts on weekends and during the week, I only have 2 days off in a week and they change all the time. I basically just surf as much as I can at home and miss all the good surf trips my mates go on! I don't mind really, because I love cooking and it's what I have to do to set myself up for the future.
FZ: For the record, what's your Age, Weight and height?
AG: Geez! So specific! I'm 23 in November, my weight is 65kg, and my height is short! (1.65cm)
FZ: What are you riding currently? (Core type/dimensions/shape etc)
AG: Well I've been lucky enough to be riding toys' body boards for the last 4 yrs, they're just that good! At the moment I'm riding an AKA2 polypro double stringer no channels, it's a weapon!! I met Will George one time in Emerald, and we've kept in touch since then, and he sent it to me, I was so stoked!! Before that, it was another AKA2 and Dez at Emerald hooked me up with it! The guys at emerald are the most inspiring bunch of guys for my body boarding, and I appreciate it so much. They're always pushing my riding out the island, even though most around Cronulla are prone riders, I feel it's more of a challenge surfing with guys like josh (blackie) Kaihe, Sam Strachan, Shaun Pyne and many others.
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| Matt Harber Photo |
AG: I started surfing stand up when I was really young, like 6 or 7, and used to do the local board riders comps every now and then. I was always in the water with my friends, my dad and younger brother after school without fail, and I only surfed (stand up) until I was in high school. I can surf alright, like I'm not a kook or anything! I was totally influenced by my mates in high school to start body boarding just because it was more fun for the sucky take offs out at all the local reef breaks like island and the reefs etc. When I was younger, I found it kind of boring just to lay down, because of surfing the fiber glass first ( and because of my dad! He wanted me to stand up!), I really just fell into DK because of this, and I was hooked on it when I was 15 out at my local reef break, ( which only breaks 3 or 4 times a year, but when it does, it's a machine!) . I then started buying body board vids and found that it was such a unique stance for wave riding, I really looked up to Dave Ballard, Kainoa Mcgee, Roach, Lackey, Mitch Rawlins and Ryan Hardy back then. Nowadays, I have so much respect for all of them still, but also including Kim Feast, Mason Rose, Aka Lyman and Micah McMillan.
In my opinion, there are so many underground DK riders out there that shred, but most are busy doing what really needs to be done, pay the bills...
FZ: What boards have you had, what has been your favorite and why do you ride the unit you have now?
AG: My first board was a BZ stock board that used to grate my guts every time I rode the thing! That might be why I started DK more haha! My first drop knee board was a Toys ‘the game' blue with grey slick, and it was so good!! I pushed my riding every time on that board. My current ride is a Toys ‘AKA 2' all blue, and it's such a sick board! I've only had it for a few days but it feels good and I've already got a couple of kegs on it!
FZ: Fins - how crucial are they to your riding? which ones have you tried, which fins do you use and what do you think of them?
AG: I used to wear manta blades, and to be honest, they were so good for DK! But for some reason, I kept getting bulbs on my feet from them, so I switched to Redley fins, and they were a perfect fit! I cut the ends of them, without losing any propulsion as well, I found them to be very comfy. At the moment, I'm wearing Toobs blunt cuts, and they top all the fins I've ever worn, not because a lot of DK riders wear them, but because I find them to be versatile and useful for driving through turns and snaps drop knee. If you have never tried blunt cuts before, they are heavier than most fins and feel a bit weird at first, but they give you more control in tight turns.
FZ: What do you see as the premier DK events these days?
AG: From what I've seen in the past year or so, most DK riders are into fun beaches, but in saying that, most of the top guys are riding hollow, fast and sucky waves, similar to stand ups. I think it's a bit of a joke to have a DK comp in small , gutless beach breaks, as I feel it has potential to be very successful in big , fast and steep waves, it would definitely demand a greater skill level and thus push drop knee in a direction where it has more space to grow.
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| Jeremy Wirth Photo |
AG: The DKWT is still in its teething stage in my opinion. It could be such a huge thing for body boarding with the right swells, right locations, and just right mixture of characters on tour. To be honest, I think that the tour and its competitors need more coverage, and also a lot more support from the IBA with the money side of things. I don't really know much about how it all works, but as a DK rider, I feel as though I'm disadvantaged to an extent. There just isn't any coverage for drop knee on a global stage, I mean; some people I work with don't even know what it is! (Most likely kooks anyway!). This in turn affects the sponsorship side of things, being paid to drop knee to the extent of calling it ‘a living' doesn't really exist at the moment and its sad, but true. If there is more coverage of it, than the appeal would increase and hopefully that dream could come true.
FZ: Favourite Waves and why they're faves?
AG: SHARK ISLAND! Because it's so powerful, so risky, and so rewarding!!! I really love the place, even if it's got 40 groms flapping on the shoulder! That just shows how much this sport is growing, and if those groms see someone like me get up DK on a heaving 6ft death slab, I'd hope that at least one of them would man up and do it too! I'm not liking the crowds out there, but for the record, I was once a grommet on the shoulder, flapping about, getting in the way, I really have no grudge against grommies on the shoulder because I know that later on, one of them could be the future of the sport! I just can't stand kooks but! Stick to gardening or some shit! Another fave spot is suck rock, I have the feeling that DK could really excel in waves like suck, because it's fast, and the end bowl is just so good for boosting! If you land the air is a whole different ball game! My favorite waves that I haven't yet surfed are North Point, Pipeline, Chopes, and Mexico, they are at the top of my list for surf trips!
FZ: Any travel on the agenda?
AG: I'm heading to the gold coast in October and hopefully there's some swell, other than that, I've pretty much set myself up for a long haul at home( saving for a world trip end of next year). I'd really like to follow the DKWT, but with my wage, it's almost impossible to see happening. I believe with a lot of hard work, I can do it, and also tackle my fave waves mentioned above in the process!
FZ: Ultimate surf trip - who would you take on your ultimate DK trip and where would you go & why?
AG: I've been currently talking to Kim feast on FB and he is a frikken legend! I would defiantly want to do a surf trip with him, also Micah McMillan; they both are such powerful riders right now. Also, Dave Hubbard is my candidate for a surf trip, I have always looked at his posters in the mirror to try copy his style front side! Ha-ha, in all seriousness Dub shreds and I actually wish I was goofy DK! (For the record, I stand up goofy, also Skate goofy, but Drop Knee natural.) I've been trying switch but it's a bit hard!
FZ: Biggest wipeout so far.
AG: Voodoo, that place dealt me the longest and furthest hold down that I've ever had. That was when I rode a stand up though, my most recent wipeout that comes to mind is one a few weeks back, out the island, rissole(Christian riccoucini, not sure if that's how you spell it!) let me have it from the peak and as I bottom turned, I felt the foam ball all around me, not realizing the size of this south beast ( around 6 to 8 ft) I tried to straighten out, and all of a sudden, a surge boil popped up and sent my board down into a dead stop leaving me to skim on my stomach into dry, exposed reef! Luckily, I didn't hit, but it rag dolled me to the point where it thought I'd dislocate a limb! After that, I went back to work, because I was on my break and it was roast night! I've had a fair few beat downs just trying to get up on these steep, fast waves, and it's made me more confident in big waves, just because it's a kind of practice on how to deal with the turbulence underwater, the possibility of hitting reef is always in my mind, but if you handle it properly, you can limit the intensity of a beat down for sure. I had a fun session out Mystics 2 or 3 years ago, and the backwash was huge that day! I got up on the side wash , backhand, and it peaked at about 6 ft when it linked up with the wave, I got pitched and thrown with the lip hitting the sand straight away! Proper mashed.Good times!
FZ: Fave photographer(s)
AG: Paul Gleeson. The guy has been in the game for a fair while, and he's a sick c*nt! Ha-ha just a good dude in and out of the water, also Matt Harber, he has been so supportive of my riding, and always keen to take shots when its cranking, even going to the effort of waking me up the bastard! He DK's pretty well too! I really respect all the big wave photographers and those dedicated to surf photography, especially guys like Phil Gallagher, Tim Jones, and Tim Bonython.
FZ: Any tips for proners thinking of getting into DK?
AG: Patience is a virtue, practice makes perfect, style is everything, I don't know really, just keep doing what your girlfriend says you should, GET IT UP! Ha-ha!
FZ: Your future aspirations?
AG: To be the best at DK in the world, also feed people delicious food! I really just want to push the sport and DK stance onto the world stage, also being able to raise a family and own a house. I want to push drop knee into big waves, with the aid of towing maybe, and I really just want to see the world, travel and enjoy life, because I know there are less fortunate people out there that don't get the same chances as someone like myself, my younger brother being one of them.
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| Mark Halliday Photo |
AG: My Family first and foremost , especially my younger brother Andy,(he was born with a disease called Spina Bifida, which affects his legs and in turn, disables him to enjoy the things I do like body boarding), he really is my motivation and the reason I push myself to do the things I do, whatever it may be. I would like to thank Dez and Ross at Emerald, good dudes, Will and Aka at Toys body boards, Ryan Mattick at Zion wetsuits(I'm not sponsored by Zion, but there the best wetties on the market I reckon!) all my mates, Parkway Drive, my girlfriend, and all the people I look up to.
I'm not good at this stuff! But I'd like to say thanks for the interview; I hope you don't fall asleep reading this! Ha-ha, peace.
Thanks for your time Azza
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