Simpo -The Sequel

Words: Will H-S

Last year Brett Simpson was a rookie on the World Tour and made rookie mistakes. Except for a semi-final finish at the Quiksilver Pro France he had a lackluster year, not counting his second win at the US Open prime. He finished 23rd in the world, only missing the cut-off by a couple of spots. At season close he hadn't lived up to the hype.



The Brett Simpson that showed up for the 2011 Quik Pro Gold Coast was different. His turns were sharper, faster and tighter. His airs, more critical. This is what we wanted to see from the young Californian. Simpo scored the highest heat total of round two and also earned the fourth highest wave score of the entire event. His red-hot run was ended by the form surfer of the event, Taj Burrow, in the quarters.

Last night ASL caught up with our Huntington homie to find out what has changed.

Hey Brett, where are you right now?
I'm at home in Huntington Beach. I was meant to stay in Australia then head to New Zealand for some QS events, but the good start at Snapper has allowed me to focus more on the World Tour. I remember last year towards the end I got really burnt out doing so many events back to back. I don't want that to happen again.

Current world number five, Brett Simpson on the job. Pic ASP/Robo

You seemed more confident at the Quik Pro than you did on tour last year, why is that?
I think having a year under my belt really helped. It gave me the feeling I'm meant to be here, so I went out there not thinking anyone was watching. It felt like the pressure was off.

What did you do during the break? It seems to have worked.
It was a great break for me. I got married to my lovely fiancée, Danielle, and it was awesome. There were lots of friends and family in town so it was such a great way to start the year. After that it was back to work, hitting the gym a few times a week as well as surfing a lot more. The waves were really consistent this year in California, which is always a plus.

The Simpsons. Pic ASP/Robo

A lot of the younger guys stepped up at the Quik Pro. Why do you think that is?
Confidence is the key. I mean for Dusty Payne, Matt Wilko, and myself, we got our feet wet last year and showed some signs of what we can do. But in the second year on tour there's a lot less pressure, you could tell we were already more comfortable. As for Alejo Muniz it's the same thing, confidence. He came off a big prime win in Brazil and kept the momentum flowing onto the World Tour.

Has having a dad who was a professional athlete helped you?
Most definitely! Surfing and football are very different, but there’s also a lot of similarities. In both you win some and you lose some. He's always giving me motivational pep talks and trying to keep me in the moment. He never lets me get too far ahead of myself.

Tell us a bit about your Dad’s career. 
He played football for nine years, which is a great career when you think of all the high impact hitting. He spent four years playing for the LA Rams and five for the Buffalo Bills. He was a free safety, which is on the defensive side. His position was the last line of defense so when balls were thrown or run down field he was the last chance to stop a touchdown. Some big head-on collisions definitely went down! He's about as intense as they come, so this laid back surfing thing has taken him a while to get used to.

Ditching fins at last year's Hurley Pro Trestles just down the highway from Huntington. Pic ASP/Robo

You won the US Open the last two years in a row, how’d you spend the $400K?
I haven't done anything too cool with it really. I wish I did have some sick stories like a buying a Lamborghini or some crap, but I'm saving up so I can buy a nice house. I'm looking for somewhere in Huntington that I can live in for the rest of my life.

Do people ever tell you that you can only win at home? If so what do you say to them?
Well I think everyone knows that I can win at home and if there’s one to win that’s the one I want. But no one has really said that to me, I'm sure there are haters or doubters that think I can't take it on the road but hopefully I can prove them wrong somewhere done the line.



What’s something that Aussies don't know about Brett Simpson?
I do love surfing, but I'm way more competitive when I play basketball or tennis. So if it's a lay-day you can probably find me at the local courts.

Thanks mate! See ya at Bells.
Yeah bud, no worries.


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