Front foot surfers a breed apart

WAY back at the turn of the century (remember the Y2K bug scare) the fledgling Noosa Festival of Surfing got together with a re-incarnated iconic surf brand called Golden Breed and chucked around a few ideas for creating a new event.
Actually, the idea that resulted from Golden Breed’s Nick Van De Merwe sitting down with the Festival’s Phil Jarratt over a few beers one day, was also a re-incarnation of sorts.
The first ever specific nose-riding contest was the invention of design guru Tom Morey back in 1965, using a taped line across the front of the board that both feet had to be in front of before the timer was clicked on. A point for every second clocked while hanging five, doubled for tens.
Held in perfect First Point peelers, the inaugural Golden Breed Noserider was a huge hit, with surfers clocking 20-plus second noserides that Tom Morey’s competitors would have only dreamed of. Over the years, the event helped nurture a culture of noseriding in Noosa, with locals like Jai Lee, Josh Constable, Harrison Roach, Matt Cuddihy and Zye Norris developing into the world’s best tip riders, alongside standout internationals like Christian Wach and Joel Tudor.
Like the event that bears its name, Golden Breed has come a long way in the 15 years since canny rag trader and surfer Nick Van De Merwe rescued it from the junk pile of forgotten surf brands. Originally created by industry guru Duke Boyd in the 1960s, Golden Breed has got its mojo back big time, with subtly retro surfwear and accessories reflecting the brand’s surf philosophy of “ride ’em all”, and flagship stores in key locations such as Byron Bay and Noosa.
In 2015, the Golden Breed Noserider will share top billing at the Noosa Festival of Surfing, presented by Cricks Noosa, with more prize-money on offer and a galaxy of tip-time superstars expected to compete.
Entries for this great event will open on 1 November at noosafestivalofsurfing.com.