In September 2018, Ocean Grove’s Tarni Pearce and Western Australian Shawnee Turner were selected by Almond Breeze Australia to travel to four of the World Surf League Championship Tour events in France, Hawaii, the Gold Coast and Bells Beach, to capture content of their sponsored athlete Sally Fitzgibbons.<\/p>\n
Sally is one of Australia\u2019s best female surfers and has been at the top of her game for many years.<\/p>\n
The campaign titled #breezethewaves allowed them to go behind the scenes with one of their surfing idols and see what its really like on tour.<\/p>\n
In the lead up to the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, their final stop on this incredible adventure, they had the opportunity to sit down with Sally and ask her about this years tour and Tokyo 2020.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what she had to say:<\/p>\n
The first event of the year is done and dusted, how does it feel to be starting a fresh season on tour?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so enjoyable! Going through the experience of the first event of the year and with the lead up I had with breaking the shoulder at the end of last season, I guess I had a lot of unknowns and it was cool to ride the adrenaline of that. It was awesome to work with my team and have my Almond Breeze crew on the beach supporting me every time I came in, it was unreal. It gave me that much energy and stoke to be there and it let\u2019s me know that I\u2019m in the right place and heading in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n How does the event on the Gold Coast prepare you for Bells Beach?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSnapper Rocks is a long right hand point break which sets you up pretty well for Bells, it gives you some kilometres in the legs and prepares you for the long rights that Bells Beach provides. However, the event on the Gold Coast was run out at Duranbah this year which is more of a short and sharp beach break. It was a great reminder to expect anything and be prepared for anything. Coming to Bells, you always know what sort of waves to expect and what to prepared for, but whatever comes on the day, I\u2019m ready and pretty stoked to surf anything\u201d<\/p>\n What\u2019s your favourite thing about Bells Beach and what does it mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been 18 years of doing the pilgrimage down to Bells Beach. The water has a special feel, it\u2019s cold, you\u2019ve got your wetsuits on, you run down for the early surf and you can\u2019t feel your feet but you see these open ocean lines just wrap around the corner and refracting in. It\u2019s true beauty I think, it\u2019s raw, it\u2019s pure and it reminds me of when I started riding my board at home on the south coast of New South Wales, it\u2019s almost like its cousin so I feel very much at home here at Bells.\u201d<\/p>\n This year is a bit different to previous years as you now have a full support team behind you, can you tell us about your new support crew and how that came about?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I broke my shoulder, I wanted to use it as an opportunity to learn new information. I didn\u2019t know what my team would look like but knew it would involve a few key people to help me out with a management plan as to how I was going to get my body fit again. That evolved into a new surf coach and it\u2019s allowed me to really find what works best for me. It feels amazing, it\u2019s like having super powers in your feet! It\u2019s a great feeling to know that you have a support system behind you that are feeding you all the information you need. They have your goals in mind and a vision of where you want to end up. I\u2019m pretty stoked with my team.\u201d<\/p>\n