Hometown hero Huxtable reflects on Bells highlights

JAN Juc surfer Xavier Huxtable continues to ride the waves of positivity around town after experiencing a Cinderella story run at this year’s Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

After surfing to success in the Victorian Trials format and winning the local wildcard slot, Huxtable would be pitted against some of his surfing heroes in only his second experience as a Championship Tour competitor in the World Surf League.

With nothing to lose and the locals right behind him, Huxtable shocked the world, overcoming 11-time world champion Kelly Slater in the first round and then doing the same to the world number one Jack Robinson days later in rough and rogue conditions.

 

 

Calling it the highlight of his professional careeer, Huxtable said he couldn’t have done it without the local support.

“I was just taking it one step at a time and embracing everything that came with having the privilege of being in the event,

“The support from the community and family and friends was just huge – having them all come down and send me messages certainly gave me a bit of confidence.

“To get through that first round against Kelly was just amazing and then I had the big task of Jack Robinson… I just went out there with nothing to lose and just wanted to go as hard as I could.

“Most people would have thought Jack would have won pretty easily in that second round, but I just wanted to leave nothing out there, luckily those sections were there and I ended up beating him.”

 

 

Going into this year’s Pro, Huxtable said he felt more prepared and mature than ever before, citing his personal and professional growth since his Championship Tour debut as a wildcard at Bells when he was just 16 years old.

“I felt just being a fair bit older and bigger helped with my confidence in myself and my surfing.

“To also some more heats under my belt in competition was another big advantage, which I took a lot of confidence out of.

“Obviously winning the Trials at pretty rough and rogue Bells developed a bit of that confidence too, but it all settled down pretty quick and I had to reset for the main event… it was just a full rollercoaster of emotions.

“Ultimately to just get another opportunity to surf in the event was just unbelievable.”

 

Moving forward, Huxtable hopes to continue his momentum, with the aim of making the jump onto the Championship Tour as a wildcard or full-time member in the future.