KL:
Why do you think Australians have so much Ozzie
pride?
CB: I think its 'cause we
come from a really well balanced country. We all
get along so well, we're so different and multi-cultural,
but we all live together. Unlike here where you
have your Asian community over here and the African
Americans here and the white people here, in Australia
we're all bunched together like little mongrels.
And we all live along the beach; no one lives
in the middle 'cause its desert, unless they're
totally loony. I think that has a lot to do with
it, people just being happy, it's not too crowded
so people don't want to kill each other. We're
really proud of what we have and we want everyone
to know about it. But we don't because we don't
want it getting too crowded.
KL: Who inspired you growing
up?
CB: Kelly (Slater) and Lisa
(Anderson). I definitely have them in my head.
Rochelle as I got to know more about surfing and
big waves, and Keala. And now they're my best
friends on tour, it's quite funny. They're just
grommies at heart so we all get along well. Kelly
is just so consistent and Lisa is so graceful
and beautiful and really good at surfing, so I
aspired to be like them.
KL: If surf companies used
male models or non-surfers in their ads, male
surfers would write off that brand as a joke.
But in the women's surf industry, using non-surfer
models seems commonplace. Why do you think they
don't use their team riders in the majority of
their ad campaigns?
CB: It just depends what
company you're represented by. I think that part
comes out when the people working for the company
either don't surf, or don't know anything about
surfing, and they don't see the benefits of using
their team riders. Or it's done by some man who
just wants to see some T&A. It really bugs
me, but I can almost understand it at times. I
think too many people who don't understand our
sport are in charge in that department, so yeah,
I hope it grows out of that.
KL: When you're on a break
from the tour and you're back home in Australia,
what do you do on a typical day? ?
CB: Wake up, eat breakfast,
sometimes I go back to sleep, 'cause usually I
just wake up in the mornings because I'm hungry.
Then I ride my bike the beach and surf, for three
hours usually, them come back, eat again, hang
on the internet, play with my dog, then pretty
much watch TV until I go surfing again. I take
my little nephews out in the afternoon usually,
or my little brother, then come back and eat with
the mama. It's pretty mellow, sometimes I work
out, play tennis, go skating, anything that's
fun and active. I'm pretty mellow in Perth.
KL: Have you always been
mellow in Perth, or just since you started doing
the tour?
CB: No, I pretty much have been wild since starting
primary school. My high school years were just
out of control, I was crazy. I never did any homework,
just wrote off the teachers to their face, and
was just out of control, in ways I wish I wasn't,
but in ways I wish I could do again 'cause it
was so damn fun. So when I left Perth to do the
tour and was finally on my own and was earning
money, I got a lot more serious. I think tour
life has mellowed me out, because I respect my
body a lot more. This is my job and I don't want
to stuff it up.
KL: When the surf is huge
and you're about to paddle out, do you pray to
anything?
CB: Um, yeah, I'm not really
a religious person, but that's the time, if ever
that my religious side comes out. Something about
Teahupoo, Sunset, and Pipeline makes you say,
"Oh Lord, please look after me because it's
really scary." It's just really personal,
you just gotta be confident, go out and not hesitate
and you'll be right.
KL: Are you a spiritual
person at all?
CB: I'm definitely more
spiritual than religious. I just kinda take the
best of every religion and incorporate into my
life. I try to lead a good life, and be good to
my family and friends, treat others as I'd like
to be treated, and respect the earth. I'm connected
more to the earth than anything. I get heartbroken
when I see bad things happening to the world.
So yeah, I'm more like a hippy like you, but I'm
not because I eat meat and shave my legs. Oh whoa,
you shaved though! Just missed a little patch
right there.
KL: Oops. What's your favorite
food?
CB: Italian. I'd eat only
Italian food for the rest of my life if I could,
and maybe a little bit of sushi.
KL: Are your parents both
Italian?
CB: No, but my mom is pretty
much Italian, she has acquired the whole the Itlalian
mama thing.
KL: How's your Italian?
CB: Not as good as it should
be. In Italian class I thought I was just so much
better than everyone else 'cause I knew all the
swear words, so I thought I didn't have to learn
anything more. I'd be a lot better if I listened
in school and wasn't throwing food at the teacher.
Claire Bevilacqua
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