Book description
An inspirational tale of overcoming the odds to become world champMick
Fanning might only be 28 but he already knows how a lot of things feel
that most of us never will. How does it feel to lose a brother? Win a
world title? Rip your hamstring muscle clean off the bone? Weave through
a zippering Superbank barrel for 20 or 30 seconds or paddle over the
ledge at places like Pipeline and Teahupo? Have scoliosis so bad you
can't get off the floor? Address the NSW state of origin team before a
match, bowl to Matty Hayden and have Dave Warner belt you for
consecutive sixes? Walk into the bar of a Brasilian hotel dressed only
in a bikini to make your mates laugh, only to find your mates have left,
and there is only a puzzled bartender staring blankly at you? You'll
notice that not all these experiences fall neatly on one side of the
ledger of good or bad. Mick's journey so far has definitely been a mixed
bag, but it is the extremes of that journey that make him so
interesting, and his readiness to learn from each experience and use it
as fuel to drive him on that might provide lessons for the rest of us.
Mick's only young but he already exudes a quiet wisdom beyond his years,
and now he's ready to share it with anyone wanting to further their
surfing, whether competitively or for sheer pleasure. Mick tells his
life story candidly - in turns funny, sensitive, thoughtful,
self-depricating - while providing intimate insights into the personal
lessons gained along the way - with practical tips on surfing technique,
fitness, nutrition, board design, travel, competitive strategies and
mental clarity. Mick has overcome personal tragedy and
career-threatening injury on his way to claiming the 2007 world surfing
title. Universally acknowledged as the most focussed and driven
competitive surfer of his era, Mick's approach to surfing, sports
psychology, life and relationships, makes fascinating reading. The
essential principles of perseverance, hard work, and overcoming
obstacles in pursuit of your dreams, will inspire anyone keen to get the
best out of themselves. Ultimately, though, it's Mick's humanity, his
readiness to give back, which might provide the greatest surprise and
inspiration. Tim Baker is a freelance writer based in Currumbin,
Queensland, Australia. He is a former editor of Tracks and Surfing Life
magazines, and co-author of "Bustin' Down The Door," the
biography of surfing champion Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
(Harper Collins, 1996, now in its sixth print run). He has also edited
and contributed to an anthology of Australian surf writing, "Waves
- Great Stories From The Surf," (Harper Collins, 2005) and wrote
"High Surf," which profiles the world's most inspiring surfers
(Harper Collins, 2007). His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GQ,
Inside Sport, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Financial
Review, the Bulletin magazine, The Australian Way, Playboy, as well as
surfing magazines around the world. He has received the Australian
Surfing Hall of Fame Media Award and been shortlisted for the CUB
Australian Sports Writing Awards. His last book was the mega-successful
OCCY, written with surfing legend Mark Occhilupo.
