John John Florence: The Hawaiian prodigy
John John Florence is a name that has become widely known in the last few years. The young gun from Hawaii has gained recognition and acknowledgement of his undeniable skills and potential through numerous exquisite and consistent performances. Despite the
likes of Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning and Taj Burrow stealing most of the spotlight in competitions, the 19-year-old Florence has been able to stand out and caught the eye of critics through his excellent surfing. The list of new generation surfers is loaded
with intimidating names such as Jordy Smith, Owen Wright, Gabriel Medina, etc. Despite the heavy talent pool that has entered professional surfing in recent years, Florence has been able to stay under the radar and successfully proved his mettle on numerous
occasions.
Born to an ocean-loving mother, Alex, on November 18, 1992, Florence found himself spending most of his day at the beach from a very young age. He, along with his two brothers Ivan and Nathan, would accompany his mom to the beach where she used to spend the
day surfing and relaxing. As the Honolulu-born surfer grew up, he naturally grew affection for the surf-board and waves and surfed his first wave at an age of five.
As years went by, Florence was seen heading to the beach at pipeline nearly every day to fulfill his passion and gradually grow into a surfing genius. Surfing was something that apparently made him happy and had evidently become a part of him, which was understandable
as he had facing the waves even before he had learned to walk.
The Hawaiian prodigy began to gain recognition by performing exceptionally well at an amateur level. He collected four consecutive national amateur titles, namely the 2003 1st NSSA Nationals Open Mini Grom, 2004 1st NSSA Nationals Open Boy’s, 2005 NSSA Open
Boys and last but not the least, the Explorer Menhune Champion.
Florence’s rise to fame began in winter 2005-2006 when he became the youngest surfer ever to compete in what is now regarded as one of the most prestigious men’s surfing event, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. At a young age of 13, he found himself facing some
of the biggest sharks in surfing and despite failing to make it through the first round, he did manage to score higher than one of his competitors who was 22 years older than him.
The 19-year-old Hawaiian continued to climb the ladder of fame by showing of his style and skills at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime events. In 2011, he stepped into the ranks of the surfing heavy-weights by getting incepted into the 2011
ASP World Tour following the mid-year cut. The door to the elite tour had been opened for him due to his excellent year-round performance.
Florence currently ranks 19 on men’s ASP World Rankings, while sitting at the 35th spot on the ASP World Title rankings after participating in four elite tour events. He still has an opportunity to rise a bit higher on the rankings before the World Tour wraps
up in December.
Florence considers his mom, his mentor Tom Curren and late surfing legend Andy Irons as his biggest inspirations in surfing. His aerials are one of the most effective weapons in his arsenal, which also includes his most favourite manoeuvre, the air reverse.
His current sponsors include Vans, O'Neill, Monster Energy, Nixon and Jack's surf shop.
Florence is still really young and has a lot of time on his hands to grow into an even more exciting surfer. Getting an opportunity to surf with the best at such a young age will definitely come in handy as he gradually enhances his skills and gains more experience.
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