Leroy Rust
We weren’t surprised that this list was dominated by competitive surfers, they’re incredibly visible and they have a list of sponsors and results to push them forward. And they need that exposure to meet the financial demands of competitive surfing campaigns. But to see a handful of non-competitive surfers nominated was pretty awesome. Dunedin surfer, Leroy Rust, appeared multiple times, enough to make the top 10, and while he can’t get far enough away from competitions he deserves to be here for the performance end of his surfing.
Leroy is leading the charge of the big-wave paddle-in crew that routinely chases the biggest and best waves around the southern coastline. He had an entry accepted into the finals of the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 Oakley Big Wave Awards paddle-in category where he had paddled into a huge wave at Papatowai in less than ideal conditions. He stuck the drop and rode the wave into the record books. He also became the first New Zealander to paddle into Jaws, Maui, when he caught a giant wave from the lineup on January 22, 2015.
His free-surfing is flawless. He’s got rail surfing, barrel riding and he can boost above the lip. Not that he’d tell you that. He’s a quiet guy with zero ambition for fame or fortune.
“We have talented surfers everywhere that never see the limelight,” offers Luke Hughes, of Hughes Surfboards. “Some prefer it this way, yes, but if you look at the global scale of who is succeeding – people pushing surfing across a wide array of disciplines are receiving the due credit. Leroy, for example, is pushing the big wave contingent here in New Zealand and has aspirations to look bigger and further, all while surfing a twin fin, a performance shortboard and a longboard very well. He will never be considered New Zealand’s best surfer as he doesn’t compete in contests or have mainstream sponsorship to be on the global scale, but I feel he, and the surfers like him, should be recognized for their overall ability.”
At 27, Leroy has ambition to push himself further to satisfy his own curiosity if nothing else. Together with others who share the paddle-in journey with him, such as Tom Bracegirdle, Jamie Civil, Jimi Crooks and Joe Dirt, it’s an exciting landscape to watch.
