23rd August 2010
Welcome to my blog! I am Mark McCarthy aka "Boetie" and am excited to join the world of blogging on Sixty40 and hope to share a bit of my experiences while touring the world on the IBA World Tour.
As a bit of an intro for the blog, I hooked up with Damon Crawford from Sixty40 for an interview and produced the first of a series of podcasts. I was able to get a few clips from some of the local guys filming in Cannary Islands and Chile whiles free surfing before the contests. Neelz from Hollow Cast was kind enough to edit theses clips for me and he is working on a new South African film that is going to be amazing!!!
Damon Crawford: "Boetie" - what is going on here, what is this all about?
Mark McCarthy: Well "Boetie" started when I first went to Hawaii in 2006. I was sitting next to Rob Gray on a flight from Houston to Honolulu and this friendly air host came up to me and asked if we were brothers ... so Rob stood up and said "Yes, he is my boetie!" and it has stuck with me in the bodyboarding community ever since.
DC: We all know you love travelling and experiencing to the fullest the places you visit, so is this your inspiration for blogging?
MM: Well it's not the main reason but part of it. I just feel that I have lots to share. I have been on the tour for 3.5 years now and have seen some crazy shit and it's this kind of shit that I want to express on my blog. I would like to open up my life and experiences to the world.
DC: Do you try and make the time to visit certain sites when you are in a specific country?
MM: Hell yeah!! I always do a bit of research on the city or town that I am going to compete in. It's all part of the experience. I feel so fortunate to travel the world and will never want to look back and say "Dam. I wish I did that or saw this when I was there".
DC: Life on the road gets pretty lonely so are there any guys you go missioning with? I know you and Mike Stewart try and get to see some places ...
MM: It has its lonely times but most of the lonely times are spent in airports. Mike is a classic tourist - he is always looking for things to do on our down time. Mike is always up for a hike or challenge. He is such a veteran traveler so cruising with him is always a bonus and we are always getting the best hook ups.
DC: You are a healthy eater and a pretty good cook so you must enjoy experiencing the tastes of the foreign lands?
MM: Most definitely!! When I am not in the water you will find me eating! I love my food and experiencing local cuisines. The best way to pass time for me is to eat.
DC: You also have plenty of mates that live in the countries you visit - this must make things easier?
MM: For sure it helps when you have a friend that is waiting for you at the airport. There is nothing worse than using local transportation when you can't even speak their language. Haha!
DC: You're fresh off your win at the inaugural West Coast Classic - how were the waves?
MM: Thanks bru. Yes just super stoked to make it down there for the WCC. Waves really pulled though for us the first day and we were able to run most of the heats in epic conditions. So we were left to run 7 heats the last day in contestable, onshore conditions. It was still one of the best SABA contests I have been to in years. It's these kind of contest that puts bodyboarding on a higher level than South African surfing. I know they hate reading about us having events on the west coast only because they can't pull it off and know that we are getting pitted!
DC: And your comp in general?
MM: Ya, I felt really comfortable out there, and stoked to be part of Bodyboarding South Africa. I was really stoked to see how many guys were riding my MM Science model! I am loving my board at the moment and just stoked that I can share it with other riders.
DC: I know you had a few tough heats - has the level of Saffa riding been good for your preparation for Europe?
MM: Most definitely, I always try push myself and the riders in the heat with me. I do well with a certain amount of pressure when I have a heat as there are always these expectations when competing in a SABA event.
DC: What does your itinerary look like for the upcoming leg of the IBA World Tour?
MM: Well for now I am off to Sintra next week Monday, so got the Sintra event then going to Ferrol and should be back in SA for SA champs in Dirt Bin :)
DC: Any special sites you plan on visiting and documenting for us?
MM: You will have to wait t and see, Europe has some crazy old sites, can't wait to share it with you guys.
DC: The end of this year's tour is going to be interesting without a doubt. There are a few men in the running for the title. What are your thoughts going in to the final events?
MM: Well its going to be hard for Amaury not to win this year, he has had a good run in the first half of the year ... It will be interesting to see if he can keep up to the passe and not crack under the pressure.
DC: How do you see your chances?
MM: For now all I want to do is ride well and get some good results.
DC: Ok thanks Boet. How can we follow you?
MM: Well I have set up the blog with Sixty40 on www.sixty40.co.za/blog/mark-mccarthy and we'll put out notices through Facebook and Twitter at twitter.com/yourboetie.
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So now you can Follow Your Boetie and I will keep it fresh and interesting for you all.
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 | Bryan Paynter 23rd August 2010 13:36 |
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