For those of you unfamiliar with El Fronton, it's a wave both feared and respected for its raw power breaking on shallow reef. It's as heavy, if not heavier than Teahupoo and offers up both left and right slabs with some incredible ramps.

Being the only international wildcard to the most hyped contest on the world tour, and up against the world's top 16, at least half of which being current or previous world champions it's not surprising Jason Finlay wasn't expecting to win the contest.

However, this didn't phase him and he took down what turned out to be one of the heaviest bodyboard contests ever held - all whilst calmly sipping beers between heats to settle his nerves. Our man on the ground Rohan Inglis caught up with Jase to find out what the hell was going through his mind.
___

You were pretty jammy getting a wild card into arguably the best bodyguard comp to date, let alone taking it out. do you do that kind of thing a lot?
Its a rarity that I will have a dig in the competition scene. Although I had an urge to get in this one as Fronton is an incredible wave! I got lucky, and swindled the wildcard, then got lucky and took the thing out!

Do you normally enter contests?
Competitions have never been a top priority for me. My style of surfing seems to suit freesurfing more, and I don’t think I have the mental focus to chase the tour all year. If the locations were as good as fronton for every comp I’d probably be going for it, but for now I’m going to just pick and chose a couple of the bigger events.

Why did you enter this one?
I was umming and aaghing whether to head over and try and get through the trials. I had a few other travel ideas, but then got a call out of the blue saying I had the spot. I was fucking over the moon!



You looked like you were surfing Fronton like it was some 2ft beach break. You didn't seem too bothered by how big and heavy it was. Is that right? I'm pretty sure I would have come up crying after a couple of those beatings. Were you scared at all?
Haha I love trying to push myself in the bigger stuff. I feel it’s more of a true showing of bodyboarding when it’s big, so I was just keen to make a worthy attempt. Your adrenalin is pumpin’ big time out there, so I don’t think I really thought about any fear.

Have you got any pointers for anyone else who wants to get over their fears and try riding those kind of waves?
You must be physically and mentally prepared, and also be familiar with similar conditions. Every time you surf you gain a little more knowledge, so get in the water as much as you can, and push your limits a little every time.

What are the favourite waves you've ridden? Which waves have scared you most?
My top 3 would probably be Nuggan, Shipsterns, and Fronton. They each scare me in different ways, but the positives of each wave outweigh any ounce of their scary qualities.

Do you do any training?
Yeah definitely. I eat healthy, and keep myself as fit as I can with most of my exercise in the ocean. I go on big board paddles, lots of swimming, and of course as much bodyboarding and surfing as I can.
I also do a bit of Bikram yoga, which is the only way I can stay reasonably flexible.

Did you party much after the contest? Have you stopped yet?
I had possibly the biggest night of my life straight after the comp finished. Then I had a surprise party when I got home, which was organized my mate Mattick from Zion wetsuits. It was such a nice thing to do, and got super wild. The party times rolled straight into Christmas, so it feels like I’ve been drinking and eating for a month straight now.

Being surrounded by all your mates who weren't as jammy as you or got knocked out early there must have been a few nights out in Galdar or Las Palmas while you were there. Did you have to ignore all that to focus on the comp? Or did you get on it a bit before your win? Have you got any tricks you use to make sure partying the night before mental waves doesn't hinder your surfing?
Throughout the comp I’d have a beer after every heat. It helped me relax, and I like to think it let everyone else know that I wasn’t feeling any pressure. Everyone was freaking as the world title was on the line, and it was their last chance to get in the top 16. For me, I think they saw me as a threat as I had nothing to lose. In terms of tricks, smoke bomb early!

Do you have an alter ego? If so what's he called?
He hasn’t formed a name yet, but he's definitely deep down there.

Does he have a special move?
The worm or caterpillar

When was the last time you got naked in public?
New Years Eve nudie swim

Where are you from?
South coast, NSW, Aus.

Is Koots from round there? Did you grow up with him?
Yeah Koots lives 10mins away. I’ve known him for maybe 10 years now.


You must have seen him get into some pretty amazing situations. What's one of the funniest that comes to mind?
Wow, where do I start? A classic one he could tell you involves a 40yr old cougar, a beach, a few stinky digits (not his), a cop on a horse, and a night in jail! You will have to ask him for the details on that one…

What are you're plans for 2012? Any particular places you want to go or waves you want to surf?
I want to keep this ball rolling, and make my new signing to NMD really mean something to people. I wanna go nuts, so plan to be travelling non-stop. Ireland is definitely on the cards again!

Did you enjoy your visit the UK and Ireland before?
Absolutely LOVED it!! Possible one of my favourite places in the world!

Will you be taking us up on our invite to the world dinghy championships at Porthleven? It's quite prestigious so I wouldn't pass it up if I were you.
Holy crap, that looks mental!!! I will try my hardest, haha

You mentioned when we were in Ireland that you'd just put your teaching career on hold for a bit. Is that still the case?
Yeah, bodyboarding has completely taken over. Getting some coin now which allows me to surf full time. I couldn’t be happier

Are you going back to that soon? Or is it on hold for a bit longer now?
It will be on hold for as long as it can be. If it were up to me I’d surf as a job forever, but realistically, you need something to fall back on.

Any pointers for any groms who want to follow their dreams like you seem to be doing?
Have fun! That’s number one. If you’re taking each wave too seriously, you will surf bad!
Enjoy it, and go hard!

I heard you signed up with NMD. Will your signature board be available over here?
Yeah mate, best thing that’s happened in my career yet. My signature Model has already been distributed for a limited run throughout Europe following my Fronton win. In a couple of months it should be everywhere.

Anything else you'd like us to plug?
Big thanks to you Rohan, for hooking this up. Also a big thanks to all my sponsors foralways looking after me and ensuring I get to travel around and spread my bodyboarding froth!
NMD boards, ZION wetsuits, I AM NONE clothing, Bodyboardking.com and Crowsfeet.com.

Cheers Jase. Best of luck for the year ahead. Look forward to from you again soon!
__