It has been a long time since Jordy Smith has had a run like he experienced in 2016. A blast onto the Championship Tour saw him quickly rise to second in the world in 2010, but injuries and other external situations saw his World Title hopes all but stymied. "When I was younger I learned how to win," said Jordy, possibly alluding to his Qualifying Series win in 2007, and maybe his World Junior Championship win the same year. "After that I had to learn how to lose."
After a few slow years, Jordy can say with confidence that 2016 has probably been his best year on the Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour, and things are on the up for his 2017 campaign - WSL / Damien Poullenot
It wasn't all bad though. He managed a very satisfying run of back-to-back wins at J-Bay in 2010 and 2011. Although he was always in the neighborhood of good results, he was never able to find a massive streak, which would see him get to that special zone reserved for World Champions and World Champion hopefuls.
Jordy Smith joined the world title race on the men's tour, while Tyler Wright took a huge step toward locking it down among the women.
He soon backed his career up with a win in Rio however, a win at Trestles, and some very cool claims along the way. A couple of movies - Bending Colors and some b-roles, as well as a few sessions at the African Kirra, he was far from off the radar but he still wasn't achieving the lofty heights that he had been tagged for. ‘Multiple World Championships,' was where Kelly put his trajectory when he launched on the tour, and many thought it was his destiny.
Not all claims are cool, but Jordy always seems to pull them off with aplomb - like this one exiting a Backdoor bomb. - WSL / Damien Poullenot
"I found out a lot about diet and nutrition, and taking care of myself," said Jordy of his approach to life and his career the last year or so, even though he was dogged with that nasty knee injury last year from that tearaway air in Western Australia. Then he started the baby steps, and finally things started happening. "I felt that if I improved parts of my life and my surfing in little bits, then they would add up and it would be positive," explained Jordy. "So I kind of aimed at improving my boards by ten percent, and then my fitness by ten percent, as well as my diet by ten percent. All in, that would be a thirty percent total improvement, for a start. That was the theory anyway."
Jordy Smith solidifies his Quarterfinal win over Sebastian Zietz with a perfect 10-point ride at Supertubos.
Theory or not, it worked, and an injury-free Jordy suddenly found himself in a World Title conversation. Not before some controversy though. In very unusual conditions, Jordy was not satisfied with the J-Bay situation this year. It was a strange heat, with Jordy and John John sitting too far up the point. Good waves were hitting the end section, but the two of them played a little badgering game at the top before repositioning themselves down towards the Impossibles section and a late heat flurry of waves.
"Over scored on his late wave," was what an irate Jordy said of John's win in an out-of-character show of bristling emotion, which was exacerbated by the fact that Commissioner Perrow called the contest off for the day immediately afterwards.
Jordy's macro-scale game plan, based much on what Slater achieved, is to get certain waves so dialed in that he has a distinct advantage over his competitors with knowledge and experience. He has it in J-Bay and Trestles. He also has great experience and knowledge in Rio, but he wants to get more of it in Hawaii.
I feel like I had a real connection and relationship with Sunset Beach a few years ago, but for the last six or seven years I couldn't do a thing right out there.
"I feel like I had a real connection and relationship with Sunset Beach a few years ago, but for the last six or seven years I couldn't do a thing right out there," Smith said after winning this year's Vans World Cup Of Surfing at Sunset. "This year my boards felt good, and I was getting all the right waves out there, and I was having so much fun. I kinda went out there with an open mind as well."
His larger frame and powerful style is perfectly suited to the unpredictable walls of Sunset, and Jordy is going to be one of those surfers who dominate out there for years to come. - WSL / Ed Sloane
It has taken Jordy a few years to work things out to this extent however. "With maturity comes a lot of things and I think I have wizened up with my competitive surfing, and now I'm just trying to learn as much as I can. I've got Chris Gallagher in my corner. And just having positive people around me. That's a big thing for me."
After finishing No. 2 in 2016 Smith is positioned nicely for another title run. - WSL / tony heff
The optimism worked. In the final event of the year, the Billabong Pipe Masters, Jordy managed a fifth place finish. That pushed Smith into second place on the final 2016 Jeep Leaderboard rankings, his best finish since 2010.
While the road to the world title gets tougher every year there's no question a healthy Smith is a serious threat in 2017.
Jordy Smith's Return to Form
Craig Jarvis
It has been a long time since Jordy Smith has had a run like he experienced in 2016. A blast onto the Championship Tour saw him quickly rise to second in the world in 2010, but injuries and other external situations saw his World Title hopes all but stymied. "When I was younger I learned how to win," said Jordy, possibly alluding to his Qualifying Series win in 2007, and maybe his World Junior Championship win the same year. "After that I had to learn how to lose."
It wasn't all bad though. He managed a very satisfying run of back-to-back wins at J-Bay in 2010 and 2011. Although he was always in the neighborhood of good results, he was never able to find a massive streak, which would see him get to that special zone reserved for World Champions and World Champion hopefuls.
He soon backed his career up with a win in Rio however, a win at Trestles, and some very cool claims along the way. A couple of movies - Bending Colors and some b-roles, as well as a few sessions at the African Kirra, he was far from off the radar but he still wasn't achieving the lofty heights that he had been tagged for. ‘Multiple World Championships,' was where Kelly put his trajectory when he launched on the tour, and many thought it was his destiny.
"I found out a lot about diet and nutrition, and taking care of myself," said Jordy of his approach to life and his career the last year or so, even though he was dogged with that nasty knee injury last year from that tearaway air in Western Australia. Then he started the baby steps, and finally things started happening. "I felt that if I improved parts of my life and my surfing in little bits, then they would add up and it would be positive," explained Jordy. "So I kind of aimed at improving my boards by ten percent, and then my fitness by ten percent, as well as my diet by ten percent. All in, that would be a thirty percent total improvement, for a start. That was the theory anyway."
Theory or not, it worked, and an injury-free Jordy suddenly found himself in a World Title conversation. Not before some controversy though. In very unusual conditions, Jordy was not satisfied with the J-Bay situation this year. It was a strange heat, with Jordy and John John sitting too far up the point. Good waves were hitting the end section, but the two of them played a little badgering game at the top before repositioning themselves down towards the Impossibles section and a late heat flurry of waves.
"Over scored on his late wave," was what an irate Jordy said of John's win in an out-of-character show of bristling emotion, which was exacerbated by the fact that Commissioner Perrow called the contest off for the day immediately afterwards.
Jordy's macro-scale game plan, based much on what Slater achieved, is to get certain waves so dialed in that he has a distinct advantage over his competitors with knowledge and experience. He has it in J-Bay and Trestles. He also has great experience and knowledge in Rio, but he wants to get more of it in Hawaii.
"I feel like I had a real connection and relationship with Sunset Beach a few years ago, but for the last six or seven years I couldn't do a thing right out there," Smith said after winning this year's Vans World Cup Of Surfing at Sunset. "This year my boards felt good, and I was getting all the right waves out there, and I was having so much fun. I kinda went out there with an open mind as well."
It has taken Jordy a few years to work things out to this extent however. "With maturity comes a lot of things and I think I have wizened up with my competitive surfing, and now I'm just trying to learn as much as I can. I've got Chris Gallagher in my corner. And just having positive people around me. That's a big thing for me."
The optimism worked. In the final event of the year, the Billabong Pipe Masters, Jordy managed a fifth place finish. That pushed Smith into second place on the final 2016 Jeep Leaderboard rankings, his best finish since 2010.
While the road to the world title gets tougher every year there's no question a healthy Smith is a serious threat in 2017.
Jordy Smith
Featuring Gabriel Medina, John John Florence, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Molly Picklum, Barron Mamiya, Caitlin Simmers, Caroline Marks, Ethan
Featuring Gabriel Medina, Crosby Colapinto, Cole Houshmand, Italo Ferreira, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Yago Dora, Gabriela Bryan, and Jordy Smith.
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Jordy Smith was born in South Africa, the son of one of the country's most respected board builders, Graham Smith.
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Billabong Pipe Masters
Bruce's Backdoor drainer takes top honors in the 2016 GoPro Challenge Hawaii.
Hero's welcome for the second-ever Portuguese surfer to make it to the Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour.
Sebastian Zietz slides into a Backdoor drainer for his second entry to the contest-within-a-contest
The Hawaiian covers some serious ground in a growling barrel at Backdoor.
The Australian proves Backdoor Pipeline isn't all barrels.