In The Mix The Eagle Has Landed - Lawerence Tierney
In: In The Mix 0 Comments Wed 5th Oct '11
Tags: Lawrence Tierney , Michael Jones , Newcastle , Novocastrian
Australia has an unexploited supply of underground riders who constantly push limits with little recognition. Lawrence Tierney is a 22 year old Novocastrian bodyboarder who is following a long-line tradition of core riders from his local area. Since finishing school a few years back, Lawrence has put in the miles both domestically and internationally and travelled to more surf destinations than most people dream of fulfilling in a lifetime. After completing a year-long world trip, we caught up with Lawrence to find out about his past, present and future.
FZ: Most people perceive Newcastle to be a ‘heavily localised' area, how was it growing up in the mining city?
LT: There are only really a handful of spots in Newcastle that are heavily localised, a lot of the people here don't like outsiders coming in and surfing their waves. I respect a lot of these people as they don't want a lot of our waves to become as much of a circus as some other world-class waves. Growing up in Newcastle was great though, I love the place as a whole and growing up with the likes of Garth Macgregor , John Cruikshank, my brother and all my friends was pretty epic as I was always being pushed and there was always a rivalry between us all.
FZ: Surfing with Garth Macgregor must have had a big influence on how you approach bodyboarding today?
LT: Surfing with Garth was pretty intimidating to say the least, especially when I was growing up. I think that Garth is definitely one of the best barrel riders in the world today, some of the barrels I have seen him make at home and in Sumatra were pretty intense and having him out in the water pushing me into some waves was pretty incredible.
FZ: How did you get the funds to do so much travelling?
LT: I was halfway through a University year and I decided to get a second job and to save up as much money as I could so that I could go travelling for a year. I was working at a bar and at Aldi the foodstore, some of the hours were pretty messed up but it was worth it in the end.
FZ: So you have just completed a world trip, where did you go and what were the highlights?
LT: I started my trip off in Peru, doing some touristy activities. I then made my way through Central America, Mexico, The United States, Canada and Indonesia. My highlights were definitely in Mexico and in Central America. I was surfing a wedge that a mate and I found for a month and a half straight. Having no one around, off-shore winds all day was pretty amazing. I got some great waves in Sumatra when I met up with Garth, Michael Jones and some other friends from home, so that was pretty fun also. The best non-surfing experience though would had to have been Machuu Picchu, that place is messed up and a must see to anybody wanting to experience something special.
FZ: So what does the future hold for Lawrence Tierney?
LT: I plan to save up and go and discover Europe this time next year, until then though I think I will be working and saving. I am also planning a South Pacific trip early next year and hopefully some South Australia. I have no idea what I want to do after that, possibly university if I find a career that I am interested in. I'll just have to wait and see.
Surfing frames: Michael Jones (see p.46/47 of the latest Riptide #184 for more of Michael's lenswork)
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