HALE‘IWA HOMEGROWN

By Alee Thompson

Fredrick Angelo Patacchia, Jr.
Age: 25
Home Break: Hale‘iwa
Sponsors: Quiksilver and Bud Light
Stance: Goofy


Seven years ago Fred Patacchia, Jr. jumped onto the WQS as a young, cocky and ambitious teen with hair still wet from winning the NSSA Nationals at Trestles. Fast-forward to 2007, and Hawai‘i’s poster boy is not what he used to be. He’s better, faster, stronger, and most importantly, wiser. After years spent proving his worth on tour, Freddy P. has emerged a mature, insightful and determined dreamer, with eyes set on domination. Talking story with him, it’s evident that the former North Shore wonderboy is willing and able to look to his past mistakes and triumphs as a student, and learn from them. He’s as comfortable with his critics as he is with his admirers and remains both a committed competitor and charismatic charmer. With the same style and force that catapulted him into surf stardom years back, Fred pushes forward with continued determination. The end isn’t near. It’s just the beginning. To the present and future top 45, you’ve been warned.

What was your childhood like growing up on the North Shore?
It was pretty much like every other kid’s childhood. I grew up with Nainoa Suratt, Makua [Rothman] and the Frederico brothers. My best friend Zen Yoshifuku lived right next to me and we all went to Sunset Elementary and grew up surfing Shores, playing at the slip ‘n’ slide and having egg fights every Halloween. We’d kinda just hang out at Uncle Eddie’s house or Uncle Brian’s house and just surf and wreak havoc being groms.

When you were a grom, who did you look up to?
I looked up to Kalani Robb a lot. He used to hang out at Sunset Beach and he’d surf Rocky Point, and that’s one of my favorite spots. Obviously, he’s a goofy-footer from Hawai‘i, so I looked up to him a bunch. Also guys like Derek Ho, the first Hawaiian World Champ. He was huge. And Sunny Garcia. One of my all-time favorite surfers was Tom Carroll. I’d say the guys I looked up to the most were guys like Kalani and Derek, just ‘cause they’re goofy-footers from Hawai‘i and they surfed Pipe really good. I actually got to see and hang out with those guys. Not a bunch, but enough to where I’d be like, “Oh man, I saw Kalani surfing at Rocky Point and he said, ‘What’s up’ to me!”

We know your family is really important to you. How do you think having such a close-knit family has helped you?
The support you get from your family is the best kind of support in the world. They helped me pave the way. They never really made decisions for me. They always tried to steer me in the right direction. My sisters are great. They used to come to all my surf events. They’d wake up at 6 am and come down to Makaha or Bowls. My Mom and Dad would wake up too, and go out of their way to make sure that first and foremost, I was having fun. When I was younger, we never knew that becoming a professional surfer was in the cards for me. They always figured, ‘At least he’s staying out of trouble.’ My Dad had a company called Hawaiian Surf and he sponsored me, Sean Moody, Jesse Ah-Quinn and Zen Yoshifuku. We’d jump in the back of his big white van and go to all these events, have a bunch of fun and go surf.


Do you enjoy being a well-recognized surfer?
I never really think of it that way. I was at Stortos the other day and I could hear a group of groms whispering, “Oh, man, that’s Fred Patacchia!” My Dad gave them some surf videos and I signed their T-shirts. I enjoy that kind of stuff ‘cause when I was young I really enjoyed seeing guys like Todd Chesser, Kalani Robb and Derek Ho, or even Rob Machado and Kelly Slater when they’d come to town. It was really cool when you could go up to those guys and say hi and they’d shake your hand and say, “Yeah, I’ll see you surfing!” even though you’d never see them ‘cause they’re out there when it’s like 8 feet and you’re sitting on the inside. But it puts a smile on your face when you’re a grom. So I enjoy it. I don’t mind it at all. I still get star struck, too. We went to a golf tournament and saw Adam Scott, one of my favorite golfers, and I was like, “Oh man, it’s Adam Scott!”

So you’re still obsessed with golf?
I golf too much. I’ve been golfing a lot with Makua and Bruce [Irons]. It seems like everyone on the North Shore is starting to golf, and everyone on tour. I think it does a lot for your concentration and keeping focused under pressure. Not that we really put a lot of pressure on, but, you know, if I go golf with Bruce or Makua, we’re always betting at least a hundred bucks. We all love to bet. You can’t always be in a surf event, so I think that golfing kind of gives you that same feeling as being in a heat does. And it’s also fun. It’s one of those sports where you can buy a million different kinds of trinkets. You want the coolest golf bag. You want the next best driver. You want the next best putter. You can always get something. It’s not a sport. It’s an obsession.

What’s your handicap?
Oh, man. [Laughs] That’s a personal question!

How do you feel about beings someone’s surf hero?
I’m comfortable with that. I think that when you’re a professional surfer a lot of kids look up to you. When you’re out there, whether you know it or not, they’re watching you. They know what you’re like. They read the surf magazines. I enjoy being a role model, and I think it’s cool. I just hope that I’m a good role model. [Laughs] There’s definitely some pressure. There are times when I’ll get frustrated after a heat, and I’ll try and keep it to myself. But sometimes I’ll punch my board or show some emotion, and know that there are kids on the beach watching.

Who are your surf heroes right now?
Still the same guys. Guys like Sunny and Derek, ‘cause they’ve paved the way for where we’re at today. Ross Williams is turning into one of my biggest surf heroes. I don’t think that guy works, man! I see him at the golfing range at Turtle Bay every day.

Do you think being on the WQS was a motivator or a deterrent to the WCT?
I don’t think it was either. If you want to be world champion you have to do the ‘QS. There’s no way around it. What I didn’t realize when I was younger was how hard it was. I was young and cocky and got a good contract from Quiksilver, so I figured I was on top of the world, and I was better than everybody. Then I got on the ‘QS where you’re surfing against guys who are almost twice your age and have a lot more experience. They just kicked my butt. A lot of guys these days are building up their image before they go on the ‘QS, and they’re working on their style and approach to surfing so that their surfing matures before they go on the ‘QS. I think that’s the better way to go. After you’ve finished your amateur career, do a few ‘QS comps and get some points, but also take some time off to do some trips, get in the media’s face, allow people to recognize who you are and let your surfing mature. That’s something I didn’t do.

What’s the hardest part about getting from the WQS to the WCT?
I think the hardest part about getting off the ‘QS and onto the ‘CT is realizing that you don’t have to surf your best. A lot of the heats I made it out of, I just surfed smart. I didn’t realize that until later in my career, and I think that’s why it took me so long to make it. You’re young and you want to blow the tail out and do these airs and you don’t want a 5.5 or a 6.5, you want an 8.5. That’s where you go wrong. You’re searching for the huge score, when in reality, the majority of the time, three 6.5s will get you through the heat. It sounds really lame, but just going three to the beach will get you off the ‘QS and on to the ‘CT where you can show your whole bag of tricks. It’s hard to realize that.

Do you still enjoy competing after so many years on tour?
Yeah, I do. I always want to be doing something competitive. I think it’s just the kind of person I am. It’s not that I strive to be better than everybody. I like a challenge in front of me. That’s why I enjoy gambling so much, I guess— gambling with sports, whether it’s darts or pool or golf or tennis or who can spit the furthest. If I see a guy out surfing really well, I’ll keep an eye on him and I’ll watch him, regardless of who he is. I’ll watch what he’s doing and I’ll score his wave and then, in a period of 20 or 30 minutes, I’ll try and get better waves than him.

What’s your favorite wave to surf on the North Shore?
Hale‘iwa on a 6- to 8-foot west swell. But that’s when Pipe’s good. I’ve got to pick and choose between the two. Usually, I’ll surf Pipe in the morning. Then after lunch I’ll go surf Hale‘iwa. I always try and make it to Hale‘iwa. It’s so much fun. It’s where I grew up surfing. Most of the time I don’t end up catching that many waves ‘cause I’m always talking story with everybody.

You didn’t start surfing Pipe until you were 17, around the time you signed your contract with Quiksilver, which could be considered a little late by North Shore standards. Why?
It was a natural progression. To be honest I’ve always been scared of Pipe. I think everyone is. Everyone has that fear-love relationship with Pipeline. I think you have to fear it to give it the respect it deserves. I grew up watching Mark Healey, Jamie Sterling and Jamie O’Brien start surfing it before me. I was a Hale‘iwa boy. But as I got older, I realized, if I really wanted to become a professional surfer and a respected surfer on the North Shore, I had to be able to surf Pipe, Sunset and Hale‘iwa. You’re not going to get respect if you’re on the beach. Now, even though I had a late start, I feel really comfortable [at Pipe]. I have yet to win a Pipe event, but I’m hoping there’s a Pipe win in the future for me.

Is there a next step after Pipe in the progression of a North Shore surfer?
The next step for me is Waimea. I’m kind of a late bloomer at Waimea as well. I’ve realized that is where I have to be. I want to be invited to the Eddie. That’s something I really want to do. This winter, I’m gonna be out there every time it gets big. You’ve always got to have goals. If you don’t have any goals, you get stale.

What contest do you look forward to every year?
Definitely the Pipe event. If I could only win one out of a World Title, a Triple Crown, the Pipe Masters or an Eddie Aikau, I’d want to win the Pipe Masters. I know my Dad would love it. He always wants me to do good at Pipe. He’s the guy who told me you have to be able to surf Sunset, Hale‘iwa and Pipe. I’m hoping sometime in my career I’ll be able to win all three. That list of Pipe Masters is all time. I want to be on that list. It’s a short list.


How does your girlfriend affect your surfing?
She’s definitely a great support system for me. She makes me feel comfortable and helps me out. She’s started coming with me to France, Mundaka and Trestles. It’s nice to have her around to deal with the little things, like booking my tickets ‘cause I hate doing that kind of stuff. She relieves my…stress. [Laughs] She’s part of my comfort zone. The less stress, the less to worry about in competition situations, the more calm and comfortable I feel.

What are the most important things you’ve learned from traveling the world?
Patience is definitely a virtue. I’ve learned to be patient and calm and have good people skills. It gets hard dealing with flight delays or missing flights or boards not getting on the plane. You’ve got to go with the flow. The other thing I’ve learned is that Hawai‘i is the best place in the world. I’ve been around the world ten times over and the weather, people and waves we have here are like nowhere else.

When you’re at home what’s your favorite way to spend your time?
I love being at home during [late summer] most. It isn’t crowded. You can go to Ted’s Bakery, Lei Lei’s or Foodland and it’s not jam-packed with people. I like coming home and sitting on my couch or cruising on the beach in front of my house with my girlfriend and family and grabbing our family dogs, Java and Tag. Just being lazy and cruising around the North Shore is what I really enjoy doing.

What is the Freddy P. Project?
The Freddy P. Project is a company I started. Our first project was a surf video called Interrogation. At first it was just a fun thing I wanted to do to show everybody what happens on tour and to showcase a lot of the guys from Hawai‘i. It was really fun having a side project to do. I got to work with some really cool people. We donated all the proceeds from the premiere that we had at the Hale‘iwa Rec Center to HASA. I want to find ways to give back to the community and amateur surfing to make sure the kids are having fun and that the organizations that are supporting them, like HASA and NSSA, have the funds to do so. A lot of people in those organizations are doing it for the love of the sport and for the progression of the sport; so any way I can help out, I try to. Another thing I’m doing is the Freddy P. Golden Ticket. Every year we choose a young lady or young boy and send them to NSSA Nationals. It’s turned into a really good program, and I definitely want to keep doing it every year. In the future, I’d like to have a benefit golf tournament where the proceeds go to the Menehune Surf Contest, HASA, NSSA or Rell Sunn’s event.

What can we expect from you in the near future?
You just have to wait and find out. To everyone out there, thank you for all the support. Check us out online at aspworldtour.com and look out for my new Freddy P. Signature boardshorts. [PAU]




Excerpts:
“I figured I was on top of the world and I was better than everybody. Then I got on the ‘QS, where you’re surfing against guys that are almost twice your age and guys that have a lot more experience than you do. They just kicked my butt.”

“Everyone has that fear/ love relationship with Pipeline. I think you have to fear it to give it the respect it deserves.”

“You’ve always got to have goals. If you don’t have any goals, you just get stale.”