This year, the GSI Noosa Festival of Surfing was phenomenal. The event takes place annually at the world famous points of Noosa Heads in Queensland, Australia. It's one of the, if not the, highest acclaimed noseriding events in the world along with a LQS Open men's pro division for the Longboard World Tour. The event runs for a week straight at First Point, a perfect right hand point break. The Noosa Festival is important in the surf world because it's one of the only events that showcases the world's best noseriders. Noseriding is a very technical aspect of surfing. It's a true test of balance, leverage, and style on the front of a longboard surfboard.

The way a winner is established is complicated. First, there is a line of tape put fifty centimeters back from the tip of the board or the nose. Then, the surfers must ride in the taped off area on the front part the board for as long as they possibly can while being timed by two timers. One timer is for hang fives in which you have one foot on the nose, and another timer for hang tens which is when both feet are on the front of the board. It's the only noseriding contest in the world that acknowledges hang tens verses hang fives, and rewards that aspect of surfing which is special.

I enjoy competing in the event because noseriding is the funnest aspect of surfing to me. With the help of Gotcha and Perry Ellis, I have been able to travel to this event since I was fourteen years old. It was always my dream as a young kid to win this event and now I have won it for the past four years consecutively. Going back to defend my fourth title was actually quite relaxed because I felt if I had one it three times consecutively I wouldn't be shattered if I were to lose. I ended up at the top in the end and it proved to me that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to and work towards. Along with winning the prestigious professional noseriding division, I've placed third place in the Professional Open men's division, which was always my second priority in the event. I even rode a board I had never ridden before throughout the event and I found myself in the finals in the end.

Rusty Miller, Rabbit Bartholomew, Dick Brewer, Joel Tudor, Taylor Jensen, Josh Constable, Peter Townend, Julian Wilson and many other legends were seen in and around the event, loving what Noosa has to offer. It was a great year for waves and the contest didn't go flat for one second. I've never seen Noosa break so hollow and perfect due to the amount of sand that has been pumped onto First Point. I actually got some really fun barrels in my heats which is uncharacteristic of this spot during the event. Thanks to Gotcha, I was able to go to one of my favorite places in the world, and win an event I love to compete in.