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INTERVIEW WITH ICAH WILMOT by Audrey Teichmann By MYBOARDCAST | Published Mar 8, 2010 |
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 CAREER BEST RESULTS National Jamaican Open Champ 04, 06, 07, 08, 09 National Junior Champ 02, 03, 04, 05 Caribbean surf network 5th in 08, 2nd in 09 ISA world surfing games open men’s 49th in 2002, junior men 31st in 2005 Pan-American surfing games open men 31st in 08, junior men 11th in 03 + Visit his profile on MYBOARDCAST |
 FAST FACTS Age: 23 years old Nickname: Chukku Born (place): Kingston, Jamaica Resides (where): Kingston, Jamaica Hobbies: Surfing, Music, Skateboarding, Skim Boarding VITALS Height: 5’8 ½” Regular or goofy: Goofy Sponsor(s): Insight, Reef, Smith, On a Mission, Freestyle, Redbull Shaper: Patrick Mitchell Quiver (your usual board): 5’11” x 18 ¼ x 2 ¼ squash tail, 6’1” x 18 ¼ x 2 1/3 round Home break: Copa Cabana Favorite wave(s): Makkas, Iron Pot, Chuchucan, The Left Favorite maneuver(s): Barrels and aerials Last trips: Trinidad and Tobago late February Favorite surfers: Kalani Robb, Rob Machado, CJ, Kelly Website (url): www.icahwilmot.webs.com |
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Icah, I’m very happy we can talk together, because it’s an opportunity for us to know you better and to talk about the unique surf culture of your native and living country, Jamaica. You’ve finished the 2009 season as the best surfer on the island, just ahead of your brother Inilek, and you work hard to improve your surfing and promote the vibe of Jamaica, whose surfing standard and renown have got higher and higher the last years… |
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AUDREY - Since its first days, Jamaican surfing has evolved through stages that you personally know, as your father, Billy “Mystic” Wilmot, also famous for being the leader of the band Mystic Revealers, did a lot, as a surfer, a musician, the founding member and president of the Jamaican Surfing Association, to make the “Surf Lions” more famous... Describe us your first contact with surfing or your first surfing memory… ICAH - I could never remember the first time I surf, thanks to a car accident when I was about 9, my memory from the early days are pretty much all lost. I do remember surfing out at the Zoo with my brothers when we were young though, back when we used to sit on the inside, down the beach and watch all our local heroes charge the sets. We learnt on some real retro boards, the first board I remember riding was a really short board, like maybe a 5’10 but it was like about 4 inches thick and like 20 inshes wide and flat like a board, weighed about a ton. And I was really short and skinny so when my brothers and I charges the waves we’d always be mimicking the surfer in the videos we used to watch, like Bali High, I Crave the Wave, Endless summer, and a few other movies from the 80’s. 
But you and your brothers and sister, known as “The Rats”, were the only surfers in your age group on the south coast in the 90’s… But was it obvious for you, as a child, that waves had to be ridden?My brothers and I grew up on the beach and our dad, with his music, ended up touring a lot of the time. But when he was home he would carry us out surfing, back then we were horrified of the sea but his determination kept us going. I guess we sorta knew we would be surfers from we were really young because daddy would get out there whenever the waves were really great or really big and tear it up. I used to admire hi and think to myself one day I’m gonna do that. But the act of going out there and surfing seemed so scary when he was carrying us out even though we learnt is some tiny waves. But I guess from his love of the sport and us continuously watching him charging the seas, we knew that we would be the ones charging it out there one day. So, did you fall in love with the ocean and with surfing or did this passion come step by step? I was sorta forced into the sport initially, as we only took on surfing when we had nothing else to do, or when daddy rounded us up and brought us out there, but soon after, once we started actually catching waves, I fell in love with the sport. The whole vibe and joy of being in the water and riding the waves just makes me feel s connected to nature. Its just a blessing to be out there and riding the pure raw energy that rolls into the beach in each set. 
How do you feel when you ride the perfect wave? For me, the perfect wave is one that you have the most fun on. It matters not the size or quality or crowd. For this reason, I ride a lot of perfect waves, even just cruising around with the groms, and when the waves are tine. Once I am going surfing I get myself into the frame of mind to love the waves and have a great time, no matter how good or bad the waves are. So to me the best wave is the wave I am surfing now, and that thought makes me appreciate the waves so much more. So surfing the perfect wave always just fills me with joy and its something that feeds my body I guess, it makes my mind relax, makes my body feel relaxed, and just fills me with a stoke that keeps me going and charging for more. Can you describe for us your favorite spot? My favorite spot is probably Iron Pot. It’s a reef pass on the out side of a point. It’s about 200 meters off from the shore and the first section of the reef s really shallow, then wraps around the reef and peals all the way in to the shore. It’s positioned in a way that even when the wind is onshore, it swings in so the wind blows at an angle and the waves are always clean. It breaks on big swells, about 8 feet faces and up, and has a sick hollow first section and then just wraps and has little sections just throwing out at you and lining up for you to just shred all the way to the beach. It’s a long wave and at the end of each ride, you’ll be glad it takes a while to get back out so your legs can get some time to recover. Which surfers inspire you? I get inspired by so many things, just people having a great time out there, and surfing well. I really love surfing with the little groms here, case they are all so stoked and charge so much, and with them I feel the real joy of surfing, the drive that pushes you to just love the sport. I also get a lot of inspiration from Rob Machado, Kelly Slater, Jeremy Flores, Kalani Robb, Kai Otton, Luke Steadman, Cj, Shane Simmonds, my dad, and brother Inilek What is the best piece of advice one of them gave you? Take a deep breath. That’s one my dad told me when we were younger, when we started charging the swells. But not just for surfing. I take that little phrase quite serious. Taking a deep breath is grabbing on to what keeps you alive and going. Pulling and holding on to what you need to keep you alive and happy. So I use that in my approach to life. What ever I have just pull in a much of it as I can and so that will be able to keep me through hard times of the wipeouts, and give me enough inspiration to keep pushing even when all hope seems lost. How did you develop your own style, which I would define as creative and powerful ? My style of surfing was developed mainly because when I was younger I was really short, I used to ride these huge boards and they were so thick and hard to ride. Felt like trying to ride a long board. And because of this we had to really focus on using weight and strength to maneuver the boards. When I finally go on a board more my size, a 6’1” when I was about 12 years old, I realized that the effort taken to turn my previous boards was more than enough to get this new ‘small’ board where ever I wanted to go. At that time we were finally being exposed to more modern surf films and magazines as well and I fell in love with the surfing style of Kalani Robb. And his fast flashy surfing had me trying my best to do the tail slides and aerials and getting the barrels and charging the waves. And over time the pushing myself, along with the initial power surfing from my younger years, had me surfing really good. Now I adding to the power I have developed the stylish and flashy maneuvers to compliment and add some more dynamics to my surfing. What is the craziest thing you’ve made for surfing? When my brother, Inilek, and I were younger we had started thinking about what new maneuvers we could come up with. So we had created this maneuver we called the Mary, names from the seed and whisks of the cotton plant that float and spin through the air when they are released from the plan. We tried it for years and I had landed it a few times. Maybe about 2 years later we were looking through a magazine and noticed Josh Kerr doing our move and named it the Kerrupt flip. That is probably the craziest thing I’ve made, as well as landed a few rodeo clowns, and some really heavy barrels. 
Which surfing day will be forever in your mind?There was this one day, in about 2001 that I and my two brothers, Inilek and Ishack, got the Zoo all to our selves. It was not too long after Ben Bourgeois, Frank Walsh, Sam hammer and Mark Holder, had visited the island and did an article for surfer magazine. We were super stoked from them being there and so were charging it. The waves were about 5-7 feet and perfect we got so many barrels, and surfed the best we had ever surfed to that point in our lives. Aerials, barrels, off the lips, floaters, you name it we were killing it and surfed for maybe 5 hours until we were too tired and had to go home and rest. Which virtues does surfing reflect, for you? I would have to say patience, self control, discipline and determination It seems to me that surfing became much more than a sport in Jamaica… It has been recently introduced to some schools, and, formerly considered as an insignificant pass time by some people, it is now an opportunity for talented young surfers from rural areas to join in international contests, and to be considered as heroes in their communities… How can you explain this development? In Jamaica, the children in rural communities are severely deprived as far as opportunities for education, social exposure and formal training is concerned. Owing to this a lot of children end up leaving even high school without being able to read properly. In Jamaica, the surf is concentrated on the eastern end of the island only, and this section is the section mostly neglected as far as development and infrastructure is concerned. Schools in these areas are lacking sufficient materials for learning, lacking qualified teachers, and so the children are not able to benefit as they should. Because the surfing is concentrated in these areas, the local children have something they can hold on to and call their own, and although they cannot compete in the educational circles with the children being sent to the best schools and universities, they are the ones who are carrying the sport of surfing to new heights in the country and being crowned national champions and doing well internationally, and in other traditional fields they would not stand a chance for even being recognized for their talent. You can read in the Jamaican Surfing Association website “NO SURF SHOPS HERE SO BRING EXTRA OF EVERYTHING .... THE LOCALS WILL REEEAAALLLYYY APPRECIATE IT!”… Is it still hard to get equipment? In Jamaica, there is still no real actual surf shop. There are a few stores where you could find surf shorts or other clothing products by surf companies, but as far as equipment is concerned there is nowhere you can get them locally. There are boat shops that sell resin and fiberglass, but the quality and density is that for making boats and far too thick and bulky for proper use on surfboards. So this statement still holds true. Thankfully to sponsors and friends we have been able to get some needed equipment in from time to time and help to ease the stress. But it still stands that there are no surf shops and most of the surf related products are still brought in by tourists who travel to Jamaica. 
What do you prefer, free surfing or contests? Free surfing is the best for of surfing. It’s free of contest restrictions and time restrictions and allows you to just have fun and do what ever you want. I do like contests though as that gives me a means of measurement of my abilities and I can see where I am at and not what and how I need to improve my surfing and so pushing myself to do better each time. Does competing make you feel better and stronger? Competing makes me analyze my surfing for efficiency and makes me surf better, and stronger, but most times keeps me doing maneuvers I am confident in and not allowing me to push my surfing to do newer maneuvers. So contests refine my surfing to make it better as far as efficiency and quality is concerned, but not where it relates to doing better moves. How do you prepare big events? For Big events, I prepare by doing some cross training from a few weeks before, and surfing really hard. Running practice heats where I focus on different aspects that the judges are looking for, then pulling all the aspects together as the time comes closer to the event. Getting lots of rest and keeping flexible. Then just having as much fun I can when I’m surfing, because I surf my best when I’m having fun, so I try and keep smiling even when things aren’t going my way. 
Is it important for you to travel to international contests representing your country?Traveling and surfing is very important. It is what has caused me to develop into the surfer I am today. When I was smaller and I traveled and saw the level of surfing of the children in my age group on an international level, it gave me a wakeup call. That is what keeps me buzzing, when I know that I am at that level and I and just as good as the best in Barbados, or panama, or even france. It gives me a big boost of motivation and helps to keep me focused on my goals of becoming a professional. How do you feel in front of your audience, for instance at the Makka Pro, one of the most important Jamaican stages to show your talent? When I am surfing competitions, and I am out in the water, I am so focused on my surfing and trying to just have a good time and surf better on each wave than I did on the wave before that I don’t even see of hear anyone. I just get into my zone and start dancing, singing songs and keeping myself in the frame of mind I need to be in order to perform at my best. So the crowd and audience never really matters to me, until I get back to the beach and the victory or loss sinks in. Which surfers would you like to meet in a contest? I am actually really eager to compete against some of the worlds best surfers. I think that would give me a really great boost in my surfing ability and confidence, especially the top international surfers in my age group. I have always wanted t surf against Kelly, and some of my other surfing icons, just to be our there with them I think it would push me so much and end up making me surf that much better and it would make a marked improvement in my ability as I would just grow on the stoke and vibe of being out there with them and push myself to be as good as them or better. Many sponsors are interested in you and in the Jamaican surfing team… What did it change for you to be sponsored? When I got my first set of sponsors, for me it was a clear sign that I was actually going to run for my dreams of surfing professionally. It was a sign to me that I was ready to take on the world and seeing as these companies were interested enough to sponsor me I must have had something going my way. So that was a bid confidence booster for me, and got me even more focused on getting through school and getting everything in order to take my surfing to the world. Many of us remember the Insight ad "Dopamine" made by Steve Gorrow and Dustin Humphrey, showing you, your family and Jason Apparicio in an underwater art installation… How was this amazing shooting? Did you expect the final result and the great feedback it got? Steve is a genius where it comes to creativity, that shoot was amazing. We showed up in Bali with no idea what we were going to shoot and then sat down with the guys and just threw in some ideas. I think that whole under water shoot was not actually planned before hand. We just hung out in the pool all day after shooting the other ads on the beach and stuff, and started walking on the bottom of the pool and Jesse ended up taking some pics of us and shooting a few sequences with his camera and they came out really great. Then from this we ended up doing the shot with us, Kai, Luke, Jesse, Raine, Made, and the rest of the gang in the scene we created with the couches and tables and dressers and so on. That ad was such a success that the next year we pretty much did the same thing but this time a larger group and it was shot in Jamaica. It was so much fun. I can’t wait to go shooting again with the gang. Which events are you gonna take part in? For this year, I plan to do the Western Atlantic Surf Series, as well as the Caribbean Surf Network tour, and a few events in the National series here. I might head over to Puerto Rico in the winter, but I’m definitely gonna start doing the WQS tour next year and working a lot more with some photographers on some videos and editorials for a few Mags. So, what are your current goals? Surfing wise, I want to make it to the highest level of competition, and to make a name for my country and the Caribbean in the world of surfing, be it through contests or just media features. I want to make it to a high enough level to provide a solid foundation and support for my family, and continue to work with the groms here in Jamaica and I aim to produce champions, as I have seen the potential of some of these children and know they can make it a lot farther than I will, and so I just want to help give them the future that I know they can get; To make my country and region a mark in the surfing world and a force to be reckoned with. What is the heritage you would like to let to the next generation of surfers? I want the next generation of surfers to look to ma as the one who helped pave the path for them to follow; The one who challenged the world and made it possible for children to believe and pursue their dreams in what ever field they want; to motivate and inspire the new generation to go for gold and know that they are just as good as anyone else, and they can achieve just as great or even greater things than I have ever achieved.  Who makes you feel stronger/more confident/happier? I draw happiness from many things; I really love helping people and teaching children. Surfing is a given, it keeps me smiling and I love playing music. But most of all spending time with the people I love. There is nothing that tops that. Recently I have been spending a lot of my time with my fiancée and it has helped me keep more focuses, I’ve been surfing a lot better and my confidence is out of this world. Owing to this I have just won a PanAmerican Surfing Association sanctioned event in Cube, as well as bouncing back from a very racist and offensive article published by a journalist in Australia. I am really focused now on my career and moving forward to meet my dreams as I now have all the confidence I need to take the world by large. Let’s end with some creative stuff… Which drawing you would choose to paint on your board now? Well as far as board art is concerned, I have always drew rats, because of the nickname of me and my two brothers when we were just beginning to take onto the waves out at zoo. We were known as the surf rats, and we created out logo and designed a rat for each of the three of us. I also really like abstract art, so I might put on something that just stands out that describes my personality or my surfing. Which song would you sing on your board, waiting for a wave? Wow… I sing lots of songs out in the water depending on my mood and the type and quality of the waves, but the two I sing mostly are "White shadows" by Coldplay, which was the sound track for my section in a local video my dad edited a few years ago, or the song for Kalani Robb’s section in Good times.. I can’t remember the name of the song though, something about “I can’t tell you what you want, I can’t tell you what you need, I can’t read your mind but would I understand if I could” Which maneuver would you have liked to invent? The Mary, well its now known as the kerrupt flip or something like that, that’s my claim to fame as far as moves are concerned. But I really like the rodeo clown, which would have been a really nice move to invent. What is your current state of mind? I’m just so happy right now, and just working as hard as can for making my career a great success. I am always a really happy guy and just fun loving, and stoked on life. A last word? Really like to thank all my sponsors, Insight, Reef, Smith, OAM, Freestyle, Redbull, and Quashi for giving me the opportunity to charge my dream s. and to all the kids out there Just know your goals and go for it, and take a deep breath. Thank you very much!!! + Visit his profile on MYBOARDCAST |
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