BLUE
People smile at me as I make my way through the lobby of the head offices of Oceancrush. Oceancrush is my sponsor and one of the biggest producers of ocean and winter sports gear in the world. It is Saturday, and the office is full and running as it if was a regular weekday.
"Hi Blue," says the girl at the reception.
I give her a small wave and a half smile.
"Nice to see you again Blue," says a guy I don't even know as I walk past him.
Well, it's hard not to know who I am. Framed advertisement posters with my face and name hang all over the place. God, how I hate those photo shoots! I'm a surfer, not a damn model.
The meeting I have today is on the top floor of the building. I let out a deep breath; these meetings are never exciting. Long gone are the days when I was just one in a crowd of surfers competing for a spot in the qualifications. My life is on the waves with sand between my toes, not in front of a press conference.
I don't even know what people find so amusing about me. My family is average; Dad is a paramedic, and my mom is a secretary in a hospital. They both come from farmer families. I have sister called Ava who is ten years younger than me. I miss her the most when I'm on tour and try to video call with her as much as possible. The postcards I sent her from the places I have visited cover a large space of her bedroom walls. Ava feels annoyed because some of her college friends have a crush on me. She finds it icky and weird.
I surfed for the first time during a vacation to the beach where I took lessons. We had been nowhere as money was tight. It was the year my dad got his paramedic job, and we could have our first proper vacation. For me, it was incredible as I was a country boy and had never been to a beach. I was 15 years old back then, and the instructor called me a grommet. At that moment, I wasn't sure if he insulted me or the reason he called me that. Later on, I learned it's the name given to beginner surfers or young surfers as I was then. I fell in love with the sport and the instructor told my dad I had a future in it. After that, I took two buses to get to the beach and continued my learning and training several times per week.
When I was 18 years old, I had my first real competition. I was nervous. Many people talked about a guy called Kalani who was talented and had won many competitions. He never showed up to the first event. Later on, I heard he was in the hospital, and bad rumors about him flew around. I think it was just people talking bullshit and feeling glad they had one contender less. It always made me wonder how the competition would have been with him in it. I never heard of his name again.
"Hello, Anthony."
I grin at Camilla, the personal assistant of the big boss, and the only person who calls me by my real name. She makes me feel like a normal guy. She is about my mom's age and has been a big support on the tours. I was 21 years old when I began traveling the world and missed my family. She was the only one to whom I shared how homesick I felt.
"How was your vacation?" she asks after giving me a hug.
"Barcelona was a good choice. I visited every town in the area. I have about two thousand pictures to prove it."
"You look rested, and I'm glad you are back. I have the new casual clothing collection for you. Don't forget to pick it up when you come out of the meeting."
I smile at her and then head towards the door of the big boss' office. I enter without knocking as I know they are already waiting for me. Xavier Crush grins as I come in. He wears a blue checkered shirt with beige trousers from the Oceancrush casual clothing line. Crush is in his fifties, and even with his white hair, he looks young. He also used to be a competition surfer when he was my age and now loves to sponsor young talent.
"Happy to see you back, Blue," he shakes my hand.
I take the only seat available. Two other dudes sit already, and they give me the creeps.
"Blue, these are Ryan and Max," Crush says, and I shake their hands.
I have seen the Max dude before in a competition in California. He was surrounded by women drooling over him. He's skilled, but has a gnarly attitude. He got penalized for stealing wave priority from another surfer.
"Gentlemen, as a kick-off for the touring year, we are organizing the 'Sea Glass Beach Surfing Festival'," Xavier turns on the big screen on the wall. "We will scout for new talent, and we also want to show our new line of clothing and gear. It is a non-mobile commercial event. There will be parties, marketing presentations and instead of individual surfers it will be about teams representing their brand. This time we will also accept amateur teams for the junior, open and master categories."
A presentation about the event place starts, a place called The Reef. It looks impressive! Beautiful big waves crash on a wide beach shielded by dunes. The marketing department also added a showcase of our new clothing and the new boards. The last part doesn't apply to me. I always use the same board and is even in my contract. It's an Oceancrush board, but it was my first one. Nothing fancy qua design, just shades of blue that go from light to dark. It's what made me earn my nickname 'Blue'.
"The average team scores will be based on the numbers of each individual surfer. As always, you will be given points based on skill, difficulty, and creativity on the wave you pick to ride. At this moment, and after the results of the competitions of last year, you are the top three surfers in our company. I'm sure you will do an excellent representation of our brand as a team."
Oh no! Oh, fuck no! Team? With these two? No way!
I try to keep calm in my chair, but the other two dudes shift uncomfortably. Probably they are as bummed by the idea as I am. Team competition is not a problem for me, but I have done it with people I liked and trusted. I don't even know these two dudes.
"This probably comes as a surprise to you three, and I know you don't know each other. We will give you enough time to get acquainted and have rented for you a three-bedroom villa at Sea Glass Beach. That way, not only you can get to know each other, but you can also train for the competition. The festival starts in three months, you will move into your new home in four weeks."
"What are we going to do in the next weeks then?" I ask even though I know the answer.
"The competitions already scheduled plus some press conferences and interviews for upcoming surfing events including the Festival; new photo shoots; a signing session at our newest store; you know, the usual. Camilla will email you your schedules, flights, and the information about the house in Sea Glass. Some of these commitments will be individual, and for others, you will appear together as the newly formed Oceancrush team."
"Why are we spending two months in that village? Shouldn't a few days be enough?" Max asks irritated.
"The Reef is a unique place. The water current changes depending on the weather. It can even turn dangerous. Since we don't know how the weather will be on the dates of the festival, I rather have you train for a longer time in the area. It is a lovely village, and you will have fun. Do you have any other questions?" Crush asks, and we shake our heads in negative.
We all stand, shake hands with Xavier, and then head outside. Max has a bored look on his face while Ryan's small blue eyes dart all over the place.
"I guess we should exchange numbers or something," I try to break the ice.
"I don't even understand why they make us do this," Max complains. "If we are the top three surfers, why do we need to be on a team? Isn't it better if they get the people who are not good and pair them up?"
Someone needs a lesson on how to be humble. I don't give a damn about whether I have to compete as a team or as an individual. Hard work has brought me where I am. I do activities I don't like such as the promotions and photos, but it's part of the job. If you make me choose between milking cows at my grandfather's farm and surfing, I will pick the second without hesitation.
"It's fine," Ryan says. "I mean, if we are the best, then we should also get the best team score. It should be easy. I don't even think we need to train hard. I have heard Sea Glass Beach has excellent bars and clubs. Imagine all the pussy we will get when they find out three professional surfers are living in town. Par-ty!"
Great... A dick and a drunk, what am I getting into?
"Guys, Xavier has asked me to arrange a lunch for you," Camilla walks towards us with an Oceancrush suitcase. "It is just down the road; you can even walk there. The name of the restaurant is The Ranch."
"The Ranch?" Max says annoyed. "You would think the most talented people in this company would get preferential treatment, and you send us there."
What is so wrong with The Ranch? I love that place.
"Max, take it or leave it. I don't give a fuck about who you think you are," Camilla says dryly while lifting an eyebrow.
She is not impressed. I must admit I find it amusing to see a lady of her age cursing. I think the biggest curse my mom has ever said is 'shit'. Camilla hands me the suitcase and kisses me on the cheek, then stares coldly at the other two. If she doesn't like them, and she is nice to everybody, then I'm doomed.