SURFING

The scene at New Pier, a surf break in Jordy's hometown of Durban, is the kind of place that requires respect, hard work, and a good attitude to climb the ranks of the pecking order.

A fast hollow right that is known for heavy localism, New Pier taught Smith how to excel in both small and large hollow surf.

These are all traits that come naturally to this young superstar who has a surfing history longer than most. At the age of three, Jordy's father, a shaper and surfer himself, began driving him to the local beaches and pushing him into waves.

"Smitty" or "Superfreak" as Jordy is also known, took to surfing early on, and by time he was 15 knew that this sport was his calling.

FAMILY TIES

"My mentors, or the ones I look up to are Martin Potter and Shaun Thomson, but my dad taught me everything, and motivated me more than anyone else," says the 21 year-old surfer.

"My mom and sister also both keep me in line," said Smith about his upbringing. This close-knit family environment is one of the reasons Jordy has found so much success on both the amateur and professional levels.

After winning the World Juniors in 2006, the Triple Crown Rookie of the Year Award in 2007, and landing on the WCT in 2008, there was a lot of pressure on Jordy, a regular footer, to succeed.

Pressure, however, is the one thing Jordy doesn't let get to him. Never one to boast, he says he surfs against himself in heats, and focuses on just surfing and not the pressure around him.

CHOICES

In his early surfing days, Jordy was selected to the South African National Soccer Team, which in a country where soccer rules, would have guaranteed him a promising future early on, and the chance to play overseas.

At age 11, Jordy was asked to play soccer abroad in England, but luckily chose to surf instead.

He knew early on that surfing was his calling so he spent hours on end studying surf movies and memorizing his favorite moves by surfers like Kelly Slater.

When Jordy's own fame started rising, he never claimed to be the next great one. Instead he quietly chipped away at his training and his surfing, along the way inventing new tricks like the swiss-roll, a signature move where he grabs the board with both hands and spins 360 degrees

As the target of media hype since he turned pro, Jordy is well prepped to be the next best surfer in the world. His second place finish on the Gold Coast this season has stated his intentions for the season ahead.

LOOKING BACK TO THE FUTURE

It's hard to imagine that at only 22 years old, he has achieved a level of surfing success and skill that takes most many decades to reach.

Whether it's his incredibly focused raw talent or his under the radar sense of humor, Jordy Smith is a surfer who knows how to succeed. Through large airs, or massive rail to rail carves, he can always look back to his days at the rough hewn New Pier, where his work ethic and surfing style were honed.