Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk Zedby.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
We're going to talk some surfing now with Billy Stamman.
He's a local of Raglan, Man who bay. The World
Surf League is touched down, gets underway tomorrow, training today
and it's running for well, we'll see. They've got a
lot of holes throughout the week. So you're what surfing's like.
Whenever they can, they will be bitter Stemming a Kiwi
Olympic surfer, he joins us.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Now, good evening, belly, good evening. How are we.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I'm so looking forward to the weekend, but I expect
you're looking forward more to the entire week in Raglan,
your home beach with the world's best. This is mental.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah, it's been pretty crazy.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
I'm so excited obviously, this major event is coming to Raglin.
I've been trying to be in the Championship Tour for
over fifteen years now, so to achieve that dream as
amazing and let alone, you know, have it in my
backyard and I have a surf comp, major surf comp
like this, you know, in front of my community, my friend,
my family, and obviously the whole country.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
So yeah, I'm pretty pumped up. I'm looking forward to
putting that ration on probably tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
The next day, and yeah, just seeing what unfold.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
But I'm surprised you're out of your rest. I tried
to contact you in the week and you were bobbing
around in the ocean. You would have been stuck out
there for what as much as long as you could.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Right, Yes, I mean I've spent my whole pretty much
life out there at Money Bay, so I'm trying not
to spend too much more time out there. I'll probably
get over it, you know. I'm kind of just feeling
everything out out there. You know, it's pretty busy, it's
pretty full on. It's all you know, fun energy out there.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
There's a lot of serious competitors out there as well.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
So I'm kind of just feeling, you know, finding my
feet and joining the whole process that it's so much fun.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
And yeah, I'm just enjoying it.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
I've been doing this job way too long and I'm
still a fanboy. It can't help myself. What about you?
When you stand there on the beach and you see
some of these superstars, do you go, oh, dude, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
For sure, obviously, I've been doing it for a long time,
so I've pretty much seen all these guys come through
the QS and the challenges and qualify for the championship too.
So I'm probably one of the oldest there. I think
they and Jordia will.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Maybe the oldest.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
And yeah, I have competed with these guys before, and
you know, it's kind of nothing really new for me. Obviously,
it's another level the whole setup and the whole energies and.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
The feel of it.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
But again, I'm at home and this is just you know,
my zone and my braak, and like that's my favorite
surf spot, and I'm just feeling super comfortable and happy
and healthy. And yeah, again, I just I'm kind of
enjoying having everyone in town. It's it's super fun. I've
been traveling the world for so long now and now
I get to, you know, host them in my hotel.
So it's yeah, it's super fun and I can't wait
(02:47):
to you know, you know, showcase hopefully my surfing and
have fun with it.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Did you say host them in your hotel? I thought
you'd be staying in your own crib.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Wouldn't you hometown hometown hotel?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So man, what do you got done and think there
was a hotel and red.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
There isn't many, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Let's look at the the beach itself. I think that
surfers will probably say this has taken way too long
to get the rock stars here. I remember years ago
there was a Voterafone surf series. It was out at
PIH and p HA basically presented its best concrete washing
machine it could and it just spat these guys out left,
right and center. This is, with all due respect to
(03:27):
pi HA, this is a much better beach, a much
better break, a lot more predictable, and of course it's
a left hooker as well, so it's pretty much got
everything in it.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Billy, Yeah, I think Raglan is pretty much you know,
money Boy's kind of set up for a magic context
like this. You know, obviously we've got the waves of
the long Point break peels down the rocks, and you've
got the natural amphitheater, you know, from the mountains down
and people sitting on the hell you got the flat
car park and then the boat ramp at the bottom there.
You know, it's a bit of a spectacle out there
at the moment. It's pretty awesome.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
To see.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
And yeah, obviously you got the big towers and the
athlete zones, and but I like how they've kept the
street open, everyone's roaming around the front, up on the hill,
they've got the families out there. Yeah, it's a cool
buzz out there at the moment. But yeah, obviously I
was a little kid. I was pretty young I think
when Andy and Although that Vodaphone thing happened here, and
I remember going up to Money Bay and being so inspired.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
By just seeing those guys.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
So for them all to be here today and myself
being in the contest, hopefully we can inspire that next
generation to go out there and you know, chase your
dreams and hopefully make that dream tool under.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
What this is it it's a show of you know
what you can. I think for a long time New
Zealand athletes, I'm talking back when I was younger as well,
like there's no way we're going to hit the world.
Now we fully realize we can, and you've got events
like this that put it right in front of the
Grommets and noywre thinking yeah, I've got this. It's hugely
(04:51):
important for the sport developmentally.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Yes, it's huge Yeah, it's amazing to see how energized
and excited the kids are all to meet this. You know,
these superstars, these fans that they always see on TV
or YouTube or wherever it may be, there actually in
there all step you know, they're in front of them
and they're seeing them surf in real life and seeing
what that what needs to be done.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
And I did a Rising Tides thing this afternoon.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
So they get a bunch of kids from Raglan and
around the country to surf with the pros and they
get to surf money Babe by themselves and get a
ride out of the jetskin kind of experience what it is
like to be, you know, a professional surfer on on
the on the World Championship to it. So I think
it's it's hugely inspiring. And then obviously myself and.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Alani as a as a young kid growing up in Raglan,
So she's inspiring.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
You know, she's amongst that next generation and she's got
a massive opportunity here as well.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Yeah, and myself, you know, I'm.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Getting a little bit old, I'm getting towards probably the
back end of my career. So yeah, hopefully I can
put on a show and kind of inspire the next
generation just to go out and chase their dream and show.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Them that anything is possible.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yeah, you've you're not that old mate hanging there. You
have plenty of time out there and you're in the
ocean all the time. So that kind of tends to
preserve people. When when you look at the class of athlete,
who do you look to the most do you think
is going to put Like they all put on a
good show, But who's the standout? Who do you really
look to and go, Wow, we've got this guy on
our break.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Yeah, it's pretty interesting to see all the surfers out there.
You know, it's obviously a new stop for everyone, so
they're all still trying to figure out the point breaks
and the area and they're all kind of enjoying, you know,
the surroundings that.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
New Zealand and Ragland has to offer.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
So obviously you got the favorites like Gabrielle Madenner and
it's a low and Ethan just came off a really
good Ethan new It just came off really good on
the Gold Coast there, so he's probably got.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
A little bit of energy in his corner. And yeah,
there's the likes of Joe Vaughn is from Australia.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
He's a young, younger guy that's qualified requalified this year.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
So there's a few guys obviously there are at the
top of the top. They're all going to be, you know,
gunning for that win. And yeah, there's a hard competition
out there for sure.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Well can you tell us so because you mentioned learning before,
that's a Larning Morse only fifteen years old, competing on
a home beach for her Tom Buttland, what can you
tell us about him?
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Yeah, Tommy, but Tommy b He's he's a legend. He's
a bit of a call lord from New Zealand. He's
from Tartanuki from the Yeah, yeah, so he's he's a
little bit more rugged and raw, you know, he's growing
up in Tartanuki there and he's actually a sparky by trade.
But yeah, he had the massive opportunity of being the
Trials and kind of winning that event and getting into
(07:33):
the event.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
So I'm super.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Proud of like the Kiwis that are in the event,
and it's going to be pretty pretty exciting to get
down there and support and watch and I can't wait
to like, you know, get things going tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
I think I think we're full steam ahead for a start.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Tomorrow, and as far as spectators to concern people coming
to visit, because Ragland's it's difficult to get to the
road's very interesting. You got any advice for people traveling
and actually when they're there themselves then to be a
lot of surface it involved that way, but there also
people just casually observing what's the best thing for them
(08:07):
to do when they're there. Where do they sit, where
do they stand? What don't they do? What do they do?
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Yeah, yeah, I presume it's going to be pretty busy,
especially you know all the excitement day ones coming up.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
There's going to be There's been some fun waves the
last couple of days, so yeah.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
I presume everyone will want to come down tomorrow and
be amongster. But I recommend I think there's there's buses
that actually go out from the airfield here in Ragland,
so getting in here early, getting that bus out there early,
and kind of getting your spot on the hill and
just enjoying the whole day. Obviously, Raving is such a
beautiful spot and everyone's coming to town, so obviously we've
(08:41):
got to respect the locals and the land and keep
it all clean and healthy and thriving for every for
after everyone leaves. But yeah, it's going to be exciting.
Town's kind of prepping for it. Everyone's buzzing around town.
Town's pretty busy already, so all the restaurants are booming,
and there's heaps of cool stuff.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Going on out the bay.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
I think there's you know, there's like food tents and signings,
and there's heaps of fun stuff going on for the
kids and or the adults as well.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
So it's going to be fun.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
It's great when it's pumping. Actually, the last time I
was out there was the World Relly Championship was on
out there. It's been a while now. One last thing, Billy,
and thanks very much for your time. How much of
an advantage is it that you're surfing on your own water.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Yeah, it's a common question at the moment. Actually, I
think it's a bit of an advantage for sure. You know,
just in saying these guys have never been here before,
it's you know, normally they travel the world around to
these events like Bows, Beach, Snapper Rocks. They've been there before,
they've served the conditions before. They know that their houses
they're staying and you know that it's comfortable for them,
(09:47):
whereas here it's kind of new and exciting and everyone's
still trying to feel it out.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Figure it out, and the tides are always changing, and
wins are different and swells different.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
You know, we live on the rugged West Coast, so it's.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Always changing out here.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
But yeah, for me, I think it's it's definitely a
big advantage. Obviously, they're the best in the world, so
going to pick it up pretty quickly. But I've searched
that break, you know, through and through every pretty much
every single day I am home, and I spend a
lot of time out there feeling all the energies and
the lineups and the tides, and yeah, just growing up
here surrounded by the people and the and the surfers
(10:22):
that I looked up to and watching them and you're
just spending time in the lineup's a massive advantage for me.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
And the way the wave.
Speaker 4 (10:28):
Breaks is a massive advantage, and yeah, it's going to
be good.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
And Laney Moose of course is a local too. She's
been in the water since she was three, So advantage there,
mess that stem And thank you so much, Billy for
joining us. On the program, rip Shit and Bust have
a cracking week mate.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Thanks Bro, appreciate it. I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
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