Young Walshy

Steve Walsh is bleeding from the eyeballs. He’s been surfing all day and driving all night. It’s one in the morning when he finally makes it to Lennox, but he still can’t get to sleep. His eyes are sun-fried and sandpapering his cornea. Walshy has been surfing like his life depends on it all trip. The 22-yearold has just picked up a deal with Volcom and knows that a good showing in the BK series is like a Willy Wonka pass to freesurfing nirvana. His older brother, Anthony, is a high profile tube-hunter and Steve is keen to step out of his shadow and carve out his own niche. “I’d like to do more freesurfing trips, but I need to build up my profile. It’s hard at the moment. I went a year without a backer and then I was with a company who went bankrupt and still owe me 15 grand,” he says. Around Lennox Steve Walsh is just one of a mad pack of shredders which includes Adam Melling, James Wood, Stuart Kennedy, Marcus Aboody and Jock Barnes. A grass roots film starring all these guys is soon to be released by up and coming filmmaker, Hamish McKenzie. For the moment, however, Walshy is the contest’s dark horse. And a Black Knight on a dark horse might just get there.