Tour Tales with Liam Lucas.
As Australia’s only representative on the world tour, we thought a chat with Liam about his experiences in Chile was worth a visit.
First up, talk us through the great Visa debarcle when you first landed in Chile?
When I arrived in Chile I was told off flight centre that I didn’t need a pre booked visa. On arrival I was turned away and sent back on the next flight home which was in 38 hours so I ended up spending 36 hours in Santiago airport and just got my visa accepted in time.
What were your thoughts and impressions of Chile overall?
Chile was an amazing country, I feel I didn’t get to surf it properly because I was knocked out of every contest so early and it never pumps for trials haha.
Any really memorable experiences outside of the water?
Nothing too memorable just enjoyed hanging out and cruising around a new country with friends.
Okay, competition talk. How did you feel about your overall efforts on the World stage?
I’m definitely not happy at all with my performance overseas, as I got sick in Chile and spent 2 weeks stuck in bed with the flu. It was one of the sickest I’ve ever been and it definitely took a massive impact on my mental and physical performance on tour.
What have you learnt from competing on a world tour level, what do you feel you need to work on?
I’ve learnt in trials depending on what the conditions are like that it’s alright to play it safe, as I kinda just went for big moves trying to prove that I’m worthy to be on tour. I definitely need to work on my nerves on the world tour platform but I guess that kind of stuff comes with experience.
Where you briefed on what the judges would be looking for each day?
What sort of riding was scoring highly? That was one thing I was surprised about. We were never sat down as athletes and told by the judges what they were looking for but when it comes to Arica it’s pretty easy to tell what a big score looks like. For the other contests tho I think a briefing is needed.
How is the Chilean boogin’s scene, from the outside it looks like it’s pumping along?
The boog scene over there is lighting up. It’s refreshing to see lots of stoke around the boog scene especially for competition surfing, as in Australia we don’t really have any contests that translate well into the world stage.
Shoutout to my sponsors science, gyroll and bodyboard king!
