Most of us would like to think that our favorite pro surfer rides a particular board label (ala Al Merrick, Rusty, Firewire) because it gives he or she the best opportunity to win contests and surf at their optimal level. Put another way, pros only ride the best boards out there. Not so in the case of South Africa’s future World Champion Jordy Smith. The 6’2 200 lb surfing phenom has been seen surfing boards from some of the largest board manufacturers including Firewire, JS, and Al Merrick. Currently sponsorless, both clothing and board, (he’s waiting to see how much money he can get), Jordy has openly admitted that sponsorships are strictly business and who ever offers the largest contract will get the rights to this incredible talent. When he does decide on a board sponsor, you can be rest assured that he chose that particular board manufacturer because they have the biggest wallet.

I guess it’s quite naive for me to think that pros only ride the best surfboards available to them. Then again, if Costco offered me $1 million to ride their boards, I’d do it in a heart beat.