FORM folk
We love how the FORM range is being ridden and enjoyed everywhere. Check out some of the stylish cats below who love their boards. We are stoked to be spreading the fun!
Alan Stokes
Cheif designer and creator of Form Surfboards. Alan is a key part in the development of the boards we make and sell to you guys. Trial and error help us create a range of surfboards that allow you the surfer to pick surfboards that work for you.
Multiple British and English champion Alan is one of the top UK pro's ever. Best known for his high-performance style of surfing.
From Fistral to Fiji Al has been there and done it.
If you want to trust the guy who is designing your surfboards this is your guy.
Trips Planned: This year is stacked for trips for Sophie, having been on a good few already, she has at least 4 more weeks and weekends in Cornwall planned, in July she will be spending the entire month in Bali, October is her time to hit Portugal up and then for Christmas, just to top the year off, she will be taking on the waves in Sri Lanka for two weeks! Jealous much? So are we!
Favourite board ridden: The best board Soph has got her feet on has been her FORM Go To, she feels like she has control, speed and manoeuvrability in the board. Able to put down her best turns on this board in bigger waves than before. She will be riding this thing in everything and anything this year and also may be trailing a pin tail version to!
About: Soph is a unique 17 year old now days, she will rarely be seen glued to her phone or a TV but more likely, either surfing in anything and everything, or if it is super flat, she will be grabbing her skateboard and through air's our of ramps all day. The girl rips on anything she can stand up on.
Sophie's inspiration mainly comes from Lakey Peterson, but not Lakey's competitive side, but the fact that Lakey skates a lot, surfs more and surfs with a lot of speed and power.
Style wise, Sophie admires (as we all do) the all time classic flow that Rob Machado has, but she also loves how Jordy Smith and Lakey surf, with explosive hits and turns that throw buckets.
Sophie free surfs for fun and progress's every time, you will be seeing a lot more of her surfing and she may be at a break near you very soon!
Sophie Whitaker
Age: 17
Height: 5ft 5
Weight: 55Kgs
Boards/Quiver: FORM GoTo 5ft 10"
FORM Mode X 5ft 6"
Local Break: East Wittering
Favourite Surf Spot: Chapel Porth or Ponta Preta (Cape Verde) - Check the Image of Sophie on a bomb!
Where Have You Been Surfing Recently: Lately I have traveled all over the place. In the last 6 weeks I have been to Cape Verde for a week surfing all the breaks there. I spent 10 days in Cornwall finding secret spots and surfing the usual's too, I also went to Croyde in Devon where the waves were really good.
About Byron: When I am not surfing, I do what I can to improve my game. This can be by skateboarding or working on my strength and suppleness by going boxing training, push ups, pop ups etc. I like the technique side as well. My Dad is good friends with Jez Browning of UniSURFity coaching so I am lucky to have him critique my surf whenever I send him videos. Also I often watch surf videos or the WCT and love analysing the various technical manoeuvres..
I am lucky that my Dad always surfed so I grew up being pushed into waves as a toddler and have never stopped. My older brother Jake also surfed so I was always trying to catch up with him which of course I have done ! When it was too big for me to duck dive my Dad would swim out with me whilst I was on the board. He would then duck dive the board for me with me on the board. Once in position he would then sling shot me into the waves. He soon stopped the service when I was strong enough to paddle into waves. Weekends and holidays were always around surfing and still are. The surf community in Jersey has been a fantastic place to grow up.
Hoping to compete in the next European and World Juniors. So really working on my game for that. Special thanks to Form surfboards and Boarshop.co.uk for helping me with great boards. The Go To in FX1 is the ultimate weapon.
Dan Messore
If your wondering who's ripping tunes have been accompanying our FORM videos then meet the eclectic musician that is Dan Messore. When Dan's not carving a few lines on his custom ADPT you will probably find him in the studio laying down some fresh beats with his band Alaias.
Age: 36
Height: 6’0
Weight: 93kg
Board(s): .Adpt 5’11 and 6’1
Local Break: Whitesands, St Davids, Pembrokeshire
Favourite Surf Spot: Unmentionable (Costa Rica Spot)
Where have you been surfing recently: Had the 5’11 in Sagres in Nov and Costa Rica in Feb...lots of fun!
6’1 is doing right by me at the local and around the glorious welsh coast.
Do you feel like your music and surfing are intrinsically connected:
I’ve always been drawn to improvising and structure. I love the flow of one to the other, and how good synergy feels between them. Surfing is the ultimate physical expression of that I feel. My ability at these things is questionable, no doubt. But, this is how they feel to me.
Tell us a little about you and what makes you tick: My little family is most tick inducing thing in my life
I love time with them, sharing music, surfing and getting out in the wild.
Byron Stolte
Age: 15
Height: 5’9
Weight: 11 stone
Boards: 5’6 Fruit Scoop, 5’9 Go To FX1.
Local Break: Watersplash, Jersey
Favourite Surf Spot: Sultans, Anchor Point.
Where have you been surfing recently: Been a quiet winter so mostly surfing at home. Late last year I did a UniSurfity boat trip with my Dad, bother and friends in the Maldives which was amazing. The swell pumped the whole time and I surfed Jailbreaks, Sultans, Cokes, Honky’s and Chickens. In October I competed in the World Juniors in California, surfing Huntington Pier, T Street, Trestles. I had Eli Hanneman in my heat. It was close !
Trips planned for this year: Exams this summer so head down. Late summer going to Portugal with family. Will be surfing around Ericeira and Lagos areas. Hoping for a road trip with Alan Stokes.
Melissa Reid
Age: 28
Height: 164cm
Weight: 55kg
Board(s): ADPT 5ft 9 and the High Line 5ft 10
Local Break: Porthtowan, Gwithian
Favourite Surf Spot:
England- Gwithian
Morocco - immsouame
USA - Huntington (contest only when there’s no crowds)
Where have you been surfing recently: I have mainly been surfing my local breaks this year as I have had so much travel with triathlon.
Your an ISA World Adaptive Surfing Champion, tell us how it felt when you won and what training involved leading up to the event?
I didn’t know I had won until we were paddling in and Matt my eyes said the England team are running in the sea with the flags. You have just won! I didn’t believe him until I was picked up and chucked on the shoulders. It was so surreal I still can’t believe I’m the world champion.
Going to the world champs was decided quite late. I got in the sea as much as possible. In an adaptive contest I am allowed someone out in the water acting as my eyes . There was an adaptive surf league out in the states the week before worlds, which we decided to go to to get some practice in working together. Other than that most of my training was non sports specific it was general fitness work.
Your also an Olympic bronze medalists in Triathlons which is incredible , tell us a little more about this, the dedication and motivation to succeed, what inspires you and how you got started in the sport?
I got into triathlon back in 2011/2012 when I was struggling to get a job constantly being refused because of my vision, I’d always dreamed of being a beach lifeguard traveling the world surfing, when this couldn’t happen I was devastated and pretty much gave up that part of my life.
I’d been cycling to uni and with lifesaving was a strong swimmer and had some run fitness, my dad who had always trained and coached me was doing Ironmans (very long distance triathlon). He talked me into doing a few and then found out about the Paralympic side. So we thought it was worth looking into. What initially took my career away from me had just given me a new one. I got to travel the world competing, (even if it was without a surfboard). I love competing and pushing my body to its limits. I have never been extrinsically motivated. I can only perform well if that’s what I want. At the moment my goal is to improve on my bronze medal from the Rio Paralympic Games, this was made hard by having to have a year out with a back injury, but it has made me more hungry to succeed and show its possible.
Has your Triathlon training and competing helped your surfing and what aspects of each sport do you feel complements or helps progress the other?
Without a doubt triathlon training gave me the physical edge over my competitors. I had more endurance for multiple heats and more strength for getting onto the waves. I think that competing at an international level gave me the mental advantage to not let anything get on top of me and remain calm in some challenging situations. Also going into each heat with a heat plan and back up options if conditions changed, I think we were the only ones thinking ahead that much.
Surfing has helped my triathlon this year more than ever. It’s given me the upper body strength for the swim but more than anything it has kept me happy and grounded. I always look forward to coming home and going down the beach, it’s the one place where I feel truly at peace.
Being visually impaired what challenges have you had to overcome to get good at surfing?
This one is difficult to answer.. my dad has always surfed with me and growing up we never told anyone I was visually impaired. He wanted me to have as normal up bringing as possible and didn’t want me to have any special treatment. I have always found a way of doing things and it is so natural to me I don’t know it’s different to anyone else...probably because I can’t see what there doing.
Having Matt in the water has improved my surfing in competition so much as his wave selection is great, mine isn’t. I have to feel for the surf more than looking which I get by with daily but having someone there is a huge help. I tend to sit off to quieter spots as I do struggle with crowds and in the water no one would know I can’t see.
This year I saw an old surfing judge who used to judge back when I competed as a grom, after the nationals he said “at least you learnt to surf when you could see” when I told him iv always had dodgy eyes he didn’t believe me.
What are your goals now and what events are you training for?
My goal is to retain my surfing world title, I would also like to give the boys a run for their money, coming in 5th last year I think with the new boards a final is on the cards.
In triathlon I am aiming to qualify and podium at the Tokyo Paralympics next August.
What words of wisdom or saying has had a profound impact on you?
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I 100% take this that every time you get knocked down you come back stronger.
Stay up to date with all of Melissa's surfing and triathlon events on her instagram here
Contact us on 01637 499912
Email us at: formsurfboards@gmail.com
Visit us: Toy Factory Surfboards, Seabase Units, Treloggan Industrial Estate, Newquay Cornwall, TR7 2SX