Sports
Before Nick Carroll became a treasured journalist and celebrated author, he was one of many red-hot surfers from Sydney’s northern beach of Newport. Matter of fact, the older Carroll brother was a two-time national champion in Australia in 79 and 81. He was also a founding member of the Newport Plus Surf Club, one of Australia’s most powerful. Midway through the 1981 season, the Newport Plus crew had six surfers sitting in the Top 30 on the world rankings. In 1984, when Shaun Tomson and Tom Carroll came to Bells Beach for the world title showdown, it was Nick who eliminated Shaun, securing his little brother his second-straight title. Nick then got busy writing about that day's events for Tracks, where he was the editor. Today at 59, Nick hasn’t slowed at a bit. He’s still surfing his brains out, and channeling his competitive fire into various swim, paddle, and endurance races. He coaches and trains with some of Australia’s hottest talent in that arena, and he’ll be doing his seventh Molokai Challenge in the summer of 2019. Nick’s been writing about surfing for more than 40 years now, gathering incredible insights into our ever-evolving culture, so it’s always a blast catching up with him. As a bonus, there’s some added color from Derek Hynd, a fellow Newport Plus member. Topics run the full spectrum, so strap in and get to know one of surfing’s most coveted tribal leaders.