PERSEVERANCE THROUGH SHEER PASSION FOR SURFING
This is perhaps what defines Natxo Gonzalez' story. Whether it's buying his first board at the age of 7, surfing his first big wave at Galéa at 14, scoring his very first barrel at Nazaré or recovering from a concussion, the Basque Country native Natxo Gonzalez has always been patient and persevering as he has taken one step at a time towards becoming a professional surfer.
When you're an adult, you talk about goals; when you're a child, you talk about dreams. But we surfers are lucky enough to remain big kids throughout our lives. That's probably what drives us to keep dreaming. Natxo's first dream was to buy a surfboard. At the age of 5, he would go bodyboarding during the family summer vacations. He soon asked his parents for a “real surfboard with fins and a sharp nose”. An object that seemed dangerous to his non-surfing parents, for a child of such a young age. The deal was as follows: young Natxowould receive €1 or €2 pocket money every weekend. It was up to him to save up and buy his own board one day. A simple way for a modest family to teach their child certain values. And to push back his purchase...But Natxo kept his dream in mind, filling his piggy bank every weekend, and at the age of 7 he went with his father to the local surf shop. He set his sights on an old second-hand board, the cheapest one available, and literally broke open his piggy bank in front of the shop owner, who couldn’t believe his eyes. He was 20€ short, but it didn't matter, Dad lent him the money to keep his son happy so he didn't miss out on the following summer season. Barely a surfer and already in debt!
A summer he spent every day in the water to feed his new passion. Then came Christmas, and the gift of a wetsuit so he could surf in winter too. The waves were bigger, the weather was gray, and dad couldn’t always see his son from the beach. So he decides to take up surfing himself, to keep an eye on his son. Then it was his sister's turn, and surfing soon became a family affair for the Gonzalez family.
Natxo went on to win competitions, picked up sponsors and collected trophies that piled up in his bedroom. At the age of 14, while on course for a successful competitive junior career, he decides to surf Galéa. The mythical Basque wave is not far from home, Natxo being a native of Plentzia in the Spanish Basque country, on the outskirts of Bilbao. On this particular day, the waves were smooth. The faces were 5m high. Patient, the young Natxo Gonzalez positions himself on the outside to watch the older surfers charge. And then a bigger set shifts towards the teenager. The whole line-up shouts « GO NATXO! ». Those few seconds of adrenalin triggered the start of more committed surfing.
This is perhaps what defines Natxo Gonzalez' story. Whether it's buying his first board at the age of 7, surfing his first big wave at Galéa at 14, scoring his very first barrel at Nazaré or recovering from a concussion, the Basque Country native Natxo Gonzalez has always been patient and persevering as he has taken one step at a time towards becoming a professional surfer.
When you're an adult, you talk about goals; when you're a child, you talk about dreams. But we surfers are lucky enough to remain big kids throughout our lives. That's probably what drives us to keep dreaming. Natxo's first dream was to buy a surfboard. At the age of 5, he would go bodyboarding during the family summer vacations. He soon asked his parents for a “real surfboard with fins and a sharp nose”. An object that seemed dangerous to his non-surfing parents, for a child of such a young age. The deal was as follows: young Natxowould receive €1 or €2 pocket money every weekend. It was up to him to save up and buy his own board one day. A simple way for a modest family to teach their child certain values. And to push back his purchase...But Natxo kept his dream in mind, filling his piggy bank every weekend, and at the age of 7 he went with his father to the local surf shop. He set his sights on an old second-hand board, the cheapest one available, and literally broke open his piggy bank in front of the shop owner, who couldn’t believe his eyes. He was 20€ short, but it didn't matter, Dad lent him the money to keep his son happy so he didn't miss out on the following summer season. Barely a surfer and already in debt!
A summer he spent every day in the water to feed his new passion. Then came Christmas, and the gift of a wetsuit so he could surf in winter too. The waves were bigger, the weather was gray, and dad couldn’t always see his son from the beach. So he decides to take up surfing himself, to keep an eye on his son. Then it was his sister's turn, and surfing soon became a family affair for the Gonzalez family.
Natxo went on to win competitions, picked up sponsors and collected trophies that piled up in his bedroom. At the age of 14, while on course for a successful competitive junior career, he decides to surf Galéa. The mythical Basque wave is not far from home, Natxo being a native of Plentzia in the Spanish Basque country, on the outskirts of Bilbao. On this particular day, the waves were smooth. The faces were 5m high. Patient, the young Natxo Gonzalez positions himself on the outside to watch the older surfers charge. And then a bigger set shifts towards the teenager. The whole line-up shouts « GO NATXO! ». Those few seconds of adrenalin triggered the start of more committed surfing.
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