5 kids that shaped a town
These were the original ‘Cooly Kids’ from Coolangatta on the QLD/NSW border, a town of just 5000 which has produced no less than 5 world champions in 40 years. This week Red Bull released a fast paced video which tells the story of the little surf town and it’s surfing legends.
Credited for the bout of surfing talent in the 70’s was a natural phenomenon which saw sand pooling up on the Coolangatta side of the rock groin, giving birth to the first (albeit then natural) bank known now as ‘The Super Bank’. The first two legends from Cooly claimed their world titles and continued on over the next 30 years unchallenged as Coolangatta suffered a dry spell in surfing greats, while the waves continued to roll on.
But then, after the artificial sand dredging began in 2002, the Super Bank was formed and the era of Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Dean Morrison began.
“The spotlight moves, the energy, it kind of moves. It was here for a while, like Haleys comet in Coolangatta for a while. Then Deano, Parko, Fanning thing came along, the same thing happened. That energy makes those guys better.”
Says the first Cooly legend, Peter Townend.
Speaking of the fierce rivalry between the three legends that pushed them to 5 collective world titles and into the list of surfing greats. The same rivalry is often referred to as crucial in the birth of a world champion. Without it, there’s no (or at least less) drive to win, no motivation to learn that new move and no experience with competition.
So was Cooly great because of the sand, the surf or the rivalry? We think it’s a bit of all three, but no matter the reason, you can’t deny that Coolangatta is one special place to surf….
Check out the great video from Red Bull to see what we mean!
Tumbi Umbi, NSW
