Taj Burrow (June 2, 1978-)

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When grommet superstars rise directly from high school to dominating the world tour, chances are they're extraordinary. Tom Carroll, Mark Occhilupo and Kelly Slater are all prime examples. And now, for the first time in the 21st century, there's another freak of nature making a name for himself.

A scrawny, yet gritty young Australian, Taj Burrow is the archetype of a kid- surfing-genius turned pro. But beyond his radical brand of dazzling maneuvers and confounding airs, Burrow is especially important for one reason: he's the only Next Big Thing of the late '90s era who's actually living up to the hype.

Born at Busselton Hospital in southwest Western Australia, Burrow grew up in one of the world's most dynamic surf-rich regions, an area littered with an alluring mix of powerful reefs, points and beachbreaks. The only child of two surf-mad Californian ex-patriots, he rode his first wave at age seven on his dad's 6'3" thruster and, from that moment, rarely looked anywhere but ahead.

By his second year of surfing, he entered his first contest in the Under 18 division in a local event. At only nine years old, he won the thing. And for the next eight years, he continued in similar form, winning just about every major accolade in Australian junior surfing, including Young Australian Sportsperson of the Year.

After graduating from Busselton High in 1997, Burrow began the ASP world tour as Australia's, and perhaps the world's, most-promising 17-year-old in years. Although he had a fierce and formidably talented archrival in Kauai's Andy Irons, it was clear early on that Burrow was more competitively focused. Indeed, when the duo first met in 1997 at the world's most prestigious junior competition, the Ocean and Earth Pro Junior, Burrow won, while Irons crashed and burned early. Irons had the moves, but Burrow was single-minded in his title-seeking pursuit. And by the end of his debut WQS year, his ambitions became public. (When he qualified, he declined a Top 44 position so he could "mature" and become "a genuine world title contender.") Burrow was driven to become world champ and nothing less would suffice.

Following his easy requalification via the WQS, Burrow debuted as 1998 WCT Rookie of the Year, before posting the only serious challenge to Occy's 1999 world title Burrow finished runner-up. At just 22, only one step remains: a world title.

For a young man with so much potential, Burrow's country upbringing and intense family closeness (he recently purchased a home directly across from his parents') helps him handle the fame and pressure with startling ease.

"When I'm not on tour," he says, "hanging out with my parents is my favorite thing to do." Of course, he digs the perks of notoriety (most notably the females), but it kind of freaks him, too: the attention, being mobbed by a thousand strangers who know his name, getting hunted by unwanted groupies or being constantly approached by surfing's money men. "It takes strength to deal with those people; I just like to be nice, I guess. I'd really get scared of the kind of fame that Kelly has."

But interestingly, this golden child says he could handle it -- provided, of course, he was world champ. "When I initially started the 'CT, I really only had short-term goals, but two years ago, when Willsy [Danny Wills] and Cambo [Mick Campbell] were up there all the time, it made me think. It stirred me. Why I can't I be there, too? Confidence is everything. I know that if I'm confident and I can stay that way for a whole year, then who knows?" -- Tim MacDonald, October 2000