C.J. and Damien Hobgood (July 6, 1979-)

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There have been many impressive brother duos in surfing’s history: Michael and Derek Ho, Shea and Cory Lopez, Andy and Bruce Irons. Never, though, has a set of twins ascended so far in the competitive ranks as Florida’s C.J. and Damien Hobgood.

These indecipherable goofyfoots, once NSSA nightmares, are now legitimate contenders on the World Championship Tour, wreaking double trouble on the rest of the world. Hailing from Satellite Beach, C.J. and Damien followed the now well-heeled path from the Sunshine State to surf stardom established by Charlie Kuhn, Todd Holland and Kelly Slater.

Since beginning as menehunes in the Eastern Surfing Association, the Hobgoods have swapped first- and second-place finishes like they were swapping socks. In 1991, they set the trend in the ESA championships, which they would repeat in the NSSA Boys, Juniors and Mens divisions, as well as the ASP East Junior Pro in 1996. Damien backed it up with a third-place finish at the ISA World Games at Huntington the same year, while C.J. earned a third in 1997 at Australia’s prestigious Pro Junior.

They graduated from Satellite High School in 1997 with "A" averages, ample backing from Rusty and a wealth of travel experience.

While at the forefront of the “Pre-School” Generation (the post-Kelly Slater group of teenage tricksters), their committed full-rail power surfing ranks them above most of their peers. With some professional success under their belts, they turned to the ASP World Qualifying Series in 1998.

Their first year on tour drew a rare distinction in their acts. C.J. finished a strong season -- in which he won a five-star event in Portugal -- rated 11th and qualified for the WCT. Damien, meanwhile, finished 27th and had to slug it out again on the qualifying tour while his brother moved on.

C.J. rose to the occasion in his rookie WCT season by making the finals in the year’s most treacherous conditions at the Gotcha Pro at Teahupoo, Tahiti. Many considered him the standout of the event, but he was too satisfied and starstruck to finish the job against Occy in the final. Easily requalifying by finishing 18th in his first season, he earned Rookie of the Year honors from the ASP.

Damien was a year behind in qualifying, finishing fifth on the 1999 WQS, but suffers no deficit in talent. Together, they arrived at a time when East Coast professionals outnumbered Californians on the world tour.

While the Hobgoods are both serious competitors, intent on rising to the top of the heap, they are also void of arrogance. What anyone who surfs with them will tell you is that they always have fun, whether surfing grinding Pipe or piddly Florida. This approach, combined with their studious, competitive nature, gives them unlimited potential. And when you factor in their healthy sibling rivalry, multiply those chances for success by two. -- Jason Borte, October 2000