Damien Hardman (January 23, 1966-) |
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Possibly the ultimate professional surfer, Damien Hardman emerged as a '70s super-grommet from the talent hotbed of North Narrabeen, Australia, and through the '80s and '90s, developed the science of surf competition to an art. Despite this -- or perhaps because of it -- he never garnered the international respect due a two-time world pro surfing champion. Yet it's hard to imagine any surfer caring less.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Hardman learned to surf at quiet Warriewood Beach near his home just north of Narrabeen. By the age of 13, he competed regularly in Schoolboy competitions, placing him among the first of a new breed of competitors who learned his lessons early and used them later to good effect. (A decade down the line, Kelly Slater was another.) Young Hardman belonged to surfboard designer Geoff McCoy's high profile team; other members included senior pro Mark Warren and rising stars Cheyne Horan and Pam Burridge. McCoy's tail-heavy Lazor Zap designs profoundly influenced Hardman's style, helping create a back-foot-focused vertical turner whose backside approach was a highlight. Great older Narrabeen surfer Col Smith and his youthful protege Tom Carroll were also influences. Hardman -- nicknamed "Dooma" by the Narra crew -- was on the pro career path from the start. His ferocious concentration and unemotional approach to heats earned him a second nickname: "Iceman." By the age of 19, he won a world junior crown and made the ASP Top 16; by 21, he faced old Australian amateur teammate Gary Elkerton in a wholly unexpected showdown for the ASP men's championship. Their semifinal heat at the 1988 Coke Classic, where Hardman used all his contest savvy and brilliant vertical backside turns to cream Elko, was a turning point for the world tour. A young surfer known more for sheer contest nerves than revolutionary style had walked away from Carroll, Tom Curren, Mark Occhilupo and all the legends. Nothing would be quite the same again. In the following eight months, Hardman set a tour record of seven major wins in a season -- later equaled by Curren and Slater. Hardman's father, Brian, took an active interest in his son's career. He became the ASP's most effective media director, coordinating achievements such as the Coke Classic's 1990 live telecast on Australian network television. At that event, Hardman's hard-core competitive approach seemed to overreach itself when he turned and rode a foaming wave to eliminate a superior performance by Tom Carroll on a priority technicality. His critics -- and there were a number of them, including a very public Nat Young -- seemed to miss the point: Hardman won the heat, and to a serious competitor like him, that was the whole deal. Hardman won his second world title in 1991, becoming the second man to win again after a break -- the first had been Curren in 1990. He was Slater's most feared competitor in the young champ's early days. Slater openly admitted that the Iceman's nerve-free attitude rattled him. After a flirtation with retirement at the end of 1996, when he ranked in the 20s for the second year running, Hardman bounced back, even holding a brief ratings lead in 1998 and seemingly enjoying the good-wave venues of the new pro era. Living in Narrabeen with wife Belinda and two daughters, he remains, at age 34, high on everyone's list of most-dangerous opponents. While his approach hasn't created a wide fan base, it has proven potent at achieving the ultimate goal: success. -- Nick Carroll, October 2000 Click here to find all the Damien Hardman photos and editorial on Surfline.
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