"Terry Fitzgerald: Perceptive Exploration," by Drew Kampion, ran in the March 1973 issue of SURFER. Fitzgerald was 22 years old.

How do you see yourself in relation to the rest of surfing?

It’s hard to give a cut-and-dried answer because I have fluctuations within myself. When I’m down, which thank God isn’t too often, my stimulation for the whole thing can dry up. When I’m on a high, sometimes nothing can go wrong. My surfboard is the instrument and surfing is my expression. I try to flow with the people in surfing, but sometimes sensitivity and pride can get in the way.

Do you worry what people in surfing think of you?

If I feel that I’m right in my convictions, I’ll say exactly where I’m at without backing off. Although sometimes the doubt thing can make you reevaluate where you stand. Like Sunset Beach. Sometimes you get to thinking you’re on top of it, then it lets you know and you get hurt. ’Cause really you can never get on top of Sunset . . . or anyplace else.

Do you have a hard time finding balance in your life?

How much to put out there, and how much not to put out—for me that’s the hardest one. For example, how much of an idea do you give another shaper, and therefore do your part for the betterment of surfboards? We all want to do our best for surfing, right? But I still want to have something left over for my own. That may be selfish, but that’s just the way I am. I like to give, but how much?

Do you feel you’ve given a lot to surfing?

I think I’ve given about all I can give. How much that's worth, I can’t say.

Contests, manufacturing, any kind of surfing business, self-will, drive—that part is ego. For people like me, you have to find time for all of that, ’cause we're trying to make a living, and we all have to live in surfing. “In” surfing, not “off of" surfing. But again, you have to find a balance. That’s why it’s so hard. One part, the ego, is saying “Drive! Drive!” The other part is saying “Cool it, just be, just go surfing and have fun.” And fun is the essence of it all, when you come down to it.

What did the Islands do for your surfing?

Took me further in myself than I ever thought was possible. I learned respect, not just for waves, but for people as well.

Do you consider respect to be important in surfing?

 important thing, especially in Hawaii, because you can get hurt.

Was it difficult for you to gain the respect of the Island surfers?

I had to pay my dues, same as anyone else. But a lot of good people helped me in the lineup. Sammy Hawk, Booby Jones, Owl Chapman, and Dick Brewer, people like that. And Reno this one time, my first day at big Sunset, he made it over the set of the day, and I got cleaned because I didn’t follow him. Reno knew where to go, and soon I learned where to go too.

Do you find the people you’ve mentioned to be more aware than others?

People like Gerry Lopez, Jeff Hakman, Barry K, Tiger, all these guys, are obviously more aware. They’re on a higher energy level than any other people I’ve met. When I went back home from the Islands last year, my first year, people asked who I thought was the best. All I could say was that there were 50 of 'em. All the best on their own trips. Only personal bias would separate them, so who am I to say who's best?

How do you think people like that come to be so aware?

Surfing. In surfing, the criterion is respect and fun. Being loose! From that place, you become aware.

Aren’t there hassles in the water, though?

Sure, are there hassles in life? If you let it get you down, you’re nowhere. The whole idea is being able to meet the hassles head-on and have the ability to bounce back and forget them.

Do you think many surfers are hung up on their egos?

Some are really hung-up, others not as much. We all have egos. Sometimes it gets away from you, and those are the times you regret. But those are also the times when you learn the most about yourself.

You seemed to adapt faster than most in the Islands. Why?

When I first arrived I was kind of in shock, then I figured it was now or never, so I went for it. It didn’t matter if I fell, because of the high I got before falling; and the one-out-of-five waves that I made—that was enough to make it worthwhile. Plus I had some hot people pushing me.

Competition is a necessary evil. Sure, the results are sometimes tainted by the personal bias of the judges, but you go out in a contest and pit yourself and your board against others, and I think that's a good thing. Regardless of who wins or loses.

How do you approach a contest? In a heat situation, how do you react to what the other guys are doing?

I watch their waves and sense how they’re doing from their vibes. After a heat, I know if I’ve lost or won, independent of what the judges think.

Professional contests will go on for sure, but they’ll have to sort out the judging, because some judges are not on the same energy level as the surfers. There aren’t as many obvious blunders these days as there used to be, which is good.

What do you think of the commercialization of surfing?

I don’t like to see surfing packaged up, because then it becomes just like any other business. You can't really say, "Surfing is this" or "Surfing is that." It's so many things. It's like, there are different types of cars, but they're all cars. When you come down to it, if there are two million surfers, then there are two million types or styles or surfing. Surfing is free; it’s loose. I don’t want to see it tied up, packaged, stamped and marked.

Surfing is fun. If we all remembered that, we wouldn’t worry about cutting each other’s throats. When we all realize that the other guy is just trying to have fun too, provided that guy isn't hurting you or anybody else, I think we’ll all be a lot happier.

[Photos: Art Brewer, Hugh McLeod, Bernie Baker]

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