September 2003

September will see a crew of Aussie surfers join the boat. Australia's Surfing Life magazine held a competition with the prize being 1 week on the Crossing. There was also a raffle held at the Quiksilver Pro at the Gold Coast and the lucky winner also won a Crossing trip. Matt Hoy will host the trip.

Host: Matt Hoy

After being Aussie champion as a grommet then spending several years on the World Championship Tour (WCT) Matt Hoy retired in 2000 with 3 WCT event victories under his belt. One memorable victory for Matt was when he took out the RipCurl Pro at Bells on the 25th anniversary of the event in 1998.

Matt continues to reside in Newcastle and continues to play a part in the Quiksilver family holding a role as the Research and Development Guru.

ASL Competition Winner's

Wes Thompson from Lennox Head won a competition in Australian Surfing Life Magazine to travel on the Quiksilver Crossing but cannot take the trip, as he is about to become a father! Kindly Wes gave the trip to his brothers Jason and Brad. The brothers have been surfing since they were young grommets. Jason's favourite break is Red Rock, Lennox Head. Both guys are looking forward to the experience of The Crossing and travelling to a location they have never been to.

Quiksilver Pro Competition Winner

During the Quiksilver Pro 2003, Matt Ryan was lucky enough to be holding the lucky raffle ticket! Matt Ryan is one of the legends of Victorias, Phillip Island. Matt has 3 children and a wife, Jill, who all enjoy surfing. Matt has been living and surfing the Island since the mid 60's and along with Sir Wally Tibles (the first surfer to win the Quiksilver Trials), pioneered the infamous reef break, Express Point, in 1968.

In 1969, Matt along with close mate and shaper Tom Tyrell, registered and opened the doors to Island Surfboards, Tom would shape and Matt would glass and finish. Then in the early 90's he opened a second store at Smiths Beach. He has grown his business and also has one of the best Learn to Surf schools in the country.

His son Sandy will join him on this journey. Sandy Ryan, is a chip off the old block, another pioneer of modern surfing. Sandy is a stand out in local competition and also at state level - it's his tube riding that sets him apart from the crowd!