Despite being born on the Gold Coast, Jack Freestone almost chose another sport. His father Scott played professionally in the National Rugby League, the premier competition in one of Australia’s three major football codes. Whilst good at all sports, Jack excelled at “footy” and made the Australian schoolboys team, and was offered scholarships to train and play in Europe. However, after one particular wave at Kirra, Jack became totally hooked on surfing and football took a back seat. He quickly made his mark on the competitive Coolangatta scene and won two World Junior titles, matching Joel Parkinson who was his hero growing up. A slow climb through the rankings led to qualification on the CT in 2016. Here he joined his partner Alana Blanchard on tour and the pair would later have their first child together. In 2019 they launched a YouTube series that almost broke the internet. Freestone’s extraordinary talent, both above and below the lip, probably hasn’t netted the results it deserved and it wasn’t till 2019 that he made the cut through his CT form. Splitting his time between Kauai and the Gold Coast he might be one of the great late bloomers in surfing. If everything keeps clicking a top ten place and first career CT win should await.