EXCLUSIVE

LOOSE THREADS: JACK FREESTONE

By John Agnew, 2 March 2017

Loose Threads is a new series where we throw open-ended lines at local legends and get them to fill in the blanks. This round, we wrangled 24-year-old Jack Freestone – pro surfer, avid sneaker collector, other half to Hawaiian women's surf champ Alana Blanchard, and all-round Aussie nice guy – to get the lowdown on his travel packing essentials, the best country to score world-class waves and loads more.

Picture: Billabong

My name is… Jack Freestone

I'm a... pro surfer from Coolangatta, QLD

My influences are… [professional surfers] Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson. I’ve literally grown up watching and idolising them since I was 10 years old. They’re the coolest people in and out of the water. Also [surfers] Mitch Coleborn and Mitch Crews. They’re both pretty inspiring.

The last thing I lost was… probably my mind.

The last place I travelled to was… Hawaii. It was really good because we always end our year over there. It’s really relaxed.

The best place I’ve ever surfed is… Salina Cruz in Mexico, just before it started to get noticed by other surfers and was still really unheard of. We scored some really sick waves. We were there for three or four days.

Instagram: @jackfreestone

When packing for a trip, my essentials are… two pairs of jeans – always black because it goes with everything – a bunch of long-sleeved T-shirts, a few regular tees, sport pants. I always wear elastic waists because they’re just so much more comfortable and easy. Plus, a hoodie and a spray jacket.

If there’s one item of clothing I’ll never throw out, it’s… these pair of [American MMA and Jiu Jitsu professional] BJ Penn training shorts. I idolise Penn, and I don’t do that with many people. I’ve had them for a while and I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of them in my lifetime.

My favourite pair of kicks are… this pair of adidas Pure Boost ZG trainers. I’ve got so many adidas pairs. I’m such a kick fanatic. People send me their shoes and it starts there. So I’ve got so many different pairs of shoes. I love having endless options. They’re weird but kind of suit your mood. You can mould them to your mood.

Instagram: @jackfreestone

The most stylish surfer of all time is… Andy Irons. Everything he did was just... you’d be in awe. He was definitely the most stylish surfer ever, and probably will be forever. No one's going to have that style.

The last time I hurt myself was… at a surf contest, early last year. I lost my heat and was going for a calm-down surf and ended up tearing my ACL. I was out for 10-and-a-half weeks. It sucked.

The last song I listened to was… Outlet by Desiigner. It’s really good and amps you up.

Instagram: @jackfreestone

The last time I was hungover was… this morning, accidentally. I only had three Balters [Gold Coast-based brewery founded by surfers Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and more], but they were so heavy. I woke up with a really minor hangover.

The last Instagram DM I sent was… to my mate John who I train and do Jiu Jitsu with, just paying each other out. He sent me this funny meme of a dude with a backpack with a really stupid look on his face that says, “Has taken three classes and already owns seven Gis” – which is 7 Jiu Jitsu outfits. It’s just stupid talk. I think very few people will understand that [laughs].

The last piece of advice I was given was… “Keep your head down but your chin up”. What the hell is that? I’ve had better advice.