Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/122153
closeup Paddling in pink Sunshine Coast professional surfer Julian Wilson speaks with Emma Wheaton about life on the World Championship Tour and riding for a cure. Image: Getty Images J ulian Wilson wears pink boardies, counts his mum among his heroes, beat Kelly Slater in a heat when he was 17 and invented a surfing manoeuvre he named the sushi roll. His relaxed Sunshine Coast disposition shines through more than the competitive spirit that led him to push himself until he was good enough to surf alongside his older brothers when he was just a grommet growing up in Noosa. It's the same talent and competitive edge that has seen him rise to the top 10 of professional surfing. Julian grew up on the coast in a family of surfers and has been riding waves since he could walk. The 24-year-old has always been a keen surfer but it wasn't until he went head-to-head with legendary 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater that he considered he might actually have what it takes to be a professional surfer. As one to watch on the Junior Pro circuit, Julian was 17 when he received a wildcard entry in the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast. He was pitted against Kelly Slater in his first heat. Looking back at Snapper Rocks from the surf, it was absolutely packed. The crowd was huge, with only standing room on the sand. Despite the pressure of competing against someone who would be any young surfer's idol, on home turf and at such a young age, Julian beat Kelly in the heat. "It was kind of a defining moment for me. I remember thinking, 'Okay, maybe I'm good enough to do this.' It made me realise this is what I want to do and I want to be really good at it," says Julian. Now, seven years later, I catch up with Julian on the eve of him competing in the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast. It's a competition that he 9