Cool Hand Luke Takes the High Road

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Luke, a powerful 20-year-old natural footer, blew minds in Hawaii last winter. As a direct result, his signature was required on a recent Quiksilver International contract. This initial offering will see him compete for the next two years with a mountain and wave sticker on the nose of his board.

The initial two-year renewable contract sees him dealing in the $ and not the R with various permutations likely to entail travel costs, salary and possibly bonuses for wins and / or media coverage. It's the big leagues in professional surfingFrom his side, in addition to his obligations competitively, he will probably be expected to work on his media reach, with perhaps a film deal chucked in. Basically, it's the big leagues in professional surfing, and the youngster is determined to live up to what the global surf brand sees in him. Slijpen can often be found on the podium, with a string of successes to his name. These include a series of first-place finishes in the Pro Juniors, including contests at Lambert's Bay, Durban and Victoria Bay, and a third-place at the ISA World Juniors in the U18 division.

When not competing, Luke loves to hunt down heavy barrels and big waves. His gutsy and powerful performances at Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu drew the attention of the Quiksilver International team manager Miky Picon, and the rest, as they say, is history.

BIG STUFF: Luke is not averse to playing in the big wave space. Sunset Reef. Photo AVG

"In Hawaii, I got to stay at the Quiksilver house for a month. It was a good opportunity to surf all day, meet the Quiksilver crew and push my surfing with them," said Slijpen. "I stayed with Mikey Wright and Kauli Vaast, Leo Fioravanti, Zeke Lau, Koa Rothman and a couple of other Quik guys. Thanks to Reef Macintosh for letting me stay at the house. I'm super amped to go back this year and push my surfing even harder!"

Hailing from a surfing family, Luke has clear-cut goals for the upcoming competitive year. "I want to make the Challenger Series (CS) next year, and I want to do a sick movie," said Slijpen. He knows what hard work is all about and is grateful for the opportunities.

"Since I was a youngster, I always looked at the guys that got sponsored by international brands," said Slijpen. "It's tough to climb up the ranks in South Africa and get an international brand to commit to taking you on. Now I have Quiksilver, and I'm super amped to push it and do the best I can for the brand and hopefully keep moving forward with them."

FLYING HIGH: The versalitiy of this youngster is part of the attraction. Photo Ian Thurtell

Currently up the west coast in the Northern Cape, Slijpen is competing in the Experience Northern Cape Namakwa Challenge at a remote location in the Hondeklip Bay area. An invite-only WSL Specialty contest, the event also raises awareness about the mining that is destroying the place. Local NPO Protect the West Coast recently became a partner to the event. Donate and sign their petition here https://www.protectthewestcoast.org/

"There are some amazing waves up there, and hopefully, we can share awareness of the destruction of the land that is happening along the coastline," said Slijpen.

For more on the Namakwa Challenge – https://www.worldsurfleague.com/events/2021/spec/3715/namakwa-challenge

Luke's Instagram @lukeslijpen
Luke's WSL Profile - https://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/10270/luke-slijpen
Luke is sponsored by Quiksilver, SMTH Shapes, Nixon, Globe and Zombie Tread.