Stealing the Wave: The Epic Struggle Between Ken Bradshaw and Mark Foo - Softcover

Martin, Andy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747582262 ISBN 13: 9780747582267

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2007

Synopsis

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About this title

Review:

'A classic tale of sporting rivalry' Observer 'The tales are gripping, Foo's vainglorious final expedition among them. Surfing emerges as a dangerous, solitary and potential fatal obsession' Daily Telegraph 'Martin brilliantly utilises the conflict between an old-school Texan and a cocky young Chinese-American to explore everything from the commercialisation of pro-surfing to a foolproof strategy for seducing Brazilian women' Arena 'Martin's fluid prose perfectly befits his subject ... sweeps the reader along like one of the awesome incoming walls of water at Waimea Bay ... a fascinating glimpse into obsession' Independent

Synopsis:

It is winter in the mid-eighties and two surfers are battling for supremacy at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Hawaii. This is surfing's spiritual home, where some of the biggest, most awesome waves in the world crash onto the shore. Ken Bradshaw has been around the longest. Old-school, and some say too old, this muscular Texan veteran commanded respect throughout the seventies with his brilliance on the board, gritty determination, and a fearsome temper - when angered or disrespected he has been known to take huge bites out of fellow surfers' boards. Mark Foo is the new kid on the block. Icon of the next generation, this slim, good-looking Chinese-American is beginning to wow the crowds with his lightning repertoire of cool moves. With a sharp eye for a marketing angle and a magazine cover, Foo is taking surfing in a new and more commercial direction and is the antithesis of everything Bradshaw believes in. One perfect day at Sunset Beach, the two surfers are in the water together and Foo audaciously steals a wave from right under Bradshaw's nose, sparking a bitter feud which is to last over ten years and will ultimately end in tragedy.

In the spirit of Norman Mailer's "The Fight" and "Touching the Void", "Stealing the Wave" is not just the story of a legendary sporting rivalry. It goes to the core of what it means to compete, and examines what happens when competition, passion and belief go too far, and become obsession.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0747582262
• ISBN 13: 9780747582267
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256