b e n e a t h t h e

A Different
Kind Of Stardom
Profile by Shaun Wallbank

James Hollmer-Cross has

never been much of a talker.
His reticence to engage with
others might be explained through
understanding the energy and
focus he puts into his surfing.
James’ shyness has been mistaken
for arrogance, vagueness or even
intoxication, but beneath the
sometimes cold veneer there’s a
feeling something’s burning deep
down below, making him tick.

Comments From The Couch

ASL asked surf psychologist Richard
Bennett to comment on the role childhood
adversity may play in the development of a
big-wave rider, and the mentality required
to put oneself in life-threatening situations
on a regular basis.
(Richard Bennett is author of The Surfer’s Mind
and has worked closely with dozens of big-wave
surfers. The Surfer’s Mind is all about mastering
your mind for peak performance in free surfing,
competition, big wave-riding and wider life. For
more information about Richard’s book and services
go to www.thesurfersmind.com)

A number of factors contribute to the shaping of

James Hollmer-Cross seeks solace in the
ocean and this is how it treats him back.
Strapped in at Shipstern Bluff, gunning for
glory on one of the biggest waves ridden in
Australia this year. photo: Gibson
a big-wave rider, such as genetics, personality,
learning and observation among big-wave
riding peers and how one interprets heavy
ocean experiences. While the experience of early
childhood adversity may not directly shape a big-
wave rider, adversity and risk events can play
a role in developing psychological “resilience”,
which is an important capacity for success in
big-wave riding.

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It ain’t all mondo extreme madness in Tasmania.
There’s thousands of miles of coastal wilderness
offering up empty, perfect barrels for you and
the birds to enjoy. photo: Chisholm

b e n e a t h t h e

Looking back, Mum’s woes

As a whole, surfers are appreciative
of the gifts the ocean throws us.
We’re thankful; it’s an escape from
a range of complications and offers
clarity. Many of us use surfing as a
retreat when the chips are down and
know one good wave can change
your mood, your self-esteem, your
perception on life. You leave your
troubles in the shorebreak. For
James the sea was a place where
he could escape the turbulence
of a childhood fraught with family
instability, and the spectre of losing
his mother long before he was ready
to face such grief.
James was born in Victoria, lived in
four different States by age six. The
nomadic lifestyle was the result of two
young parents struggling to negotiate
a rollercoaster relationship, and
struggling to look after themselves
made me realise that life’s
short, and it also showed
me it’s possible to overcome
anything. Even cancer.
and their young child.
Hollmer-Cross has early memories
of being set up in a makeshift bed in
the back of an old VW, parked outside
the coastal pub where his parents
would party. His folks, entrenched
in ’70s Victorian surf culture, met in
their teens and found themselves
living together before they even
thought about where they were
headed. James’ mum, Sonya, rode a
Hodgeman surfmat and dad, Mike,
surfed the length of the Great Ocean
Road. James’ early years were beach-
based, surrounded by surf.
Mike, still young and unsettled,
could never hold a job for long and
was easily drawn to partying, and
any surf that was on. Sonya kept
things together as best she could on
the homefront. The family moved to
Tasmania after being burnt out of
home in the Ash Wednesday fires and,
despite a series of on-again, off-again
attempts to make things work, finally
separated soon after James’ brother
Tyler was born.
The boys did the mum’s place/
dad’s place shuffle for a while before
they were rocked with the news
Sonya had leukemia and wasn’t
expected to make it through. James
was eight, Tyler just two. James’
sense of security, almost solely
based around his connection with his
mum, was under attack. This threat
of loss remained in the balance for
years while Sonya bravely took on
the cancer, the transplant rejection,
an ensuing double-lung transplant
and a host of associated chronic
health problems. “Looking back,
Mum’s woes made me realise that
life’s short,” says James. “And it also
showed me it’s possible to overcome
anything. Even cancer.” James still
had a ways to go, but watching his
mother overcome adversity sowed
personal seeds of determination.
James’ tough times were often
overwhelming, and he tried to cope
by retreating into himself, shutting
out the world or by disappearing into
drug and alcohol benders. He could
often be found staring blankly into
the void, not quite present. There
was no doubt that the absence
of the fundamentals in James’
childhood had a major impact on
his behaviour. In his early teens,
under the influence of guys much
older, James mastered the art of
cat burglary, sneaking into holiday
homes to steal booze, or sometimes
just to sleep.
The situation was far from the
ideal foundation for a career in
professional surfing. Tasmania is no
farm for pro surfers, with few older
guys to look to for inspiration. People
of the Apple Isle know too well
there’s been plenty of talent bred in
the State that has come and gone,
submerged by constant battles with
isolation, cold weather and tall poppy
syndrome. To make matters worse,
Park Beach, James’ local, was rated
Australia’s shittest beach break by
a magazine in the ’90s. Yet time and
time again James turned to the ocean
for clarity. The tide was turning in the
local surf scene, and James found
himself competing with those around
him in a bid to find joy in among the
fear and confusion. “There were
good people around me,” he says.
“Park Beach developed a strong
surfing community. A lot of us had
rocky backgrounds and connected
through surfing.”

Clearly big waves can present high stress and potential catastrophe, although resilient surfers are good at creating success in these high-risk situations, can manage the stress well, recover quickly Resilience may be defined as the positive capacity to deal with stress and catastrophe. Resilient individuals have high ability to create good outcomes regardless of risk, demonstrate competence under
from intense wipe-outs and mindfully utilise heavy ocean experiences for ongoing enhancement of their big-wave riding performance. stress, recover well from trauma and use challenges for personal growth, thus ensuring better adaptation and management of future hardships.

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 b e n e a t h t h e
Compulsory 1000-yard-stare-
waterman portrait. photo: gibson

I realised I had the capacity to become a

pro surfer, but I had to go above and beyond
to get noticed by people in the right places.
It’s not just about the talent, there are so
many more factors these days.

“I’m frothing on this joint, the wave goes seriously dry on so many
waves. I reckon the one of Jimmy is epic, it’d be good to see him get
rewarded with some shots. He goes so hard, probably the hardest out
of all the Tassie lads and really hasn’t had the recognition he deserves.”
- Email from photographer Stu Gibson in May, accompanying this shot
from a newly surfed Tassie slab.

Around the time James realised that
surfing could possibly be his lifeline,
his father vaulted back into action.
“Mum’s sickness was a blessing in
disguise,” says Hollmer-Cross. “Dad
realised the severity of the situation
and did everything he could to look
after Tyler and me, including taking
us surfing.” Hollmer-Cross senior
recognised that his sons had a passion
for wave riding and from that moment
on went out of his way to get his boys
in the water. “I remember Dad didn’t
have much money, but he made
sure we had a roof over our heads,”
recounts James with pride. “He even
took us to Indonesia once.” His mother,
although sick, realised that James’
surfing was his ticket and got behind
him 100 percent. “She was really ill,
but I knew all she wanted was for me
was to make it,” says James. Mike’s
stepping up came at just the time it
was most needed. “If I could pinpoint
the moment where the wheels were
set in motion for me becoming a pro
surfer, that was it.”
As modern technology brought the
sixth State closer to the mainland,
James was one of the first Taswegian
surfers to grab the opportunities
presented by the balls. “I set myself
a goal. If I was going to make a living
out of surfing I had to make it work
by the time I was 25.” James focused
his attention on gathering as much
media attention as possible and soon
learnt his talent and courage alone
were not going to get him to the level
he dreamt of. “I realised I had the
capacity to become a pro surfer, but
I had to go above and beyond to get
noticed by people in the right places.
It’s not just about the talent, there are
so many more factors these days.”
During this period of self-discovery
James began to appreciate that the
lack of direction and instability he
had encountered in his younger
years were having a profound effect
on his personal skills. “I had to
work really hard to communicate
and trust people,” he says. With
encouragement from his parents
James talked to a lot of people, who
gave him techniques on everything
from how to deal with feeling self-
conscious to being down about
things not turning out as planned. It’s
funny to think that a man who rides
waves that require making split-
second decisions so as to avoid lethal
consequences could be anxious
about whether a photo of it ends up
on a magazine cover, but that’s what
makes James different.
There was also one other, unex-
pected but cheerier, hurdle to
overcome. “Well, yeah, my time frame
did get pushed back a year,” laughs
a happy Hollmer-Cross. James got
together with his girlfriend, Sarah
Hawson, and after a whirlwind romance
a bub was on its way. “There was three
months of passion before we found out
Sarah was pregnant. It was really hard
to imagine throwing another person
into the mix at that time, but Sarah
has always supported what I do, and
helped me through tough times. She’s
a pillar of strength.”
Harry was born in January
2004, and James now had all the
motivation he needed to chase his
dream career. “I was young, but I had
the responsibilities of being a father
and partner and wasn’t going to blow
it completely.”

Research on resilience in children identifies good cognitive functioning in terms of self-regulation and intelligence, and positive relationships with competent adults as “protective factors” in situations The core mentality of big-wave riders is simple – they want it and they love it, and so they GO! To give a little more detail, in 2000 I conducted research with more than 30 big-wave riders and found they
of adversity. Living the surfing life and committing to the extreme pursuit of big-wave riding presents abundant opportunity to evolve the mind and cultivate meaningful relationships with family, the local shared a natural thrill-seeking, confident and goal-oriented personality, a high level of mental strength and control, a calm, confident and committed mindset in the moment when charging big waves, a
surfing community and the natural energy of the ocean. The positive feelings of freedom, exhilaration and joy experienced from regular wave riding also serve to cultivate a happy, resilient human being. deep desire to ride big waves and an intimate, personally meaningful relationship with the ocean.

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b e n e a t h
There’s no denying that a certain
big wave under a certain cliff gave
James and his surfing compadres a
leg up into the surfing industry. As
the surf world was consumed by slab
fever, James, Tyler and lunatic mates
including Marti Paradisis and Dustin
Hollick followed the bootie steps of
Shipstern’s godfather Andy Campbell
into the surf world’s conscience.
You've got to hand it to them, if
taking off on a wave at Shipstern
is the difference between celebrity
and hermitism, then a life of solitude
looks pretty damn attractive.
In 2009 the hours spent floating
in cold, dark water were starting to
pay off and James was spat on to
the lunatic-riddled big-wave stage.
“I came third in the Ride Of The Year
section at the Billabong XXL Awards
In terms of performance mindset, elite big-wave riders simply accept the risks, prepare well for the demands of the ocean and stay clearly focused on what they want – the big drop or massive barrel
– rather than what they don’t want.
And though extreme ocean conditions can present high stress and potential for catastrophe, for big-wave riders this place is viewed as a wonderful sanctuary that nurtures the soul and cultivates
many positive qualities for happiness and success in surfing and in wider life.
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t h e
Being nominated for
awards is great,” says James,
“but finding new waves is
just as important to me.
and that’s when I felt things were
really progressing,” he says. “I’d been
surfing for Rip Curl for a few years,
but that moment validated their faith;
they could see the value in having me
onboard.” As Rip Curl’s investment
in James began to reap dividends
more support was forthcoming. More
possibilities opened up, and as with
his surfing, James dived straight
in. “Being nominated for awards is
great,” says James, “but finding new
waves is just as important to me.” With
continued support from his sponsors
James was realising his goals and,
slowly, his dreams.
Dancing around watery graves is
still on the agenda these days, but
James is looking to branch out. “I’ll
always love surfing the big stuff at
home,” he says, “but I wouldn’t mind
JHX whips HHX into one.
photo: Chisholm
doing some other trips, maybe even
some contests.” Surely not the WQS?
“Nah, no chance, but I just got back
from the Rip Curl Padang Padang
Invitational in Bali and one day I’d
love to do the trials at Chopes. If
they ever invite me,” he laughs, with
a “hint hint, nudge nudge” glint in
his eye.
When discussing the early days
James doesn’t play down the hard
times. Without the financial support
of his girlfriend, Sarah, he knows
he wouldn’t have realised his goals.
“I owe her a lot,” he says, “and my
brother, Tyler, and parents too,
without them I’d be nowhere.” It’s
clear that as James’ ambitions are
realised he won’t soon forget the
people who helped him along the
way. “They’ve been my pillars from
Every now and then a wave refuses to barrel,
and it makes James angry. Fighting the
face at one of Hobart’s rarely sighted rights.
photo: Chisholm
the start. No matter what happens,
I want my family to be set up.”
James and Sarah are now engaged.
Six-year-old Harry is riding waves
at Park Beach and the couple are
planning to add another member
to the hyphen clan. He might not be
the typical nine-to-five family man,
but like his surfing, he’s giving it
everything he’s got.
James has made the most of
what he’s got, survived some hard
knocks and has been supported by
good people around him. He reckons
that’s what makes life challenging
and worth living. These days when he
gets driven deep down the mineshaft
of a collapsed slab, James is more
relaxed than anyone. He knows if you
hang on long enough, you’ll eventually
come back to the surface.