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Tipi Jabrik Interview : Building a Tour by balibelly.tv

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HELP WANTED: Manager for the Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour. Must be willing to deal with endless surfer complaints, government sponsors who don't know a surfboard from an ironing board, and international surfers constantly hitting you up to try and get into ISC events. If you fit the bill, please contact Tipi Jabrik, and give the poor guy a much-needed vacation.

The job posting above is NOT REAL, but it could be in the not-so-distant future. It's been ten years since ISC founder and CEO Tipi Jabrik first began organizing a string of professional surfing contests in Indonesia. After a successful run that long, it's only natural to think about trying something new (unless you're Kelly Slater). Jabrik has entertained the idea of passing the torch to someone else. After the 2011 ISC Awards Banquet was all in the books, Jabrik took the time to talk to Balibelly.tv about the state of Indonesia's only surfing tour, and what lies ahead.

What was the Indonesian contest scene like before the ISC?

Before the ISC, the only option for aspiring pro surfers in Indonesia was the WQS. But there were pretty much no ASP events in our region, so that meant you would have to travel to contests far away, which was usually too expensive and very difficult because you need to secure visas months ahead of time. There were a few events held around Bali here and there, but nothing like a professional tour, no ratings system, and no way to determine the “No. 1 surfer in Indonesia.”

In 2001 we started the Quiksilver Indonesian Surf Series, and then it started growing, and then we decided to make a full tour in 2004, the founding year of the ISC. We had big support from guys like Paul Anderson, Jeff Anderson, Kane Faint, Stephen Palmer, and Charlie Kushner... So the whole industry got behind it and gave it the push it needed.

Talk about the difference between the ISC today and when you first started the organization in 2001?

In 2001 I was pretty much on my own with Quiksilver. I asked Quik for a few thousand dollars to help grow surfing in Indonesia on a small scale, now the scale is much larger. Contests used to be quite small, maybe 40 competitors. Now, at every contest we get a minimum of 70 surfers competing. And when we go to Rote, there's another 30 locals who want to join, and in Nias there's another 30 locals who want to get in. So it's grown a lot, in the junior ranks too. At most ISC junior contests now, like the last Rip Curl one, we have like 70 kids under 16.

Another difference today compared to ten years ago is the amount of media coverage we get for our surfing events. We're getting in the major national newspapers, we have a highlights program on Alam TV, and this year we signed a deal with the Outdoor Channel to bring the ISC to even more eyes throughout Asia.

What positive effects has the partnership with Coca-Cola had for the ISC?

Coca-Cola came on board in 2008. Their funding was crucial to be able to run the tour at the level it's grown to now. They've given us almost 4 billion rupiah to grow surfing in Indonesia. We can travel all around Indonesia to help the sport grow and bring it to new regions. To be affiliated with such a strong brand like Coke gives the ISC more credibility when we approach new sponsors in the surf industry and the local governments. Coke also has some great connections in the mainstream media too, so it has positive impacts for the athletes, the surf brands, regional tourism, and the development of our sport as a whole.

What part of the ISC are you most proud of?

I'm really happy to see kids like Dede Suryana, from West Java, have success. If you ever go to his hometown (Cimaja, West Java), you could never imagine that a kid from there could have a future surfing and traveling around the world. So to see that is like, wow, the ISC really does have an impact. He can get a good sponsorship deal because the ISC is a forum for him to show his ability and what he can do. He became the Indonesian champion, and from there he's decided to do the QS, and become well-known internationally. Kids from Java and outside Bali, they're hungry. So when I see them having success, it makes me really happy.

Is it true that the regional governments who sponsor several ISC events (Rote, West Java, Mentawais) want tourists to be included in the surf contests? Because most of the Indo surfers don't want bule's on the tour. How difficult is it to balance those interests?

Our events are sponsored almost 50/50 now by the surf industry and by the local governments. The local governments in regions with good waves now see that surfing holds big tourism potential. For example, in the Mentawais, surfing is already the main part of their tourism agenda. I hope more local governments continue to see the benefits of sponsoring surf contests at their surf breaks. Surfers will always find a way to get to good waves. No matter if there is a war, or a disaster in the area, surfers will find a way to come and surf good waves, and they will spend money there.

For sure, the governments want to see more international surfers in the events, because they want to attract as many surfing tourists as they can. And they know that a big international name will help them do that. It also depends on the government sponsor's budget. If their budget is big enough, I'm going propose the event to the ASP. If it's not big enough, we can give it to the ISC or the ASC (Asian Surfing Championship tour). That's our next step, is to get more Asian surfers coming to Indonesia and into the region.

For me, personally, it's hard because we're trying to grow surfing in Indonesia. Having international surfers competing in ISC events is only going to improve the overall level of surfing and increase our exposure. I think it's better for the sport in Indonesia. But the boys, they don't want it, because they think "this is our tour, and we should just keep it for ourselves". At the end of the day, I don't make the call.

Who makes the call? How are important decisions made within the ISC? For example, who's call would it be to open up the events to international competitors?

All decisions are made by the ISC board, which is made up of two representatives from the surf industry (Kane Faint of Rusty and Jeff Anderson of Rip Curl), two tour surfers who rotate, and myself. We vote on all decisions.

In 2009, Jake 'The Snake' surfed on the ISC as an honorary Indonesian. Photo: Tim Hain

If there was no ISC, what do you think the boys currently on tour would be doing?

I think a lot of them would just hang out at the beach and be surf guides for tourists, like it was for the local boys back in the seventies. If you're a surfer, you will always try and find a way to surf. On the ISC everybody can make their own goals to work towards. The standard is very high so if you do well it's a great personal achievement.

How often are you approached by international surfers cruising through Bali who want to try and get into an ISC event?

Yeah, back in the day we were kind of semi-open for international surfers. They were always trying to get in. We actually used to leave three spots open at the beginning of each contest for people who want to join at the last minute. And often western surfers were the ones who would show up early the morning of the contest and get those spots, because they wanted to surf perfect waves with no one out. Surfers like Tai Graham and Jake Patterson. But later on we decided we needed to be more strict about it and informed them that the tour is only for Indonesian surfers. So no more international guys are trying to get in now.

Do you think eventually we will see high-profile international surfers being given wildcards into ISC events (beyond the specialty events like Padang Cup)?

Oh yeah. In the future, if we can afford to make it an international event, definitely. Because at the end of the day, our mission is to get Indonesian surfers into the highest level of surfing competition – which is the ASP World Tour. There are a lot of ways to accomplish that. One of them is to travel around the world trying to do well on the QS, like what Dede (Suryana) is doing. The other way is to do what Brazil has done. They used to have a Brazilian circuit, just like our national circuit. Then they turned their circuit into six events, most of them 6-star PRIME events on the ASP Tour. So now there is no more Brazilian circuit. Now it's just a Brazilian leg of the ASP Tour in Brazil. So it's really good for the Brazilian surfers. They can just stay at home, and not have to deal with airplanes and visas, and surf familiar waves in their own country and collect enough points to qualify for the World Tour. And I think that's the smartest way to do it in the future for the ISC. Right now everybody is struggling to qualify – look at Dede, look at Lee (Wilson). They have to get visas, they fly halfway across the world, spend a lot of money, and then get knocked out first heat. That's not healthy for their career.

How far down the road do you think that is?

I think it will take a few more years. Right now we have the Oakley Pro Junior here in Bali, so that shows that the door is opening on ASP contests in Indonesia. It's a global event and the only contest here that has a live webcast, which is essential for ASP contests these days. We can learn a lot from watching their production.

Where do you see room for improvement or growth? What do you see as the future for the ISC?

We need to do more events throughout all of Indonesia – not just in Bali – and also beyond Indonesia. A lot of our surf industry sponsors, their market is outside our country, in places like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam. If we want to get the ASP back into Indonesia, we need to get the entire Southeast Asia region strong, so the surf brands based in this region have the funding and the marketing budget to run an ASP-level event. We have to think that if an ASP event runs in this region, it will not be sponsored by Quiksilver International, it will be funded by Quiksilver Indonesia or Quiksilver Southeast Asia.

What's the hardest part about your job?

It's a fun job. I get to travel, I get to surf, I get to compete and I get to meet new people. I think the hardest part is keeping a balance between what the boys want and what the sponsor companies want. For example, the boys don't want international surfers competing on the tour, so I have to think about ways of making sure that the companies are still going to invest in the events. Because for the companies, if they have international surfers, that means bigger international media exposure for them. But that's not what the boys want. Also, it's sometimes hard to work with sponsors who have no event experience, like the local governments. They often have no idea about how to run a surf event. They don't know about accommodation, transportation, etc., so we have to help them with that in addition to putting on a surf contest.

You've hinted that you might be considering stepping down as director of the ISC. Are you serious about moving on and finding someone else to run the show?

It really depends on the state of the ISC. If I'm in a good environment, I would like to continue doing it. I would like to bring in an events manager who could run the daily stuff so I can focus on the bigger picture. But I'm still looking for that person. It's hard to find the right person with the dedication. I've been doing this for ten years. The ISC is already established now. Next year is our last year with Coca-Cola. If they want to continue with the sponsorship deal, I want to find a tour manager to help me with the events. Then I can deal with larger-scale media stuff, like television deals, etc.

Any last thoughts?

I just want to say, at the end of the day, this thing belongs to the boys – the surfers and the surf industry of Indonesia. And if the boys want to continue what they're doing, putting on a good show, they should support the ISC. Because it can only benefit them. If there was no ISC, do you think guys like Lee Wilson and Dede Suryana would be getting paid big money? They know it adds to their value. They understand.

As a last shout out I want to say I'm really greatful to our ISC team. Tim Hain does a really great job on the media side, Sean Gilhooley and Ivan Tanjung for the video production, and also Dewa Juana, Koming and Ocim in the Office, and also Ngurah, our man on the ground.

Courtesy : ballybelly.tv