Aerial Revolutionary Christian Fletcher Surfed A QS Contest at Cloud 9 (Video)

This week, just a few days after his 55th birthday, Christian donned a jersey for the first time in who knows how long and paddled out at Cloud 9 for a QS 6,000. Points didn't matter; he just wanted waves. Rocked a thick mullet and riding a big-ol' step deck with his own logo on it, he finished third in a four-man Round of 128 heat and was eliminated on October 23. Funnily enough, the oldest surfer in the field was surfing with the youngest surfer in the field, 13-year-old Jayden Wilcoxen. “Is that elderly abuse or taking candy from a baby?” Christian mused on his Instagram.

Christian’s presence seemed to stoke the other competitors, and Christian was all smiles after the heat. “When I grew up, we’d never get conditions like this for a surf contest," he said. "The water's warm, the waves are good. Shallow reef. Everyone’s got big smiles. Everyone’s happy. That's the reason I came to this contest. I'm 55 years old, I don't even surf contests. But when I had the opportunity to come here, I wouldn't miss this for anything. I just want to get barrelled and launch some airs, and most of all, have fun.”

It looks like Christian has been having a lot of fun in the water lately. Before pulling up to Cloud 9, he shared a session with his brother Nathan and a few dozen more surfers at cooking Padang Padang in Bali. He may not be on a competitive comeback, but he's clearly enjoying himself and doing his thing. As the Fletchers so often do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk6TjpYiUpw&pp=ygUgY2hyaXN0aWFuIGZsZXRjaGVyIHBhZGFuZyBwYWRhbmfSBwkJBgoBhyohjO8%3