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28:50 l’Invert che ha deciso la Finale :
Name: David Michael Winchester
Nickname: Winny
Date of Birth: 22/09/81
Born: Paddington, NSW, Australia
Lives: Dee Why, NSW, Australia
Sponsors: NMD, Reeflex, Stealth, BSC, Sun Zapper, Grand Flavour
David Winchester grew up with his two brothers on the pristine Northern Beaches of Sydney. Being the middle child, Dave was always the competitive one – a victim of what some have affectionately dubbed “middle child syndrome”. Perhaps it was this middle-born mentality that ingrained itself in Dave during his formative years and continues to drive him to succeed in whatever endeavors he undertakes. There is no question that his brothers Andrew and Chris were Dave’s main inspiration throughout his grommethood and the three brothers often entertained the idea of what it would be like to be a professional bodyboarder. Dave being Dave wasn’t going to let this one go – taking the bull by the horns he went about making this long held fantasy a reality.
The year 2000 started out like any other year, though it wasn’t long before Dave started putting his grand plan into action. It was time for Winny to break the mould.
Although yellow fins and yellow boards weren’t the norm in those days it was more than just a vibrant colour combo that made Dave catch the eye of the bodyboarding media at the turn of the millennium. His effortless, powerful and mature brand of riding turned heads in numerous corners of the globe – whether it was free-surfing in Hawaii for his first time or winning the Mez pro junior back in Oz on the Central Coast.
Dave’s big break was soon to follow: Midway through 2000 the owners of Bodyboarders Surf Co, Mick and Carina, led him to enter the US open in California. 9 heats later Dave ended up with a 5th place and was baptized into the world of professional bodyboarding.
Later that year a photo trip to Indonesia landed Dave his first cover of Riptide magazine at the tender age of 18. Media exposure then flourished in the next few years as Dave netted numerous covers of magazines, magazine profiles and Video sections – filmmaker Chris White’s series of ‘Tension’ videos becoming a huge part of building Winny’s professional career.
Dave’s world title aspirations were always in the back of his mind, flirting with the notion of becoming a world champion a number of times early in his competitive career – in 2005 he finished 4th on the world tour and in 2006 Winny took home 5th. After tying the knot with his beautiful wife Aimee and the birth of his first daughter Coco in 2007, Dave only managed to make a couple of world tour contests. A disappointing end of year ranking in 2007 kicked Dave back into action – he felt like it was time for big a change again. In 2008 Winny jumped back on that horse at full pace. A committed training regime and a renewed competitive vigour led Dave to victory on the Australian Tour and ensured his requalification for the 2009 World Tour in 12th position.
In 2009 Dave knew he was back on the right path, so he applied himself the same way as the previous year and got cracking on what he wanted to achieve. The BOOM! Winny Podcast series was broadcast to an audience of tens of thousands in November 2009. This mini-series showcased the versatility and flair in Dave’s surfing as he traveled throughout Australia, free-surfing in the form of his career. In the meantime Dave finished 3rd on the Australian Tour and as if he didn’t have enough on his plate already, Dave’s number one dream of becoming a world champion became tantalisingly within his reach. He fell just short in ‘09, finishing 2nd behind Hawaiian Jeff Hubbard. “It’s just fuel for the fire…” Winny says.
2009 rewarded Dave personally with a huge feeling of achievement, his hard work and accomplishment dually noted by his peers. To cap off an already stellar year, Dave was announced the 5th person ever to win The Riptide Peer Poll, putting his name alongside the likes of Mike Stewart, Ryan Hardy, Mitch Rawlins and Ben Player. The icing on the cake.
2010 has already started with a bang, Dave’s wife Aimee giving birth to their 2nd daughter Autumn, born on the first day of Autumn. Maybe the stars have aligned for 2010, maybe not, stay tuned to davewinchester.com to find out for yourself…