A world champion surfer from Florida is about as likely as a Winter Olympics team composed primarily of Hawaiian athletes. Florida—as most surfers know—rarely has surf of size or quality. And yet there have been four world professional surfing champions from that southern state: Lisa Anderson (four titles), Freida Zamba (four titles), Kelly Slater (eight titles), and C.J. Hobgood (one title).

And while C.J. continues to place highly on the world tour, his twin brother, Damien, surfs a lot like him. In fact, Damien has finished as high as fourth in the world and has won numerous major events, including one this year in the world’s most ferocious surf—Teahupoo, Tahiti.

If you didn’t know better and met Damien at the corner store, you would think he was just another nice guy with a cool pickup truck, a southern drawl and a pretty little family consisting of wife Charlotte and daughter Savanna Grace. On land it’s difficult to detect the unquenchable fire burning within. If you ask him about it, however, he’ll probably tell you what—actually who—lit the original match.

Risen Magazine: You’re on the injured list; how does that work for a professional athlete?

Damien Hobgood: I can’t do all the things I used to do, but it’s a good time to refocus. I’m a pretty positive person, and when I get down a little bit it’s actually harder on my family than it is on me. But I know things happen for a reason.

RM: You had just come from a strong win in Tahiti, where you had been injured two years ago.

DH: That’s the hardest, when you’re on a little roll, feeling good, and something happens. It kind of throws you off a little bit, but all things work together, so you just keep pressing on.

RM: The average surfer would die of fright at places like Teahupoo or Hawaii’s Pipeline. Why do you think some people hold it together in extreme conditions, while others of equal ability never leave the beach?

DH: Now that I have a kid, I wonder if that is put into certain people by God from birth. I wonder if kids were extreme when they were young, or if they grew into it. You know, some parents will tell you about their kids jumping off the jungle gym, and nothing ever scared them.

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