Jed Smith

Sydney

Journalist and Editor at Freelance

Straight, white, working-class(non-practising)catholic, freelance journalist. Writing about issues that affect the working class, working poor and environment.

Articles

Long Read: Usman Trioko’s Path From Abject Poverty To King Of The Desert

1 month ago | stabmag.com | Jed Smith

“When I’m in the water, I’m not playing around.” Get Stab Premium Home to the greatest films, series, and editorial in surfing. Already a member?
Marin Voice: MMWD board VP shares plan for resiliency

1 month ago | marinij.com | Jed Smith

Three years ago, drought was declared in our community. Marin Municipal Water District reservoirs dipped to just months of remaining supply. This sobering memory has been forefront in the minds of each member of the MMWD Board of Directors as we work with district staff to implement a roadmap designed to ensure our supply reliability for future droughts.
Machine-Like Precision, Human Ingenuity Max Out the Meter at Surf Abi Dhabi Pro

2 months ago | surfer.com | Jed Smith

Amidst the chaos of sand storms, onshore winds and collisions with photographers on crucial end section maneuvres, the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro was a tale of two ends of the judging scale, with competitors asked to make a simple decision followed by less than simple execution. Given the mechanical and repetitive nature of the wave, imagination (or innovation, as it’s known in the WSL’s judging criteria) became an invaluable commodity for surfers attacking that end of the judging scale.
How An Aussie QS Surfer Infiltrated China’s Militaristic Sumatran Surf Camp

Oct 29, 2024 | stabmag.com | Jed Smith

Ryan Slattery explains scoring a $5K/month coaching gig with the Asian superpower. Get Stab Premium Home to the greatest films, series, and editorial in surfing. Already a member?
Is Surf Culture Facing Year Zero?

Oct 14, 2024 | stabmag.com | Jed Smith

Surf culture exists — and we need to protect it. Get Stab Premium Home to the greatest films, series, and editorial in surfing. Already a member?
2024 WSL Finals Lineup Confirmed, World Title Hunt Officially Underway

Aug 24, 2024 | surfer.com | Jed Smith

Erin Brooks might have been born in Texas, and represents Canada, but she owes as much of her surfing pedigree to the high performance breeding ground of Oceanside, California, where she spent much of her formative years. And now the 17-year-old’s wildcard win at Cloudbreak announces the arrival of a bonafide superstar the likes surfing seldom sees.
Why Fiji’s the Perfect Place for Kelly Slater to Ride Off into the Sunset

Aug 19, 2024 | surfer.com | Jed Smith

And so we return to Kelly Slater’s happy place to bid him adieu after a mind bending 280 World Tour events, 56 CT wins and 11 World Titles. What more fitting send off could there be than at the Fiji Pro and Tavarua, a place he first visited as an 18 year old way back in 1990, and declared to be his favorite surf destination on earth. “I’ve thought forever that Cloudbreak is the best wave in the world,” Slater told SURFER in the new issue. “I feel so connected to the wave.
Women's Final Five Dreams Comes Down to the Magic of Cloudbreak

Aug 18, 2024 | surfer.com | Jed Smith

Heading into the Fiji Pro at Cloudbreak, the women’s race for the Final Five is considerably more buttoned up than the men’s. Americans Caity Simmers and gold medalist Caroline Marks have a firm hold on the top two spots on the leaderboard, while Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy also appears to be relatively well entrenched at third, especially given how much time she spends surfing in Fiji year in and year out.
With Swell on Tap For Fiji Pro, Men's World Title Race Barrels into Cloudbreak

Aug 18, 2024 | surfer.com | Jed Smith

What a month for professional surfing this has been. Hot on the back of an Olympics blockbuster held in some of the best Pacific slabs ever seen for an event, we head a few island chains south to Fiji, where the Final Five will be decided amidst a forecasted four to six feet of swell at Cloudbreak; a wave that hasn’t featured on the WSL Championship Tour for seven long years.
Alaska to Patagonia by Motorcycle, Matty Hannon Talks Surfing and the Open Road

Aug 11, 2024 | surfer.com | Jed Smith

All Matty Hannon wanted to do was go on an epic surf adventure from one end of the American continent to the other, and document it. What he ended up doing was creating a DIY masterpiece with the power to change millions of lives if not the course of mainstream surf culture itself.