Luke Kennedy

Sydney

Editor at Tracks Magazine

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Articles

Tracks Issue 602: Out Now

3 weeks ago | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

The John Florence ProcessHow world champion, John Florence sets the benchmark for high performance surfing, spearheads a global company and embraces fatherhood. Interview by Luke Kennedy… “It’s overwhelming because I feel like I’m competing all the time, like I compete when I’m doing contests, and then I compete when I’m out at Pipe with my brothers and Baron and all these guys, and it’s a freesurf session.
Taco’s Well-Earned Paddle Wave at Shipstern Bluff

1 month ago | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

Adrian Taco Kovacic is a carpenter and part-time pro surfer from Sydney’s east. When not competing in regional QS events he likes to go out on days no-one else wants any part of. His wild exploits have been well documented by Tracks; including the time he paddled solo around the cliffs from Clovelly to Bronte to ride a fifteen-twenty-foot swell. More recently Taco has set his sights on paddling Shipstern Bluff in Tasmania.
Breaking News: Radical WSL Changes - A reversion to a Cumulative Point Score System, to decide 2026 world title

1 month ago | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

Many pro surfing fans and top surfers will be rejoicing at the WSL’s latest suite of announcements. Frequently labelled as unfair (just ask Carissa Moore who twice lost on finals day after winning the points race) the final five concept has been ditched in favour of the original, first past the post system. The final season rankings, and ultimately the World Titles, will be determined by a surfer’s best nine of 12 results. There is a twist to keep the mathematicians busy though.
Grab Rails, Snakes and Musicals with Jaleesa Vincent

1 month ago | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

Jaleesa Vincent really wanted to be a dancer. After practicing for hours each week, the gifted, Sunshine Coast teen had tapped and twirled her way to a gig at Disneyland. However, when the Disney trip clashed with the Australian Titles, Jaleesa ultimately ditched the dance routine for a saltwater act. Although convinced she’d made the right call, the decision was still painful.
Review: Go see 'Ceibo'

2 months ago | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

Director, Lucy Small and her regular collaborator, Maddie Meddings, have cultivated their own compelling niche in surf films. It typically involves a heady mix of surf travel, political insight, women’s empowerment and dreamy imagery. The formula has proven effective, first with ‘Yama’ (which took us to Ghana) and now courtesy of their most recent release, ‘Ceibo’, a cinematic adventure through the wilds of Ecuador and its rustic surf towns.
Snapper Ditched, Bring on Burleigh for the Gold Coast Pro

2 months ago | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

The WSL has made a bold but necessary decision to relocate the Gold Coast Pro from Snapper Rocks to Burleigh. In the wake of ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, the Superbank stretch is lacking one essential ingredient – sand. Organisers have made the call that even the proverbial Surfing Sandman – The Tweed River Bypass – will not be capable of replenishing the ten’s of thousands of cubic metres of sand required to make the Superbank a viable option for competition.
Hunting Sydney’s mega-swell with Chase Hardaker

2 months ago | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

Often a swell will thrust a surfer into the limelight. Whether the wave chooses them, or they choose the wave it’s hard to say; but either way you must be ready to seize the moment. When a giant, southeast pulse lit up Sydney’s big wave zones last week, Chase Hardaker was primed to hunt it down. On Tuesday, Chase was rostered off his regular duties as a Bondi Lifeguard and bolted across the bridge to take on the volatile chunks hitting Deadman’s.
What Happened to Going Mobile for the WSL? - Tracks Magazine

Mar 25, 2025 | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

As fans waited patiently to watch sub-par Supertubos break sporadically over the waiting period for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, it was hard not to wonder about the other waves in the area. The Portugal event is listed as being mobile, but there was never a hint of going beyond Supertubos, which resembled a glorified, onshore closeout for much of the event.
Photo Gallery: Gold Coast Coast Gouged by Cyclone Arthur

Mar 13, 2025 | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

Today, our trusted Gold Coast lensman, Simon ‘Swilly’ Williams completed a lap of the Gold Coast with his camera. As you can see from the images, the region has been gutted by Cyclone Arthur. Dbah was the worst affected by the storm damage according to Swilly, “Dbah is gone… Never seen Dbah like that. Wild how much sand has gone and no sand at all from the Spit to Burleigh.” It’s likely to be some time before the sand is replenished.
Josh Kerr and Dane Hamilton Transform Wind Turbine Blades into Surfboards

Mar 12, 2025 | tracksmag.com.au | Luke Kennedy

From drafty source of renewable energy to a Draft surfboard. Josh Kerr and his shaping collaborator at Draft Surfboards, Dane Hamilton, were probably thinking they’d bitten off more than they could chew. A giant, decommissioned wind turbine blade had just been delivered to their Tweed Heads board factory by crane. It was made of fibreglass and composite materials, ‘like the hull of a giant boat,’ according to Josh Kerr.