[Wittmann 44]

Stealing the Wave: The Epic Struggle Between Ken Bradshaw and Mark Foo by Andy Martin

If you're looking for a good sports book to read over Christmas this is a great read even if you've never been on a surf board in your life. It tells the true story of 1980s rivalry between old school Texan surfer Ken Bradshaw who wasn't interested in advertsiing or self promotion and who only wanted to surf and his great rival Chinese American Mark Foo. Until Foo's arrival Bradshaw dominated the American surf scene but found the good looking and charimsatic Foo a major threat to his throne. Foo was considered by many the more stylish surfer and was also far more media savvy and interested in broadening the sport beyond the niche where Bradshaw wanted to keep it. The rivalry spurred both men on to make progressively more dangerous rides and take risks that they probably wouldn't have taken otherwise. Like all great rivalries it ended up destroying one of them in circumstances that for a few remain suspicous to this day.

There has been talk for years about making a movie about Bradshaw and Foo - surfings had one great movie already in "Big Wednesday" and this would be a great story with the right actors.

Sports book of the year for me with the Trevor Brennan ghost written autobiography a very entertaining second.