RY CRAIKE QUALIFIES FOR TAYLOR STEELE’S NEW FILM PROJECT INNERSECTION http://innersection.tv/news/189 Ry Craike is a big-name pro. Quiksilver A-List. SuperBrand co-owner. His own profile movie. He's on the cover of SURFING Magazine right now (coincidentally, riding a wave from his Innersection part), and he'll be on another mag's cover next month. No big deal. So, when Ry Craike entered Innersection's Summer Round two months ago, there were many who assumed he'd just waltz right onto the DVD. Hey, why not? He has a section on Stranger Than Fiction, right?

Nope. Didn't happen. Innersection fans weren't impressed, and didn't reward.

Did Ry cry? Nope. He went to back work. And he made a section that Innersection members knew from Day One was a winner. Straight-up undeniable. Huge barrels. Water angles. Art angles. Crazy turns. Big airs. He even goes BOTH directions! The 50 judges voted it as number one. The Top 10s placed at number two. Either way, we're freaking pumped to have it on the movie. Go Ry!

INNERSECTION: CAN WE CALL IT A COMEBACK?
RY CRAIKE: Call it what you want. I'm stoked.

WERE YOU JUST WATCHING THE END OF THE ROUND FROM JAPAN?
For sure. I was checking out it whenever I had Internet. There was some really good sections and I was interested to see how it was going to play out.

ANY WORRIES ABOUT MAKING WHILE YOU WERE THERE...OR SURE YOU HAD BY THAT POINT?
Little bit, but I felt pretty confident I was going to make the top 5 by that time. I had lots of really positive comments, so I was stoked on that. Thanks to everyone for voting and commenting on my section.

DID YOU FEEL A BIT CHEATED BY INNERSECTION AFTER GETTING DENIED THE FIRST TIME? Not really. We didn't really have to much time to shoot because I was injured for a good 2 months and it was kind of all a bit rushed. I was pretty busy too, so I didn't have a chance to sit in on the edit either. I think round 3 was one of the hardest, as well, with Kerr, Clay and John John. This time around though we had longer to shoot and I got heaps more involved in it. I really like to be involved in the whole editing process and picking my waves. I love sitting in and helping Tom edit.

WERE THERE THOUGHTS ABOUT NOT DOING IT AGAIN? I knew I wanted to enter again, but it was just a matter of getting the clips together. Once we had some good clips, I was pumped to find a cool song and put something sick together. I think innersection is such a good platform for surfers from all over to showcase their surfing to the world. It's also a good thing to have something cool to shoot for.

WAS THIS A REALLY GOOD SEASON IN WA? Actually, not really. It gets a lot better. This winter we didn't get to many big swells, but I was lucky that I was home for a few of them and I just wanted to make sure we made the most of it. We also started surfing a few mysto spots this year that we only just found, so it's always cool to get clips from new spots.

WHAT’S IT LIKE SURFING WHERE YOU’RE FROM...TAKES A LOT OF PREPARATION AND PLANNING RIGHT?
Yeah, you definately need to be prepared around here. It's a harsh climate and sometimes you can be many miles from the nearest hospital. So you have to make sure you got ya shit sorted. It's why I love been from around here though, the spirit of adventure, finding new waves driving for hours on end or heading into big storms on a boat. West Oz is such a big state and there is so much we have yet to discover. I love it here. Ya never know what you're going to find.

WERE YOU FEELING A LOT MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE NEW SECTION?
Yeah, for sure. And this time I got to help pick my waves, pick a cool song and be there with Tom through the whole process. I wanted to give people a better understanding of what it's like where I live and I think we did it in this section.

HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN THE ROUND OPENED AND YOU SAW HOW BIG IT WAS?
Mate, I think it's so cool that so many people from all over entered this round. I loved watching all their sections. Loved it. So, to make the top 5, I was really stoked. Means a lot.

YOU MUSTA FELT GOOD PRETTY SOON THOUGH...THE GENERAL REACTIONS TO YOUR SECTION WERE REALLY POSITIVE?
Yeah, lots of support from all around. Thanks to everyone for that. It's pretty scary putting yourself out there like that.

THE JUDGES HAD YOU AS THE BEST...BUT THE CROWD SUPPORTED GABE? IS THE INNERSECTION SYSTEM FAIR?
I think people coming from more populated areas have a better chance, but I think the end result and the top 5 is usually pretty spot on. All that counts is that you make the Top 5 and get a chance to blow up in the DVD. Who doesn't want to be in a Taylor Steele video?

ANY THOUGHTS HOW WE COULD LET “THE PEOPLE” DECIDE, AND STILL END UP WITH THE BEST SURFING?
Shit, thats a hard one. I think you guys are doing a pretty good job so far, and I think the longer Innersection is around the better its going to get.

DO YOU THINK THE BEST SURFING WON OUT THIS TIME?
I would have been stoked to win, but all that really matters is to make the Top 5. It's good to see Gabe come out on top. He's a good friend of mine and I know he bloody rips and chargers like a maniac, so it's a well deserved win for him. I'm exited to see his DVD section.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE BEST SECTION ALL YEAR ON INNERSECTION WAS?
That's a hard one for me. I think the most progresive surfing so far was Josh Kerr. His section was nuts. But there has been some other really good sections with crazy barrels and stuff too. I think whoever comes out with the best mix of both for the final DVD should deserve to win.

HOW ARE YOU POSSIBLY GONNA RAISE THE BAR FOR THE FINAL SUBMISSION? YOU KNOW YOU ONLY HAVE A COUPLE WEEKS LEFT RIGHT.
Shit, that's not long. I just scored a typhoon swell in Japan and got a couple of cool clips. I'm just trying to get the filmer to send me them through to me now. Hard to sort out when he doesn't speak much english. I got an Indo boat trip coming up in a few days, so hopefully we score up there and can make my section heaps stronger. I'm pumped for it.

NICE WORK, RY. WELL DESERVED. —NM