It’s a familiar story: boy finds he has a talent for a sport, boy rises in sport, boy struggles, begins to party too hard, burns out, hates his life. Boy then decides he needs to get his act together, and boy finds redemption. No matter what permutation of the redemption story you hear, it’s always interesting (hell, all of Hollywood is based off this premise), which may be why Surfer magazine’s February issue centers around comeback stories. For example, they talk about Santa Cruz, California, surfer Bud Freitas, who crashed and burned in the surf world only to find his way back on top. To listen to his story, click play below, and to read all of Surfer’s stories of redemption, purchase a digital copy of their issue by clicking here.