Professional surfing is about more than being a good surfer, said Layne Beachley, who was at the top of her sport for many years.
Put your heart and soul into everything you do and have a good work ethic. What you do out of the water will determine the results in the water. And the most fundamental principle of surfing – have fun.
“I learned a lot more from my losses then I did my wins,” said Beachley, the women’s surfing world champion from 1998 to 2003, and again in 2006. “I’m really grateful I didn’t let them prevent me from persevering and maintaining the passion of achieving my goals.”
With the world’s best surfers in town this week for the Rip Curl World Surf League Finals at Lower Trestles, the seven-time world champ from Australia shared her wisdom during the latest WSL’s Rising Tides program, a gathering of elite women surfers and icons who mingled, chatted and then caught waves with up-and-coming surfer girls.
The groms, as young surfers are called, came from near and far for the surf session at the San Clemente Pier, invited because they are making waves of their own on the amateur circuit in areas of Florida, New Jersey and of course, Southern California.
The Rising Tides program is held at each World Tour stop through the year – a way for young women to be mentored and gain inspiration from some of the sport’s best.
“It’s really important that we build a bench for the next generation of young women,” WSL Chief of Sport Jessi Miley-Dyer said.
In 2019, the WSL set a standard to have equal prize money and equal events for men and women – an effort at parity not seen in all sports.
“Things like equal prize money are really powerful statements that we as WSL are proud to make,” Miley-Dyer said. “It’s important these young women coming up see their value as being equal to everyone out there in the line up and their performances will reflect that.”
The five women in this year world’s finals –…
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