Surf Cat

Less than eight months out from surfing’s Olympic debut in Tokyo, the surf world is rightfully buzzing. From who’s in to who’s out to what makes the venue tick, if it involves waves, teams and medals, we’ve been talking about it amongst ourselves. So now, it’s time to actually talk to someone who’s been there, done that. Enter two Americans who competed in the 2016 Olympics: US Sailing team member Charlie Buckingham and US Women’s Water Polo team member and Olympic Gold Medalist Kaleigh Gilchrist — who also happen to be talented surfers in their own right. Gilchrist and Buckingham are both currently training for their own Olympic campaigns in Tokyo, but took the time to offer their perspective on surfing’s hottest topic.

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Surfline: What are your thoughts on surfing becoming an Olympic sport?

Kaleigh Gilchrist: “I think it’s amazing. The Olympics are the pinnacle of sport, and to have surfing be a part of that is an honor. These surfers get to represent their country and compete for the ultimate prize, a Gold Medal. I think the competitors are going to truly understand what it means to be an Olympian during their time in Tokyo. The Olympics manages to put aside the world’s differences to celebrate sport for two straight weeks. I’m not sure there’s anything else that has the power to do that.”

Gilchrist, unwinding between her water polo training sessions at home in Newport Beach. Photo: Tom Cozad

Charlie Buckingham: “First and foremost, I’m a huge fan of the Olympics. Having competed in the Games before, the fact that my second favorite sport is in it definitely makes me excited. I’ve never been a competitive surfer myself, but I do enjoy following competitive surfing. I think that it will be interesting to see surfing adapt to the Olympic format.”

What are some of the things that might surprise surfers participating in the Olympics?

KG: “I think the exposure to different sports and the world’s best athletes of those sports could be a surprise. We are so used to competing against the same people and being caught in the same routine. Being exposed to other like-minded individuals who are the best at their craft is an awesome experience. You get to interact and learn from them through their different qualities, values and cultures.”

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CB: “Since surfing as a sport doesn’t have a fixed playing field, the conditions are completely out of the organizers’ or competitors’ control. Since the window for the Games is fixed, the conditions on offer during the event will have a huge impact on performances. Also, the shift in competitive approach — from using a multi-stop tour to determine a champion to using a single, tournament-style event — will be exciting to see. I think it’s going to add a unique and challenging element for competitors. They’ll either perform well at the event, or they won’t.”

Buckingham, competing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Photo: Shutterstock

Do you have any advice for Team USA surfers in navigating the Olympic circus?

KG: “It’s definitely a circus, but an awesome, electric and addicting circus. The surfers are so professional these days that they already know what they need to do to compete at their best. I don’t think many competitors will be staying in the village, because the surf site is outside of Tokyo, so that saves the athletes from a lot of the chaos. My few pieces of advice would be, first, patience. This is the sport’s first time in the Games so I’m sure there will be some growing pains. Also, the Olympics has something like 30+ sports competing in two weeks. The logistics in organizing and executing that without some sort of disruption is nearly impossible. If the surfers can be patient and open-minded, I’m sure they will enjoy the process even more. The last piece of advice is to embrace the Games. Go to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, spend time in the village, talk to other athletes, go to other sporting events. Obviously, competition is first and foremost, but the Olympics are such a unique experience, I would hate for the surfers to not take advantage of all it has to offer.”

Gilchrist, facing off against host nation Brazil en route to a Gold Medal in Women’s Water Polo. Photo: Jeff Cable

What are some of the challenges that are unique to the Olympics?

KG: “I think a big challenge will be the distractions, which come in all forms — media, friends and family, logistics, surf, traffic, fans, etc. The surfers already deal with many of these on the Tour, but it becomes a bigger animal during the Olympics. I believe being prepared and doing the work that is needed beforehand and controlling all of your controllables will help. That, and knowing that sometimes you have to adapt.”

CB: “What makes the Olympics so exciting to me is that it’s one event every four years, as opposed to the regular competitive schedule which has more than 10 events in a single year. It brings an added element of pride, pressure and significance. It’s a very unique event in that way. And I think for surfing, it’s much different than crowning a world champion, because it all comes down to performance in a single event at a single break.” 

Buckingham, sampling the new Melbourne wave pool while on break during a recent training trip in Australia.

Do you think that, as the host nation, Japan will have an advantage in the surfing event at the Tokyo games?

CB: “I think that at the Olympic level, all competitors will be more than capable of performing in a variety of conditions, so the playing field will be pretty even. Everyone at that level is used to surfing in front of big crowds, so I don’t think the hometown factor will make too big of a difference.”

KG: “Home court advantage is huge, but I think a little less crucial in surfing than other sports because of the uncontrollable variables that come with competing in the ocean. Of course, knowing the in’s and out’s of the break will benefit the competitors. I imagine the Japanese surfers to have quite the entourage, especially Kanoa [Igarashi], but with that comes pressure. It’ll be fun to see it unfold. Now we just need waves so the sport can showcase to the world how awesome it is and how gifted these athletes are.”

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Who’s your pick to win surfing’s first Gold Medals?

CB: “I want Team USA to take the #1 and #2 spots on the podium for both the men’s and women’s divisions.”

KG: “I am going to be biased and root for the US. I think any of our four surfers can walk away with the Gold Medal. In a perfect world, we’d go #1 and #2 in both men’s and women’s competition.”

If not for her prowess in the pool, Gilchrist might well have been gunning for a spot in the lineup at Tokyo 2020. Photo: Tom Cozad

Do you think surfing will become a permanent fixture in the Olympic Games? 

KG: “I would like to see it become one, yes. I think surfing is set through the 2028 Games and hopefully well beyond that. There could be a time where a Gold Medal will be equal to, if not more significant than, a World Title. The progression of the sport is crazy, so who knows where it will be in the next decade? But I do know that having young surfers dreaming of winning Gold Medals for their country is amazing and something that was not previously an option for the pros.”

How do you think surfing’s inclusion in the Games will influence the next generation of surfers? Will they be less inclined to take the freesurfing route, and more inclined to focus on competition — ISA/QS/CT — to ultimately qualify for the Games? 

CB: “In certain cases, it might steer talented kids more towards competition. But where I think surfing in the Olympics is going to make the biggest impact is in raising the sport’s profile internationally. Since Olympic qualification tournaments are regionally based, it’s going to get countries interested in the sport that might’ve not been involved otherwise, in addition to those countries that are already well-represented on the CT. I think the biggest result will be a larger pool of countries that encourage and foster competitive surfing because of the opportunity to now be represented at the Games. For example, I competed at the PanAmerican Games this year, and I saw a huge contingent of Latin American surfers that are currently under the radar in mainstream surf competition. That was interesting to see because, as a fan of the WSL, I hadn’t been exposed much to those athletes.”

KG: “I hope there will always be space in the sport for freesurfers and for those who want to showcase their skills in a unique way. Freesurfers push the sport differently, but are just as necessary as the competitors. It’ll be interesting to see how surfing does in Japan. If it is successful, hopefully the IOC will allow more athletes to compete. Having only 48 total competitors makes qualification near impossible. If this changes it could become more of an obtainable goal for surfers.”

Buckingham packing, powering and punting in California. Video: Nathan Baker

How will this affect the average surfer’s image globally? Will surfing’s fringe/countercultural edge become obsolete now that the sport has been accepted by the most prestigious athletic brand in history? 

KG: “With the addition of wave pools and the Olympics, I believe the average surfer and sport will become more mainstream, however, surfing has such a special culture that I think the core group will protect it and pass it down to the next generation. The surf industry has been in a tough place for a while, so who knows? Maybe this growth will be beneficial for everyone involved.”

CB: “From more of a technical standpoint, surfing’s inclusion in the Games means additional medals are now available. This means we’re going to see more and more countries investing in their national surfing programs in order to best position themselves to get a podium spot in surfing. This investment will make for greater participation in the sport at all levels. How that will influence surfing’s global image remains to be seen.”

How do you feel the whole fanfare’s been — surfing in the Olympics — leading up to the Games, compared to other established Olympic sports?

KG: “I think there has been great support from the surfers and the fans. A lot of Olympic sports are smaller and go unnoticed for three of the four years in a quad. Surfing has such a huge following through the WSL that a majority of that group has rolled over to the excitement of the Olympics. Because of this, I think surfing is already ahead of many other Olympic sports.”

CB: “It seems like everyone in the surfing world is excited, and rightfully so. The Olympics are a really special event, and having it be the first time that surfing’s being included, it’s understandable that media, brands and athletes are getting fired up.”

Gilchrist celebrates her team’s gold medal win in Rio. Come August, two more surfers will be cemented in Olympic history. Photo: Jeff Cable

Do you feel the WSL and the mainstream media have done a good job in hyping up the milestone? Could the braintrusts behind other Olympic sports learn something from surfing? 

KG: “Personally, it’s been awesome to watch. I grew up competing in the ISA events, and Fernando would always say that surfing would become an Olympic sport. I’m not sure many believed it was possible, at least during our lifetime, but to see it happen and to watch friends go after this Olympic dream is amazing. I actually do think the media has done a good job with the hype. I feel like everywhere I look surfing is being showcased on an Olympic outlet. I wish water polo would take some notes. Surfing’s fans have already surpassed water polo and I’m sure other, smaller sports. Also, while the surfing hype is great, what matters is the excitement of the actual event. Looking at the athletes competing, I don’t think talent will be an issue. We just have to hope for some waves.”