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Roxy team rider Stephanie Gilmore caught up with Elle Australia recently to chat about the pressure to perform and the spirituality of catching your first wave.
Interview courtesy of Elle Australia
We chat to the five-time world champion about the pressure to perform and the spirituality of catching your first wave
Stephanie Gilmore has an extraordinary life. As one of the world’s best known female pro-surfers, she gets to travel to some
of the planet’s most stunning locations – and gets to wear some amazing swimmers. Before she posed for an exclusive
photograph for ELLE, we pulled her aside to ask some burning questions.
How does it feel to go from the waves to the photographic studio?
I really enjoy it! It’s something a lot of girls would love to do, we’re constantly flicking through magazines we love and looking at beautiful women, so it’s cool to experience it for yourself. It brings out a confidence you wouldn’t otherwise draw on, because you have to ham it up for the camera.
As a professional athlete do you feel pressure to look good?
I think there is pressure there, but it’s not just for sport. Humans want to look at beautiful things. Female athletes have a bit of an advantage, because we can cross strength and athleticism with beauty and femininity – especially surfing, which naturally crosses over into fashion and lifestyle generally. Female athletes see the value of doing ambassadorial stuff more than guys, I think. We see a lot of value in it.
I’ve heard surfing described as an addiction before. Is that accurate?
That’s so accurate! An addiction is a good word to describe the sensation you get from surfing. The first few times you go into the ocean and experience that sensation of riding a wave – it’s pretty special. There’s nothing like it in the world. You get a bond with the ocean. It’s almost spiritual. Once you really get into it, people do tend to make their lives revolve around surfing. They move to the coast, they understand beach culture a lot more… It’s pretty overpowering. A pretty popular question I get asked is, “Do you sacrifice much to do what you do?” Honestly, I don’t think I do! The lifestyle I live is pretty enchanting.
How do you adapt emotionally to winning all the time? It’s not exactly a typical life experience…
I think it’s just built in to some people. You have a natural instinct to want to win. I’m competitive, but I’m also a performer. Even from a young age I was always trying to impress my sisters and friends. That translates to trying to be the best.
Are you competitive off the surfboard, too?
Yes. I’m secretly obsessed with table tennis. I play it every chance I get. I’m a bit of a perfectionist.
Surfing still has a reputation as being a bit sexist. How do you handle that?
Surfing’s been very male dominated for a long time. The women had to sacrifice a bit of femininity to gain respect, which would have been really hard. Now the feeling is more encouraging. I think the guys are enjoying more balance in the line-up, now there’s not too much testosterone any more. We’re all getting much better, and finally the industry is seeing the value and potential of female surfers. I was a tomboy for pretty much all my young years, I had to learn how to be relaxed. I think guys got negative when they thought women were trying to take something from them, then they came to realise we were actually just here for the same reasons they were. That we just loved surfing. The industry still has some problems. The men have a lot more prize money than we do. That’s where I really look to tennis. It’s so inspiring to see a sport where men and women get equal prize money.
What defines beauty in surfing?
It’s subjective, but in my eyes when I watch beautiful surfing it’s in the timing, the rhythm and the flow. It’s like watching dancing on a wave. It’s graceful, and that’s really pleasing to the eye.
Have you ever had a revelation while waiting for a wave?
That happens all the time. Surfing has so many metaphors for life. Like when you’re out on a wave and you fall off, you can get freaked out, but at the end of the day, there’ll always be another wave, you can always paddle out again. The ocean is very humbling because it’s so huge. At any moment it can just wipe out a whole city, and yet you can be out there, sharing this experience with it. it makes you feel at ease with the world. It challenges you, refreshes you.
What advice would you have to women in their twenties and thirties who want to surf?
If you have a friend who surfs, bug them to take you along. Get a board that’s bigger and more buoyant so you can stand more easily. Maybe try a surf school. Don’t be afraid to push yourself, don’t underestimate yourself, but also be patient because – I’m not going to lie – it’s not easy. But if you’re persistent and patient, you’ll stand up, and then you’ll be addicted.
