The Magic of Mentorship

Photo courtesy of WSL/Morris.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — High-pitched squeals and quick feet take over the beach, mirroring the cheery yellow mood of the 2022 Rising Tides jerseys donned by each surfer. The briny air is electric with nervous excitement. Today, a group of young girls have the rare opportunity to paddle out with their surfing heroes.

While the girls turned low-tide slop into an edit-worthy airshow, we chatted with Jessi Miley-Dyer, head of competition at the WSL, about the importance of female mentorship and increasing diversity in surfing. We also caught up with Kirra Pinkerton, an up-and-coming surfer on the Qualifying Series known for chasing barrels around the world.

Pro surfer Kirra Pinkerton. © Sea Maven Magazine

KIRRA PINKERTON

If you're not having fun, then why are you doing it? You should always be having fun.

When did you first become involved in Rising Tides?

My first year was the first year they had equal pay. Girls’ surfing is probably progressing a lot faster than guys’ to be honest, so it's a good time for it to start. It was really exciting for all the girls to know that we'll get paid a good amount for surfing now. There were probably 100 or 200 girls that showed up.

As a Qualifying Series competitor, you get to mentor young kids now. When you were growing up, who were the surfers that you looked up to?

I remember seeing Lakey Peterson around San Clemente, and I would freak out, like, “oh my god, there's Lakey!” I met Coco Ho in a heat when I was maybe twelve years old, and that was something that made me feel like I could make it there, too, one day. My shaper, Matt Biolos, got me connected with them from a young age. They all pushed me a lot.

So your heroes became your mentors, and now you know them personally.

Yeah, and now we’re competing against each other.

That must be a trip!

It is.

What important lessons did you learn from them?

Balance. You gotta train, train, train, but you also have to listen to your body because if you don't, you're gonna wear yourself out. I think I wore myself out a long time ago, so I had to learn how to keep myself balanced. I was working out every day and it took a toll on my body. So I learned to take a break when I need it, and also to always have fun with it, because if you're not having fun, then why are you doing it? You should always be having fun.

What’s your favorite part of Rising Tides?

I love how many people are smiling. When we're all in the water, everyone is going on the same waves and jumping on each other's boards. It's just all fun.

© Sea Maven Magazine

JESSI MILEY-DYER

I feel pretty strongly that if we don’t support each other, no one else will.

Why is it important for young girls to have female mentors?

I think there’s something really tangible about mentors making you realize that you can do it as well. You realize that they’re normal people like you, and it makes it seem more real. I’m really passionate about them having female role models because it’s so important that they have someone strong to look up to.

I’m a massive fan of Rising Tides because I would have died for it as a kid. For them to create connections with Championship Tour surfers, it’s priceless. Everyone remembers when they met someone from the tour. I have this ridiculous photo of myself with Layne Beachley. It’s embarrassing. I fully stalked her down from a distance, and my mum took a photo with a film camera. The fact that I still remember that 25 years later says how important it is.

I feel pretty strongly that if we don’t support each other, no one else will.

Equal opportunity is important to the WSL. How can we increase diversity from the youngest surfers all the way up?

One of the big things we’re focusing on is the idea of you being able to qualify in your own region for the Challenger Series. It’s important because the barrier to entry is there in knowing how to navigate international tours. It’s really expensive. Maybe you need visas, maybe you need extra money, maybe your exchange rate’s not that great.

So we’re focused on regional events in places like Africa and Asia, and I think it’s working. When you look at someone like Rio Waida on the men’s tour, he’s going to qualify [for the Championship Tour]. He’s won two events in a row. For him to come on the Challenger Series and be doing so well, I think that speaks to the depth of the regional tours.

I really hope in years to come that we’re going to see some new stars as we get these regional tours really locked in and robust.

So it’s about creating more opportunities locally, and giving people a chance to shine and develop their talent.

Yeah. I think it’s really important for us to make sure that we bring everyone up — for us to be a global sport.

Jessi Miley-Dyer with the 2022 Rising Tide crew. © Sea Maven Magazine