STUDENT OF SPORT

Q You mentioned you’re back at uni studying engineering. What are you plans beyond the sport? I hear wave pools are involved.

A I always loved physics in high school. My maths teacher put the idea of being an engineer in my head. I applied as soon as I finished high school and deferred for four years. Last year, nothing was really working for me so I decided to make a change and I’d seen people using studying to their advantage so I went back to university. I found it really healthy being able to balance competing with studying. I always knew I wanted to work in the surfing industry through engineering but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. But with all the wave pools popping up now, I had an epiphany of sorts. When something sparks interest and joy in you, it’s a good sign you’re doing what you want to do. Five years down the track, I could be doing something completely different but right now, wave pools are what I want to do.

Q What’s the funniest or weirdest thing that’s happened to you in training or a competition?

A I’d like to say a shark swam through a heat but I’ve never experienced anything like that, luckily. I remember it was the first contest I entered. I made it all the way to the final but I had no idea how to surf a final. I just thought you jumped on the board and that was it. So I got to the final, and I ended up dropping in on every single person in the final. I had no idea about the rules. I was having a ball. I came into shore and was like ‘how did I do?’ and they said I got five interferences.