Kingscliff surfer Stephanie Gilmore’s musical move to Los Angeles
STEPHANIE Gilmore has set up a second home just outside Los Angeles to “shred guitars” and re-energise her bid to claim a record-equalling seventh world surfing crown.
Surfing
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STEPHANIE Gilmore has set up a second home just outside Los Angeles to “shred guitars” and re-energise her bid to claim a record-equalling seventh world surfing crown.
The board-riding queen says the move to Malibu in the US last year has ignited her passions out of the water after years riddled by injury and a loss of confidence.
In a candid interview with the Gold Coast Bulletin yesterday, Gilmore also spoke about getting her mojo back, life onstage and aspirations to be on top of the surfing world again.
“It’s California in particular, there’s a really exciting sense of entrepreneurship,” Gilmore said.
“There’s all these creatives who are ready to say ‘let’s try and build this company’, or ‘let’s be musicians’. I don’t know, I just enjoy being around that energy where people are keen on not having boundaries and, personally, I can take that into my surfing.”
Gilmore said living in Malibu had allowed her to edit magazines, write music and pose for fashion houses.
“These are just passions for me, like my music,” the 29-year-old said. “I’m not really chasing anything after surfing at the moment, not that I know of anyway, but that could change tomorrow.
“Malibu is a pretty nice spot. North west of Los Angeles, the waves are pretty nice and I actually feel like it’s a bit like Australia which is kind of nice.
“It’s just outside the city enough so I don’t feel like too far away from the ocean because I don’t really like that feeling.”
LIFE AS ‘A LOSER’
GILMORE is coming back from two of her worst years in competition in more than a decade on the world stage.
As reigning world champion in 2015 she fractured her leg in Western Australia and has struggled for form since.
“They say you learn a lot more from your losses than you do from your wins. I haven’t had a win for a while so I guess you could say I’ve got my masters in learning last year.
“I probably lost a lot of mojo.
“The confidence thing is big, you can be as fit as anything but if you haven’t got your head in the game then you can’t piece (a world title) together.”
“Naturally, when you’re competitive and you’re not winning much it sucks.
“For me, I find a lot of drive if I don’t have much success. I think ‘OK, I need to apply myself now and find that confidence you need to go out and win an event’.”
“I was hesitating a little bit last year.
“I’ve never dealt with a major injury in my career. That was an interesting. You have to work on your confidence even in everyday surfing because you hesitate a bit more and you don’t want to hurt yourself again.”
Working alongside boardmaker Darren Handley and trainer Nam Balwin, Gilmore hopes to “put it all together” in next year’s Roxy Pro on the Gold Coast.
“I’ve got all the my equipment dialled so I’m ready paddling out into my heat and I’ve been surfing my brains out.”
THE ROCKSTAR
“MUSIC is just a passion for me. It’s a hobby, nothing I’m really pushing,” Gilmore said.
But she’s getting pretty damn good at it after getting onstage with Aussie rockers Spiderbait, members from the Foo Fighters, Wolfmother and even Jimmy Buffett.
Gilmore said 11-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater had inspired her to work outside the sport she has dominated since she was a student at Kingscliff High School.
“Surfing’s like anything you do. If you do it all the time, even though you love it, you can get pretty jaded. I think that’s where Kelly Slater is a big inspiration for me.
“He always seems to have different projects, his company or maybe going along and playing (on stage) with Pearl Jam. I can see how that keeps him young and learning.”
Performing onstage out of a competition pushed her out of her comfort zone, she said.
“It’s a totally different way to look at it as an athlete, but I feel like I can relate to that rather than just spend 400 hours in the gym.”
CHASING DOWN LAYNE
IT is the question that has followed her since she won her fourth consecutive world crown in 2010.
Will she equal Layne Beachley’s record of seven world titles?
“I’d love to win another world title,” Gilmore said yesterday.
“Of course, I’d really have to win eight to surpass Layne’s record and I admire everything she does and everything the WSL does for women.
“Seven world titles would be pretty cool but it’s a long road ahead.”
Gilmore said it was too early to be talking about this year’s title race yet, but a win at Snapper Rocks this month would naturally boost those dreams.
She said there was tough competition, including regaining champion Tyler Wright, Courtney Conlogue, Carissa Moore and an old rival in Silvana Lima.
“This year is the most exciting (yet) because of the competitors. It’s a long road ahead.”
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