Interview: Griffin Colapinto Talks Tubes, Timing And Breaking Through In Barreling Surf
In San Clemente surf circles, Griffin Colapinto is much more than a hometown hero. He’s like a spiritual guru with dimples and a ridiculous air game. Thoughtful, articulate, introspective at times, during the offseason he attended a meditation retreat to help evolve his mindset. And as he steadies himself for another shot at the title in 2024, Colapinto knows that patience, experience and a clear head are his keys to success.
But it’s not just about him. There are four rookies on tour this year from San Clemente and they’ve all grown up looking to Colapinto for inspiration, even his younger bother, Crosby. Through this maturation process and the blossoming of his local surf scene, Colapinto has enlightened the younger crew to the powers of journaling, open communication with one another and meditating. Behind the explosive surfing is a much more measured mindset that puts a premium on the process rather than instant gratification.
Before the start of the Pipe Pro, Sports Illustrated’s Fan Nation caught up with Colapinto to talk about the upcoming season. In the conversation the 25-year-old future Olympian opened up about why he’s trying to think less and do more when it comes to surfing heats, especially in big, hollow waves.
“I just haven’t had that moment in a barreling contest yet that I’ve been hoping I would have,” Colapinto explains. “But I think it will come when the timing is just perfect.”
“At this point in my career I’ve competed so much that I don’t really have to think that much,” he continued. “It’s more just about doing … Experience is your biggest teacher, and I’ve had so much experience at this point that I think all the lessons I’ve learned over the past few years are engrained in me.”
In his first heat of the year, Colapinto found himself in need of a score in the dying minutes. Digging deep, he scratched into a big Pipeline bomb, grabbed his rail and scored one of the best waves of the day. Trusting the process, he won the heat and lived to surf another day.
Interview: Carissa Moore On Her Decision To Stop Competing And 2024 Plans
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.