US surfer Griffin Colapinto using poor performance in Tahiti as learning experience ahead of Olympics

Griffin Colapinto’s ideas and feelings are very like the waves he surfs: up and down, generally flowing with him whereas others strive crashing into his psychological state. 

But the California native could not be feeling any higher mentally as he seems ahead to his first-ever Olympic Games, the place he shall be one of 4 Team USA surfers heading to Tahiti to compete in opposition to one of the best in the world. 

“I’m feeling really good,” Colapinto instructed Fox News Digital. “I feel that this year, the past few years, every year there’s been a lot of challenges that’s come at me, and I feel I’ve done my absolute best to get through them. In the moment, they were really hard.”

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Pressure is in the job description of an expert athlete, regardless of the realm of experience. 

For Colapinto, coping with that strain mentally is usually a problem, however there are different occasions when he says he can enter the water. 

“Sometimes, I get out there, and it’s like, boom, flow state right away,” he defined. “Or I’ll be challenged with a lot of different thoughts coming at me. It’s basically just being able to be aware of that, and use it to become more present.”

Heading into the Olympics, Colapinto is aware of that he must preserve his psychological state centered as a lot as attainable. And that “flow state” being discovered shortly in the water can result in choosing the proper waves to journey in Tahiti, the place the Olympic browsing competitors will happen.

US OLYMPIC SURFERS GRIFFIN COLAPINTO, JOHN JOHN FLORENCE KEEPING CLOSE EYE ON TAHITI SWELL DURING WSL EVENT

However, Colapinto’s current journey to French Polynesia wasn’t one of the best, as he was shortly eradicated from his World Surf League occasion earlier this 12 months. 

“Last time I was in Tahiti, I ended up losing to the wild card in round 2, which is as early as you can lose in the event,” he mentioned. “I lost to the wild card, and I was so bummed because I put in so much preparation, so much hard work for that wave, and I have been for a long time. It just didn’t come to fruition. 

“In the previous, these issues haven’t actually gone my approach, however I really feel like I’ve discovered a lot each time issues haven’t gone my approach. So, I’m nearly feeling like every thing that’s occurred to me is main as much as this second in the Olympics.”

Colapinto may have lost, but he learned just how the swell works in Tahiti, which he explained. 

Griffin Colapinto of the United States surfs in the Outerknown Tahiti Pro on Aug. 18, 2022, at Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia. (Damien Poullenot/World Surf League)

“The warmth I ended up shedding in over there, the swell was rising all through the day, and it was in between the primary ledge and the second ledge,” he said. “It was like this bizarre sport of, ‘Do you sit further in or sit further out?’ The surfer I used to be in opposition to was an knowledgeable on the primary ledge, and most of the waves in that warmth had been coming in on that first ledge. Right when that warmth ended, the waves bought larger, and it went out to that second ledge the remaining of the day.

“I lost because I gave him a wave that I wasn’t sure was going to be good, and it turned out to be really good, and he got the score. It’s just moments like that that’s all going to be in the [memory] bank. I can go to that in the Olympics.”

Colapinto will attempt to faucet the reminiscence financial institution subsequent month, which would require a great psychological state, one thing he and fellow browsing brother Crosby Colapinto have labored on collectively. 

“I started getting real interested in mental health through surfing, obviously, and being a pro surfer,” Colapinto mentioned. “Just chasing a dream, chasing something that’s so challenging, you’re going to be dealt with hard moments throughout the journey. Through that, I started journaling, meditating and reading books. I ended up kind of just creating my own little system of tools to help me on my journey, and the journaling was a really cool one.”

Because of his personal psychological well being journey, Colapinto utilized to be one of 20 athletes to be chosen for an Athlete for Good grant, a joint initiative with Proctor & Gamble, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralymic Committee that gave $24,000 every to help causes championed by recipient athletes.

Griffin Colapinto of the United States is proven previous to browsing in the spherical of 16 on the VIVO Rio Pro on June 27, 2024, at Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Thiago Diz/World Surf League by way of Getty Images)

Colapinto’s charity of choice was To Write Love on Her Arms, a nonprofit devoted to presenting hope and discovering assist for individuals combating psychological well being, dependancy and extra. 

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“We’re super fortunate to be in the positions we are, and we’re living amazing lives,” Colapinto mentioned when requested how vital this initiative was for him. “The best thing we can do is just pass it on to people around us and anyone that looks up to us. Lead by example and be the best person you can be. Not be afraid to share our secrets of what we’ve learned on our journeys because we’re all going through similar hard stuff, and it helps a lot to be able to relate with each other.”

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