Surfing isn’t an NCAA sport. Why? Image: Jackson Van Kirk
Dear National Collegiate Athletic Association,
I am writing to you today to advocate for the inclusion of surfing into the NCAA. As a student-athlete who has nearly exhausted her four years of eligibility in NCAA athletics, I believe I have a unique perspective to offer. Four years of collegiate swimming has been nothing if not rewarding, but I wonder what those four years might have been like if I had the opportunity to pursue the thrill of riding waves while acquiring a degree.
A quarterback dad and a surfing mom raised me to be competitive, active, and constantly in the water. When I was young, my parents told me that I could follow any path I deemed fit – with the firm grounding that path would somehow result in a college education. As I grew up, I learned something that would dictate my athletic career: by virtue of the NCAA, swimming could yield an (almost) free education. Competitive surfing could not.
In light of the inclusion of surfing into the realm of Olympic sports, (premiering in Tokyo 2020) I feel now is the time to plant the seed of hope for surfing as an NCAA-regulated sport. As the sport expands to include a larger number of individuals, with greater geographic representation, it’s only natural to believe that more and more kids will soon be paddling out, daydreaming of their future ambition to win the Olympic gold. I feel that now it is appropriate to work towards a future where competitive surfing might be allowed to expand upward and outward into a sport that welcomes a wide demographic of water lovers.
But, with this potential increase in the sport’s popularity, there might be athletes (and parents) learning that similar, unsettling truth about the commitment to surfing competitively. Excellence has a high demand, and this might come at the cost of pursuing higher education.
Here is a fact that I want to make you aware of: not one member of the WSL’s Elite Tour holds a four-year college degree. This is NOT because surfers, as a collective group, do not value education. This is NOT because every young adult on a surfboard has the same brain as Jeff Spicoli. This is because the sport of surfing largely exists in the form of a binary decision: you are either all on board, or you’re out of the water pursuing higher ed. There is no middle ground.
I stand as an outsider looking into the world of competitive surfing and I can’t imagine myself having to make the choice between college or the sport I love. I am frustrated by the way in which this tradeoff between college or a professional surfing career tears young surfers between pursuing waves or a degree. Personally, I feel lucky that I never had to face such a difficult decision at such a young age. I find it shocking that 17-year-olds are forced to choose between two amazing paths. The choice between a passion for sport and an academic future shouldn’t have to be this way, and the selection to adopt these two passions wholeheartedly should be promoted and encouraged in young adults who are motivated to do so.
Perhaps what I am most grateful for as an NCAA athlete is the elimination of binaries and the encouragement of multiplicity. Not only do athletes within the NCAA reap the benefits of covered costs like tuition, travel expenses, housing, and snacks (super important), but these athletes are surrounded by like-minded, goal-oriented individuals. Teammates, staff, and athletic coordinators are constantly supporting athletes to be the best version of themselves. From my personal experience, there is nothing like growing into adulthood in an environment that furiously encourages you to follow your dreams (yes, ALL of them).
Now the argument might be raised that surfing and college attendance must remain mutually exclusive due to the nature of the sport. But as we progress into a new era of surfing, this truth doesn’t hold. There are plenty of colleges sprinkled along the east and west coasts of the United States that educate surfing students. I am certain that a majority of those students who dawn patrol prior to their 8 AM lectures would love to compete on a collegiate surf team that is willing to sponsor their education. Surfing is evolving at a faster rate than ever expected. In light of this evolution, there is no reason for the infrastructure of the sport to remain static by further stigmatizing the tradeoff between college and a professional career in surfing.
I admit the realistic vision of an NCAA surfing tournament is something only possible far in the future. However, the promotion of surfing on an international level through the Olympic Games may demand that surfing be taken more seriously on a larger scale. An NCAA-governed program might be the answer to the call of rising surfers paddling out post-2020. Like any developing sport flourishing from sea to shining sea, there must be programs implemented to not only promote the rise of stellar athletes but also to cultivate the growth of stellar people.
NCAA, I want to thank you for blessing me with four years of challenging, spectacular, grueling, and heartfelt experiences. Knowing what I know about NCAA athletics, I feel that it is time to extend the wonderful experience to a new group of athletes, unconventional as they may be.
So please, NCAA, let my fellow students go surfing.
Sincerely,
Kasey Schmidt
