CJ Hobgood. Photo: Patrick Ruddy
CJ Hobgood gave us 16 strong years on the World Tour and one championship. He hung up his jersey in 2015 to the dismay of fans around the world in an effort to concentrate more on family life. Always a character and forever humble, CJ Hobgood is still looked at as one of the greatest goofy-footers of all time. Here he is, talking about life after the Tour.
How has your life been since retiring from the ‘CT?
Awesome! Every transition is going to feel tough at times because there are a lot of moments of growth and some uncertainty. But truly living in the moment that you’re supposed to feels awesome.
Traveling with the Tour, I longed to be home with my kids and God has given me what my heart desires. I spend time coaching Tee-ball, gymnastics, and volleyball games. I know that doesn’t sound like everyone else, but that’s what I longed for being on tour for all those years.
I was already two years past my born on date. I got everything I wanted from the Tour but my heart was always with my kids and the next generation — trying to return the favor by paying it forward to all the people that allowed me to live my dreams. That’s where your true legacy will be determined. Not what you took but how you paid it back. That’s why I’m so passionate about Salty Crew as we are sponsoring kids that hopefully will go live their dreams on the tour.
How did you cope with the pressure?
I enjoyed the pressure. I really did, as that’s when the best came out. God gave me that gift and if he wanted to take that away and use it somewhere else then I was fine with that, but I knew I would give it my all and He truly built me for it.
Do you struggle with sadness?
Yes, I am human of course. Fear, doubt hopelessness, self-worth, not feeling loved at times creeps in and out, and it will creep in til the day I die. I’m human. The reality is, just like every disease, you need to know where it’s coming from, why it’s hanging out in your body, and figure out a way to fight it out of your body. There are a lot of different ways to do that and it’s different for everyone.
As you said, mental health is the elephant in the room. We know it’s there, everyone can see it, but people can feel afraid to talk about it. Nobody likes to show weakness and to be seen to show emotions that might be crippling them inside, which is a shame because it could make things much easier. Behind the scenes of the CT, there have been many emotions, but it can be very hard to talk about with the people you’re competing against.
What’s your relationship with God like after all these years?
All the ups, downs, good times, and bad, I truly understand that I’ve only been getting prepared to have more faith, love, hope, and pass my testimony to anyone that would want to listen. If your teachings are not coming from an area of love and you’re not building people up, acting like Jesus, then I’m not paying any attention to that.
What does the future have in store for CJ Hobgood?
Hopefully paying it back 10 fold to what has been given to me.
And plans on hitting Ireland, the ‘Cold Water Indo’?
I’m an eternal dreamer. The more I check stuff off of my bucket list the more it grows. So yes to the above. I know it will all eventually come full circle.
