Jamie Mitchell at Maverick’s, California on February 4, 2016. Photo by Frank Quirarte. An entry into the 2016 Paddle Award category. Photo: WSL / Frank Quirarte
Jamie Mitchell is a name you heard a lot this winter. Fifth place in the Titans of Mavericks, fourth at The Eddie, and a nomination for the 2016 Surfline Best Overall Performance Award – which is basically a giant badge announcing he didn’t just luck in to one monster barrel, or happen to be sitting in the perfect spot when a once in a lifetime wave rolled through. He was at the top of the class wire to wire. Outside of monster barrels Mitchell is a 10-time Molokai champion, the 32 mile open ocean paddle to Oahu. Surfing isn’t his only trick, and that takes something special. There is a very, very short list of athletes with the ability to excel in multiple things. I’m sure you’re starting to get the point – Jamie Mitchell is on that list.
Mitchell doesn’t attribute the greatness he puts on display as a gift that rolls out of bed with him. He works at it. And his mindset is as big a tool in not just surviving, but thriving in big surf. So his insights about success, about training, about surfing, paddling, and just about anything else the man does in the ocean are pretty profound: He doesn’t believe in listening to that little voice in the back of his mind that tells him to quit. He knows that quitting once will just make it easier to quit again. And something that might surprise or even scare some surfers; he’s not afraid to let the surfboard collect some dust. Winning the M2O is all about dedicated, focused training for Mitchell. 3 training sessions per day, 4 months of training, no matter what. And sometimes that means missing waves in the pursuit of a bigger goal.
These are the kinds of lessons that can apply to all walks of life, so the above interview is well worth a listen. If you weren’t a big Jamie Mitchell fan before today, you will be now.
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