There’s plenty of season left for Griffin Colapinto to get back into the title race. Photo: Aaron Hughes//WSL
Griffin and Crosby Colapinto had strong freesurf showings at the El Salvador Pro. But, in their latest vlog, they reveal how, when they had to put the jersey on and paddle out under the spotlight, they couldn’t replicate that performance.
In his round two heat against Al Cleland, Griffin said he felt nervous about the matchup. He couldn’t quite pinpoint why the young Mexican got to him. He had identified that the smaller waves had better shape, but when he paddled out, he was unable to pick the waves he had envisioned.
While Crosby was able to advance against Morgan Cibilic, the two analyzed what happened on the ride back to their lodging. They agreed that Griffin needed to find the root cause of his nerves and practice his patience.
“At least you get to go home, and the waves are absolutely firing,” Crosby told Griffin to cheer him up.
The Colapinto bros are not your stereotypical home-schooled California surfer dudes. I admire how calculated and self-aware they are. They broke down the minutiae of a heat — both the mental and physical sides — and created an action plan to improve.
While Griffin is ranked 10th and Crosby 16th, it’s not exactly where they wanted to be after five events. Griffin, especially, is used to being a top-five surfer vying for titles, not a middle-of-the-pack journeyman. The good thing is, the season is young. Seven events remain to turn things around, starting with the Rio Pro this week.
