They don’t call her “Happy Gilmore” for nothing. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
When Stephanie Gilmore announced she’d be stepping back from the Championship Tour, it was a real blow for professional surf fans. The eight-time world champion has long been a fan favorite, and it was a tough pill to swallow. But now, after a few years of downtime, she’s made the decision to return. Her first full season back comes after the WSL offered her a Championship Tour Season Wildcard.
“I had two seasons off and it was a really nice time, just to feel what it’s like to kind of step away for a minute,” she told Wide World of Sports. “I was watching the events from afar and I was definitely still a bit jealous, like, ‘I wish I was in that event,’ so I knew that was a telling sign that I wanted to come back and have another go.”
Bells is just around the corner. It’s not only one of the most historically important stops, but one of Gilmore’s preferred events. She’s rung the bell four times — a feat only matched by Layne Beachley, Lisa Andersen, Kelly Slater, and Mick Fanning — and she feels comfortable there. That fact should worry anyone who draws her in a heat, but she’s not feeling much pressure. From the outside, anyway.
“I have a lot of expectations for myself, but to be honest, I kind of feel like there’s no pressure on me,” she said. “Anything from here on out is a bonus. I always want to put on a good performance and do my very best surfing in every heat. Of course, the whole reason why we do the tour is to win world titles.”
Gilmore’s first year on Tour was 2007, and she’s seen a lot of surfers come and go. She loves watching the new generation, some of whom weren’t even born when Gilmore first landed on the Tour. That new generation, as good as they are, is likely a little nervous to be competing against an eight-time world champion, but Gilmore is just happy to still be in fighting shape.
“The new generation of women — all the current crop of women on tour — are just so young and very hungry and they’re surfing incredibly well, so I’m completely inspired and in awe of what they’re achieving,” she explained. “They’re pushing the sport to new levels, and I just want to be involved in that and throw my hat in the ring.”
Her time away from competition, as short as it was, was an eye-opening experience. Gilmore is not old by any means, and still surfing at the top of her game, so to many, her sabbatical was a bit of a surprise. She learned a few things about herself and what she likes, and those things have dictated what she’s got planned for the future.
“I got to experiment with some different equipment,” she said. “If anything, I just kind of realized how great the tour is. What an amazing opportunity it is for someone to be able to travel the world and to get paid to surf. I just missed it. The whole part that I love about it is that we get to experiment along the way and evolve our surfing; to push ourselves and challenge ourselves. For me, having that time off was cool, but I kind of felt like I just had more in the tank and I wanted to be pushed to a new level. And that is where it really goes down: on the tour. It was an easy decision to come back.”
