Senior Editor
Staff

The Inertia

Hey, do you remember when the Australian Olympic team used the Surf Ranch as a training ground for (possibly) mushy beach break? It was called the “Olympic Readiness training sessions,” and if one was so inclined to listen to whispers and conjecture, one could believe that they were under the impression that there was a good chance Kelly’s wave was going to be surfing’s Olympic stage.

As it stands right now, surfing’s debut on the Gladiator circuit will be held in the town of Ichinomiya, in Japan’s Chiba prefecture—a hard place to truly showcase what surfing can (and should) be. But ISA President Fernando Aguerre, he of colorful shirts, is playing things close to his chest. “With the support of the ISA,” he told the AFP despite persistent rumors of a Japanese Surf Ranch, “the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 organizers have determined that surfing will take place in the ocean in Tokyo, at Tsurigasaki Beach in Chiba.”

Still, though, the Australian team needs practice, and there’s no place to practice like a wave pool. Sure, the ocean includes all those weird vagaries of Mother Nature, but once you’ve hit a certain level, training is probably better on a wave that you know is going to come. No waiting for the set wave, just surfing at the highest level.

“From a coaching perspective, the benefits are astounding,” said Luke Egan, who has a coaching role. “With the crew we have here, we are covering all bases and the amount of quality coaching you get done in only a few days is amazing. Having the ability to be on the back of the jetski giving direct feedback on a perfect wave with that repetition is crazy.”

Surf Australia Team Training at Surf Ranch from Kelly Slater Wave Co on Vimeo.

 
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