Sports Hero Layne Beachley - S.Swanson

Kelly Slater. Laird Hamilton. Tom Curren. Shane Dorian. Rob Machado. These are some of the most famous surfers of their time. As amazing as their aerials, their cutbacks, their big-wave abilities were, none of them could adequately represent the sport for a little girl in Pennsylvania.
It was 1989. I was nine years old with an obsession for surfing. I was too young to paddle out with the boys but not young enough not to dismiss my passion for the thundering surf and the thrill of a glassy ride. Other little girls liked dolls and playing house; I liked scouring bookstore shelves to find any information about the endorphin-loving hellions that mastered the ocean. Surfing wasn’t mainstream, so following the professionals was challenging. Finding one that I could relate to was even more difficult. But then I came across a 17 year old female surfer named Layne Beachley.
Joining the pro tour in 1989 without a single amateur contest under her belt, Beachley surfed hard, determined to make a place for herself among other female greats, such as Lisa Anderson. She was young, lively and competed like her life hung in the balance of a win. You could see it in the way she shredded every wave. She was smart, confident and didn't let the "boys' club" image of the surfing industry deter her from her dreams; I had found my sports hero.
In 1993, Beachley placed in her first world tour event and progressively moved up the ranks each year so that by 1998, she easily took the World Championship Tour title victory. Each year I followed her progress in Surfer magazine, and each year I paddled out on the water knowing that her fearlessness paved the way for me and other women surfers to join the boys in the line-up.
Beachley’s world titles were never total shut outs, but she always won by an unprecedented margin. She averaged five wins out of an average of nine contests for each title. In 2002, Beachley beat Anderson’s record of four world title wins by winning her fifth. The only woman in the world to have that many world victories, Beachley’s modesty made her ever more deserving.
But five world titles couldn’t quell her desire for the extreme. Beachley became the first woman to ever ride a wave that stood 55 feet high. For that, “the Beast” is known to be one of the premier big-wave, tow-in surfers. These are waves so big that surfers can’t possibly paddle into them using their own strength. Instead, they need to be towed in by jet skis.
On December 12, 2003, Beachley won her sixth consecutive World Championship Tour contest. Kelly Slater was the only other surfer to have that many titles, but even he didn’t win them consecutively.
Every time I paddle out, I hear the words that Beachley might be saying to herself: “Charge hard! Paddle for that wave! Stand up on it because you have five guys ready to drop in on it if you don’t get there first. Don’t give up, and don’t pull out of it. Why? Because the boys wouldn’t pull out of it.” Why? Because Layne Beachley wouldn’t pull out of it.
Rachelle Ballard. Kate Skarrett. Megan Abudo. Keala Kennelly. Layne Beachley. These are some of the most famous surfers of their time. But these are surfers that women can relate to, surfers that this woman will always admire.