British Surfing is on the cusp of a new wave of unparalleled change. Terrible pun aside, this is a quest with lofty ambitions that would leave many quaking in their boots at the challenge that lies ahead.
The key to the transformation is the Olympics. Surfing has been included as a discipline from Paris 2024 and there lies an opportunity for GB to capitalise on a whole new sport and create a world class programme.
There is no denying the ambition here - the aim is to get a team to Paris, where the surfing will actually take place in Tahiti, before being in a position to challenge for medals at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Today (September 16) marks the start of the ISA (International Surfing Association) World Surfing Games taking place at Huntington Beach, California, until September 24. The event also marks the start of the qualifying process for the 2024 Olympics and it will also be the first event following the appointment of Vicky Gosling OBE as Chair of the British Surfing Board.
Along with Joel Gray, as Performance Pathway Manager, and Gwen Spurlock, as Pathway Development Lead, she has been tasked with helping to lead an organisation into unchartered territory. Having only joined in May she has already changed the way British Surfing operates and she is no stranger to leading a governing body.
Gosling is also a British Olympic Association Board Member and Chief Executive of GB Snowsport, as well as previously holding the position of Chief Executive for the second Invictus Games in 2016. On top of a 21-year career in the RAF, reaching the prestigious role of Group Captain and surviving on numerous tours of Afghanistan, there isn’t much she is left to see in this world.
As a result of all the change, there is a new sense of excitement among Britain’s surfers and - even more positively from a performance standpoint - there is a lot of British talent looking likely to break through at just the right time.
For example, 18-year-old Alys Barton recently won the under-18 European Championships, while Lukas Skinner was crowned winner of the under-16 edition at the age of 14. Patrick Langdon-Dark is another athlete threatening to take the next step following a breakout year in 2021.
“I realised we have some genuinely great, rich talent out there,” Gosling told Mirror Sport. “It’s a case of harnessing it and putting the right investment behind these boys, girls, men and women to enable them to succeed and be competitive.”
"We’ve got LA firmly in our sights and that’s our real vision"
With the ISA World Surfing Games getting underway Britain are taking a promising team including the likes of Barton and Langdon-Dark. While there is obviously excitement about the future, this particular event may be coming a bit too soon for instant success.
“The reality is we’re probably a little bit premature for that,” said Gosling. “I don’t want to wish or be negative but I think being realistic is helpful. I can’t see us - when you look at the competition of Brazil, the States, Australia and all the big nations - that are taking part and they’ve really got strength in depth. I can’t see us unlocking a [qualifying] spot with this ISA.
“But I can say, the next ISA happens in May next year, and that’s when we have to effectively be the best European team to qualify. We do have a chance there, we would have a chance.
“Just look at Patrick or look at Alys - we probably would have a chance of unlocking a quota spot for the Olympics.
“We’re getting a couple of bites at the cherry. There’s three ISAs - this one, next year and the following year - so let’s see how we go but the reality is that we’re playing the longer game. We’ve got LA firmly in our sights and that’s our real vision, to ensure we have a competitive field of surfers for the Olympics in 2028.
“But, in the interim, there’s nothing stopping us building this foundation and if we did get it, and unlocked a slot for Paris, then fantastic. We’ve got the talent there, it’s just a case of really investing in it, building it and giving them the opportunity to compete on a world-class stage as much as we can.”
“We’ve got everything going for us”
While there are six years until the Los Angeles Games, and on the face of it that may look like a long time in the future, there is a lot to be done in that time to get a British surfer into medal contention. But that isn’t deterring Gosling in the slightest, who faced similarly daunting aims on the GB Snowsport side of things.
From her perspective, that ambitious aim is a necessity and - in fairness - how many British sporting success stories have we seen when the odds are stacked against them?
“I always say, at the end of the day, if you want to achieve anything you have to set an ambitious vision,” Gosling added. “You have to then ensure you are putting in the right foundations and the right handrails in place to achieve it. The vision is absolutely critical and the reality is it’s six years away.
“What we’ve done in GB Snowsport in the past four years, people would have fallen over if we said we’d have two world champions, three Crystal Globe winners and more athletes on more podiums than ever in British history - including a gold for men in alpine, which has never happened before.
“We’ve achieved more British firsts than ever and that was because we set an ambitious target and we really rose to the challenge. It’s the same with surfing.
“We’re going to set an ambitious target but the reality is, if we’re smart with our performance strategy, and we effectively ensure that these athletes are properly catered for, and we give them the right opportunities to compete and give them these opportunities on this world class stage, there’s no reason whatsoever why we can’t be a competitive nation in LA. We’ve got everything going for us.”
“We’re Brits with grit, we’ve got a fantastic winning mentality”
British surfing is only at the start of its mammoth journey. While this upcoming ISA World Surfing Games may come without immediate pressure, it will soon ramp up.
Then there are also the wider challenges to consider. Think about commercial revenue, capturing an audience and also creating a platform where potential fans can tune in and see what’s happening. A new British Surfing website is already under construction but plenty more creative outlets are already on the horizon.
There are also other challenges British Surfing needs to overcome. Climate change and reducing carbon emissions is one, as well as access to the right facilities. As Gosling hinted you can’t just ‘make waves come’ so these athletes need access to locations across the globe where they can fulfil their potential.
But again, the driven Chair is ready to tackle everything head on in an effort to see these athletes thrive like never before.
“We’re Brits with grit, we’ve got a fantastic winning mentality,” she said. “We smashed it in other sports and we can certainly do it in surfing.
“I have no doubt, particularly considering some of the athletes involved and the engagement. We just have to create the opportunity and the platform and then go and deliver.”
Time will tell as to whether this can be another British sporting success story to be proud of, but one thing is absolutely certain - British Surfing will never be the same again.
