Paris 2024 – Let the Games Begin!

 

Surf’s Up in Tahiti!

 

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Sightseeing in Paris at the XXXIII Games of the Olympiad. Gazing at the Eiffel Tower, munching colorful macarons, strolling along the Seine, basking in the Mona Lisa's smile. It's all an expected part of the Paris 2024 Olympics (July 26 - August 11). 

 

But Olympic competitors at the surf venue in French Polynesia – 10,000 miles away! – will be in a different environment…

 

spending more time at the Wall of Heads (Teahupo'o) than the City of Light. On the southern part of Tahiti, the village of Teahupo'o gets its name from an ancient tribal battle. The name also describes the towering waves surfers face off against. The deep ocean floor of the Teahupo'o lagoon rises sharply, resulting in giant waves and ginormous rolling tubes – a maelstrom of kinetic energy not for the faint-hearted.

 

Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Carissa Moore remembers her first time surfing at Teahupo'o and the waves being "so much more intense and scary and nothing like you ever imagined." Griffin Colapinto, the first American surfer to qualify for the 2024 Games, says the waves "could blow some minds."  

 

Called by many "the most beautiful place in the world," Teahupo'o is an Olympic venue unlike any other. Its vibrant blue-on-blue vistas of sea and sky are ready to dazzle participants and viewers alike, putting TV host NBC's peacock colors on full display.

 

With such a remote spot for the surfing competition, island locals and environmentalists want to make sure that having so many people – competitors, spectators, officials, TV crews – doesn’t damage the marine ecosystem. Barbara Martins-Nio, general manager of the Paris 2024 Olympic Committee, says, "We really want to be respectful" of the island.

Most of the structures will be removed after the games. Olympic officials are being housed in local homes and guest houses. And the 48 athletes and team personnel are staying on a cruise ship docked in the lagoon instead of on shore, which reduces their carbon footprint.  

 

Given that the environment is protected, islanders welcome the work opportunities and tourist dollars the Olympics generate. And they’re ready to "Let the games begin!" Or, as they say in French, "Que les jeux commencent!"

 

SurfWriter Girls

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

"Duke's Dream" - Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum

 

Duke Kahanamoku Put Surfing on Road to Olympics!

 

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

With all eyes on the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer, there's also another place to look - the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum and its "Duke's Dream Came True" exhibit showcasing the work legendary surfer Duke Kahanamoku put into getting surfing included in the Olympics.

 

The exhibit - a labor of love by museum director,1976 World Champion Surfer Peter "PT" Townend - tells Duke's story through paintings by top surf artists depicting his life (1890 - 1968) and ongoing efforts to have surfing designated an Olympic sport. 

 

Curated by artists Ricky Blake and Dave Reynolds, the exhibit's timeline ebbs and flows like the rhythms of the ocean, taking visitors on a journey from Duke's early days surfing in Waikiki, to winning a gold medal in 100 meter freestyle swimming at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, traveling the world as an ambassador for surfing, being part of Hollywood's movie scene, and returning to Hawaii to help pave the way for its 1959 statehood.

 

Artists, including Phil Roberts, Ron Croci, Colleen Gnos, Rob Havassy, and Victoria White, capture the imagery of the different facets and stages of Duke's life and his dream for the Olympics.

Whether it was swimming or surfing, Duke was most at home in the water and was always looking for new oceans to swim in and waves to ride. He encouraged people of all backgrounds and ages to try surfing - even another Duke! The Duke of Windsor, who he gave a surfing lesson to.  

 

To celebrate his 73rd birthday, Duke returned to California to host the 1963 West Coast Surfing Championships in Huntington Beach, sharing the spotlight with another Olympic swimming champion - Johnny Weissmuller, who starred in 12 Tarzan films.

As surfing grew in popularity, from a Hawaiian pastime to a full-fledged sport, Duke lobbied for it to become an Olympic event. And, like the baton passed in a relay race, his dream was picked up by others, including Fernando Aguerre, chairman of the International Surfing Association, who succeeded in getting surfing onboard for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

 

Duke Kahanamoku's dream became a reality. More than a century after his first Olympics competition, surfing's long road to the Olympics came to an end. It's a road you can travel, too, and a dream you can share. At the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum. 

   

SurfWriter Girls

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.