Ep 10. Melissa Reid - Britain’s World Champ
For Episode 10 we tuned in with a genuine surfing champion, with the legendary and unmistakable initials of MR
03.12.2021
56:44:00
Hosted by Lawrence Stafford
Sound Design by John Sampson a.k.a CJ MIRRA
Listen now
Now, I’m not talking about Australian surfing icon Mark Richards, but instead British surfing hero, Melissa Reid.
Melissa, much like her Australian counterpart is not your average surfer. Melissa is a 2x World Champion in the AmpSurf ISA World Para Surfing Championships - making her Britain’s only ever Surfing World Champion.
She is the first visually impaired female to have a surfing world title and the first British person to ever win a world title in surfing
She is also a Paratriathlete and Olympic bronze medallist - and in my eyes one of the most interesting surfing figures of the moment.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Melissa last week, ahead of her trip to California where she looks to win her 3rd world title. With fierce competition across both women's and men's disciplines, Melissa is fired up and ready to prove a point.
We spoke about her journey into surf and triathlon, overcoming adversity and not getting bogged down in the trivial matters of 20/20 vision, and her opinion on surfing at the Olympics and future Paralympics.
It’s a community, it’s a family… everyone wants the sport to grow
Show Notes
Navigating the surf
Reliance on other heightened senses
The Rip Curl Grom Search
Formative years competing against able bodies surfers
Perseverance through injury
The English Open of Surfing
Networking through surf and the enjoyment of the water
2018 British Surfing Title
The Wave, Bristol
2X Adaptive World Surfing Champion
Paratriathlon and Bronze Medal at Rio 2016 Paralympics
Sporting England & UK Sport
Governing Bodies
A self-sufficient approach
The imbalance of funding between able bodied and para sports
Importance of volunteer support
2018 ISA Games
La Jolla, California
Pismo Beach, California
Porthtowan, Cornwall
Training for the World Championships
Adaptive surfing – self-funded sport
No sponsors
Inclusivity and access
Blue Mind Theory
The importance of education
Blue Earth Summit
The importance of asking questions – don’t make the assumption
The Commonwealth Games
The adaptive surf community
Experience over medals
Nazaré, Portugal
Guinness Book of World Records
Olympic & Paralympic Surfing
LA 2024
Further Reading
Mentions
Pegleg Bennet
Sarah Bunt
Matthew Formston
Mick Fanning
Tom Curren
Andy Irons
Carissa Moore
Layne Beachley
Steph Gilmore
Alan Stokes
Phil WIlliams
Connect
Instagram: @melissareidgb
Instagram: @isasurfing