“Those Are My Trophies”: Professional Rewards Have a Cultural Meaning for Big Wave Surfing Pioneer Laird Hamilton, Revealed in 2020

Laird Hamilton rose to fame in the surfing world with his outstanding achievements over the years. He has not only mastered the art of surfing on big waves but has won the hearts of millions of fans. However, Laird Hamilton feels his achievements are not limited to trophies and medals.

In 2020, Hamilton appeared for an interview with Rich Roll’s YouTube channel. 

Laird Hamilton’s meaning of awards is different

Laird Hamilton and Rich discussed the cultural shift in surfers’ approach toward big waves. Rich further gave its credit to Laird Hamilton for setting up high benchmarks for upcoming big wave surfers. Rich Roll admitted, “You have created a cultural groundswell of the popular sport that so many people are doing”

Hamilton revealed that he feels obligated to see people believe in his ideas and accept the techniques. He further added that for him, the trust and mass acceptance of his vision is his greatest reward. “I think for me those are my rewards, those are my trophies.” he accepted. 

Read More: “You Are Just Compromising”, World’s Richest Man Elon Musk Received Blunt Advice from Surfing Icon Laird Hamilton About His Lifestyle, Revealed in 2019

Hamilton added he doesn’t believe in showcasing materialistic rewards. Hamilton said, “I don’t have a trophy case, I don’t have a bunch of things like see my trophies and awards, I never do that”. He gets overwhelmed seeing the support and trust in his methods. He further added that he feels fortunate for his significant contribution to the surfing community. 

Laird Hamilton brought a technique that changes surfers’ approach toward big waves

Since the 1980s, Laird Hamilton has been a legendary surfer. This achievement cemented his status as the king of large-wave surfing. He was the pioneer in mastering several new techniques, such as kitesurfing and hydrofoil boarding.

Hydrofoil surfing allows surfers easy access to new waves as the size of the waves becomes irrelevant while foil surfing. Surfers could ride multiple waves at a time. The hydrofoil technique later turned out to be an efficient method for countering big waves. This technique paved the way for surfing on waves that seemed impossible to manage.

WATCH THIS: Here’s what happened when Michael Phelps raced a great white shark

Laird Hamilton is the trailblazer in popularising the technique. Today, many aspiring surfers look up to him as an inspiration. What do you think of Laird Hamilton’s story? Let us know in the comments.