CATCHING A WAVE

Now that his mind is at ease, Elishama Beckford is focused on fine-tuning his skills for competition as he pursues a place at the Olympic Games.

In his sport, catching a wave can come at a significant cost, especially for an elite athlete like Beckford, Jamaica’s Surfer of the Year.

For much of his career, the 26-year-old, who lives and has honed his craft on the beaches of Bull Bay in east St Andrew, was burdened by important challenges away from the sea that were intrinsically linked to his ability to ride its breakers and rollers.

Improved results have attracted greater recognition of his potential and financial support from Quiksilver, a major Australian-founded company associated with surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding and other board sports, as well as the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) through an Olympic Solidarity scholarship.

HIGH COST OF PLAY

Imagine what this means in a sport where a quality board can cost between US$3,000 and US$4,000. That equates to roughly J$480,000 to J$640,000. Surfers generally travel with at least two boards in case one breaks, and competition expenses quickly add up.

“Sponsorship plays an intricate role, especially in surfing because travelling, finding accommodation, entering events, and surf equipment are all very expensive,” observed Beckford.

“As a professional athlete that has been funding my career personally for a number of years, it gets really taxing. That is added pressure when you go to an event, and you know you paid for the tickets and accommodation.

“That pressure is definitely less when you know that you have the support of the JOA and other sponsors,” he reasoned. “That allows the athlete to really perform at the top level and the best of their abilities.”

Excellent climatic conditions throughout the Caribbean and across Central, South and North America have helped make the region a breeding ground for quality surfers. That, however, adds another layer of difficulty for Jamaicans seeking to stand out in the hemisphere.

Beckford demonstrated nearly two years ago what Jamaican surfers can achieve when he won silver at the 38th staging of the highly competitive Corona Pro Surfing event at Middles Beach in Isabela, Puerto Rico.

The Jamaican is once again preparing in the United States as he continues his training programme.

“Surfing is a thing where you follow the waves around the world wherever they are,” he said. “Then we have the Pan American Games coming up in Peru in November.

“I’ve been to Lima to represent Jamaica a few times, so I’m ready to take on the South America leg of things again in the Pan Am Games, and then El Salvador a couple months after that for the World Games,” added Beckford.

CATCHING WAVES

Former Jamaica Surfing Association president Allan ‘Billy Mystic’ Wilmot, a pioneer of the sport who maintains a strong connection to it, further explained the importance of travelling to catch waves.

“Jamaica, luckily, is a country that is blessed with surfing waves and surfing conditions throughout the year. We have a very long season, multiple seasons of surfing. We have a very good winter season and a very good summer season. It is quite different from many countries. So, in terms of the quality of the raw material for surfing and practice and training, we have that at a very good level,” he said.

“But what’s different about surfing is that every surfing location is unique. It’s not like other sports where the dimensions of the playing field are constant and reproduced in every location where the events are taking place.

“In surfing, every venue is a unique situation, and as such, the surfers who have the most experience in the particular location will have an advantage.

“So travelling to the places where the competition is going to be taking place is vital to giving our athletes an advantage in this situation,” explained Wilmot, whose son, Inilek, has since assumed the leadership mantle.

MUCH-NEEDED SUPPORT

Wilmot, who has a musical background as lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for the Mystic Revealers, is grateful for the support now being provided to the sport and to Beckford.

“People don’t realise it, but we have had surfing in Jamaica since the ‘60s,” he said. “Jamaica is an excellent destination for travelling surfers and many professional surfers come to Jamaica to experience the quality and abundance of surfing conditions that we have here.

“We appreciate the support that the Jamaica Olympic Association is giving to Elishama Beckford and assisting him to get the best training and background for the upcoming events that will lead to the Olympic Games.”

Beckford is equally appreciative, seeing himself as an ambassador for the sport and a catalyst for its future growth.

“I’m overjoyed to have surfing recognised by the Olympic association and to have the whole board believe in the dream that is surfing, and to help me along the way for all the things I’m trying to accomplish for myself and also for the nation,” he said.

“My goal is to continue to grow the sport of surfing in Jamaica and get it recognised on a global level. All the strides that we’ve been making so far are all in the right direction.”

“Sometimes it’s just small things, the small help that really gets you to that next level. Just knowing that you have a group of people, you have a nation behind you supporting you and hoping for the best. Those things are big motivators for us as athletes.”

audley.boyd@gleanerjm.com