Steph Gilmore’s curse, it seems, is that she has for the majority of her life and career travelled in a bubble of fortune, inhabiting a world where surfing world titles multiply rabbit-like in exponential splendor; where days consist of photo shoots, exotic travel, and shredding guitar sessions; where a world tour campaign can be nonchalantly interrupted by a fun-filled trip across America; and where the precious gift of a career in surfing occurs as an afterthought. Of course, none of this appears curse-like in any way. That is, unless you are Stephanie Gilmore, who has carried this unbearable lightness of being as an albatross neck weight, searching for a dark edge, an escape from her “Happy Gilmore” moniker. And upon a 4th world title, pure happiness and contentment appeared the eternal plight of this Aussie surf goddess. But one night, trouble stood waiting for her in the darkened parking lot of her apartment complex. The question: Would an indiscriminant attack by a stranger divert the trajectory of Gilmore’s charmed path? The answer: No way! Hailing from one of the surf world’s most verdant champion farms and possessing an internal compass trained squarely on modern renaissance insures that the darkness come her way will serve as inspiration instead of consternation.
The surf gods smiled on Gilmore from day one. She was born January 29th, 1988, in Murwillumbah on one of surfing’s most hallowed stretches of coastline: New South Wales, Australia. Like other champions, it was around 10 when she first took up riding waves. As she grew and progressed, the long, winding point walls of Snapper Rocks became a canvas upon which she could hone her art as well as develop the aggression needed to navigate a male-dominated crowd scene. Like most female surf stars, she was a tomboy who looked more to Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson for inspiration than female peers unable to complete with her natural talent. Gilmore immediately jumped a path worn clear by great local women surfers like Phyllis O’Donell, Pam Burridge, Pauline Menczer, and Layne Beachley. But she kept her roots planted deep. Her father, Jeff, would go on to handle his daughter’s vast career earnings while her older sister Whitney would play the part of manager, keeping Gilmore’s success a family affair.
But as her surfing developed, so did her size and strength. She told ESPN, “When I was growing a lot, I was worried I’d be too tall to surf. I thought it would be a disadvantage.” But instead of lanky and gawky, the picturesque blond went a different way: Tall, athletic and powerful. Her surfing reaped the benefits.
In 1999, she finished runner up to Karina Petroni at the Rusty Gromfest at Lennox Head and a year later won the U-14 division at the same beach. After just a few years of turning heads as an amateur, Gilmore was poised for the next level. Rabbit Bartholemew told Surfer Magazine, “By the time she was 16, it was clear she was destined to revolutionize women’s surfing.” No hyperbole there, as she topped the field at the Australian Juniors and the International Surfing Association World Junior Contest in 2004. A year later, Gilmore made her professional debut in with a 1st place at the 2005 Roxy Pro Gold Coast. At just 17 and competing as a wildcard, Gilmore gave notice that she was about to wreck shop. Like a female Sunny Garcia, she touted she was about to “kick some ass.”
By 2007, the camera friendly regular foot climbed on the ASP Tour full-time. As a rookie, she took her first world title, unseating legendary competitive juggernaut Layne Beachley and clashing with a budding list of new talent. That year, Gilmore won 3 events and was leading the race heading into the final event with former champ Sofia Mulanovich and Silvana Lima in contention. Gilmore took the event and the title. The following year, in 2008, she won 5 ASP Women’s World Tour events and garnered the Vans Hawaiian Triple Crown Title before snatching a second title. As if by sheer will, Gilmore made winning the rule. The following year, she won the top spot a third time which was immediately followed by a fourth consecutive world title. The rest of the surfing world watched from the sidelines as “Happy” went on to accumulate titles almost uncontested. Along the way, she won a phenomenal total of 17 elite tour events.
That’s the hook: 4 years on tour and 4 world titles, but her life journey reads as rich as her achievements. Maybe she always had an eye for the interesting and eccentric, but upon her 3rd title, Gilmore’s sensibilities began to wander away from competition and world titles. After spending time with Tom Curren on a boat trip, she began playing guitar and falling farther and farther into music. She took a hiatus from the world tour to spend time just meandering through America. From California to New York, absorbing Americana with her boards gathering dust, she somehow kept one toe dangling in the swirling murk of competition, just enough, to win her 4th world title.
But that experience was a watershed period as she considered a major shift from the surf-centric Rip Curl to a more fashion-based subdivision of Quiksilver. It seemed a strange move for a major athlete in her prime, but Gilmore saw new dimensions forming and new avenues opening. From L.A. to Long Beach, Big Sur and New York; she gained new perspective on her cross-country sojourn. Gilmore reflected, “America really is the land of opportunity. Nothing is impossible….There’s so much more to the states than what you get fed here in Australia.”
But it was back at home Down Under where the “Happy” story took a turn for the serendipitous if sinister. Not long after her phenomenal 4th title and on the eve of signing a multi-million dollar contract with Quiksilver, Gilmore walked through a darkened car park towards her apartment when a stranger approached clutching a metal bar. He beat her severely about the head the wrist, leading to months of recuperation both physically and emotionally.
The indiscriminate, violent attack would force her to sit still and evaluate the future. She admitted to ESPN she was afraid to be alone in her own apartment and had lost trust in people. For a girl whose Midas touch had never failed her, the glimmer of the world had dimmed. But while this unexpected tragedy may have unearthed unknown fears and insecurities, it also offered opportunities to demonstrate new strength over adversity in a life heretofore void of any. Although struggling to get back her competitive rhythm after weeks out of the water, she posed nude for the ESPN Women’s Body Issue in which she admitted that, “I’m insecure about being boring. That’s the thing—I want to be interesting…to be the full eccentric freak.”
While she may never be eccentric, Gilmore has proven herself a freak (of nature). Her athletic talent has lifted her high above the fray, above the dirge of normalcy; and while a random attack of violence momentarily eclipsed her achievements, it failed to extinguish fire and has failed to define her. Her surfing style is powerful yet effortless as is her threading through the fabric of life. In her post-traumatic existence, there has yet to be a 5th world title, but with a new sponsor firmly planted on the fringe of the surfing world, budding artistic outlets of guitar and photography, and eyes on new success beyond the waves, Steph Gilmore may prove herself the archetype for the next generation of professional surfer.
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