This Is How You Become Elite

Brodi Sale shows a precocious interest in competitive surfing. We’ve seen plenty of Hawaiian groms climb through the ranks and earn their place in the lineup, but Brodi’s case is different. He’s focused. The level of concentration that we usually see in world champions. On top of world-class talent, competitive surfing requires attention to detail and an emphasis on mental strength.

After scratching the surface of Brodi’s edit above, I was intrigued. Not so much by the surfing (although it’s pretty fucking good) but more so with the way Brodi carries himself. I shot him a few questions to figure out how the young adult keeps his head so precisely on a swivel.

Stab: Who have you learned the most from while surfing on the North Shore? What’s the most important thing they taught you?

Brodi Sale: Griffin Colapinto. I learned so much from Griff this winter. Watching how much hard work and dedication goes into his surfing every day in the water and on land is truly inspiring. I would have to say the biggest thing I took away from watching his winter season is how many hours he spent in the ocean. Also, he believes he can do anything that all the world champs can do.

What’s something you learned on your own?

This winter I’ve learned to believe in myself to become the best. Someone in my age group will become the best at some point in our lifetime, so in my mind, it might as well be me. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. I’m excited!

Put in the hours, keep your head down, and do the work. I like that mentality. How many hours do you surf during an average day on the North Shore? How about when it’s firing?

Yeah, that mentality is something that has rubbed off on me from guys like Griff, Ethan, Jack, Seth, etc. On an average day, I would try to put in at least four hours. When it was firing I would try to put in 6-8 hours.

You seem pretty focused. What’s something you’ve been trying to improve on this winter?

 I try to focus on improving every aspect of my life, all the way from surfing to just being a good human. I don’t want to be an old fart rocking in my wheelchair one day, wondering about what could have happened. But as far as surfing on the North Shore this winter, I really tried to work on my flow, style, and having the mentality of going on the scarier ones.

Who caught the best wave you saw in person all winter? What made it so insane?

I was staying at Kelly’s for a couple of weeks last month. I remember waking up from a nap and looking straight into Griff go on a massive Pipe wave and getting blown out.

Watch Brodi’s latest edit ‘Hours’ here.