Laura ‘Lakey’ Peterson Reveals Great Disappointment Following Olympic Rejection

“You don’t learn anything from winning.”  An old adage that family, friends, and loved ones have used to console losers since the first woolly-mammoth-riding event in 8971 BC. But is it actually true? Maybe, maybe not. But we can say with certainty that nothing but platitudes and feigned humility ever come from a winner’s mouth (unless that winner is Connor McGregor, bless his heart). Losers, on the other hand, are forced to deal with more complex emotions and a humility that is in no way feigned, often making for more impactful viewing.  Recently, the folks at Newsy released a 20-minute doco of the final event of the 2019 Women’s Championship Tour, which saw both a World Champion and Olympic qualifiers crowned. Laura ‘Lakey’ Peterson, after finishing third in the season behind Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks, earned neither of those honors, leading to a dynamic post-event interview with Newsy.  We found amusement in Lakey’s subtle barbs against the 18-year-old phenom, Caroline Marks, like when she said: “Her only focus right now in life is surfing. And that is probably why she’ll be a World Champ.” Lakey then spoke of Carissa’s dual personalities, and how she “expected too much to come to her” in her final, career-altering heat against Tyler Wright. Lakey finished with this: “For a really long time, I’ve been trying to be the best—the best surfer in the world, the best at everything. But I’ve realized over the last few months that I just want to be my best.”  Wise or defeatist? Watch the full doco here.