Get to know Durango youth surfer Grace Clair
DURANGO, Colo. — Grace Clair is one of the many young athletes here in Durango that has shown just how talented she is. The 15-year-old wake surfer is a sophomore at Durango High School and is part of the Soulcraft Team. She has been surfing for five years and competing with the team for four.
The USA Water Ski and Wake Sports website describes wake surfing,” a rider trails behind a boat, riding the boat’s wake without being directly pulled by the boat. After getting up on the wake, typically by use of a tow rope, the wake surfers will drop the rope, and ride the steep face below the wave’s peak in a fashion reminiscent of surfing. Wakesurfers generally use special boards, designed specifically for wakes.”
How did Grace get interested in wake surfing, her mother, Sara Clair told us, ”聽Grace started surfing when she was ten and her Dad (Joe Clair) went out and bought a surf boat on a whim. She immediately fell in love with wake surfing. A family friend of ours that lived here in Durango, got her into competing. Their daughter, Jordan Taylor, who was in high school at the time and competed in wake surfing competitions, did a couple of coaching lessons with Grace and invited her to compete in the next competition that was coming up. Grace did and she hasn’t looked back since.”
There are many tricks that wake surfers have perfected and Grace enjoys using these tricks during her competitions.聽She told us, “My personal goals within wake surfing are to progress the women’s pro surf division and eventually win a world championship.”聽 When it comes to the many challenges of the sport, Grace told said, “My biggest challenge in wake surfing is going to a live competition and throwing a run with all my tricks. It is hard to replicate that.”
When Grace is competing, she does think about some of the advice that she has gotten over the years. She shared some of that with us, “Some of the best advice I was given was from my coach and she told me ‘if you’re not failing, you’re not progressing’, meaning that to get better or to land a trick, you’re gonna fall because you’re one fall closer to landing the trick!”
Competing in wake surfing is incredibly empowering to Grace as well as to those who compete with her and her opponents. Grace said, “I love the people who compete in wake surfing. Everyone is so encouraging and nice. It really is like one big family. Being a part of a team has taught me the power of lifting up others and the importance of encouragement.”Right before a competition, Grace likes to say a prayer and listen to music. Then she’ll wax her board and get ready. This helps to get her mind on the sport and focus on the competition.
When Grace is not wake surfing, she is skiing or snowboarding in the winter. Grace is a semi-pro-wake surfer at such a young age! She has qualified for the world championships for two years and she has got third in the world both times! She has won first place in North America for two years! Unfortunately in the summer of 2022, Grace broke her ankle and had to withdraw from competing. She is working hard on coming back for next year’s season though!
Grace is a perfect example of how hard work and motivation can help you get anywhere! She is working hard to accomplish her goals and Durango is happy to have her out there competing for Colorado!
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