In The Magazine: Carissa Moore on Women's Surfing and Motherhood

This piece is excerpted from the feature "Yes I Can" by Carissa Moore in the new print issue of SURFER. Order your copy here .

Words by Carissa Moore

Sports are a form of battle. Sometimes it feels like I’m out there going to war with the waves, with my competitors, with my own mind. Nobody really talks about or acknowledges the psychological and physiological barriers we have to overcome as females. From the beginning of time, it’s been ingrained in us to survive and provide. I don’t think women get enough credit, especially in sports.

Hormones play a huge factor in dealing with anxiety and stressful situations. It can amplify moments and make them more complicated than they need to be. When you are trying to focus on paddling over the ledge at Teahupo’o, the emotional female rollercoaster doesn’t help the cause.

And don’t get me started on wanting to have kids and trying to balance a professional career. As a female, if you want to procreate, you have to take a leave of absence at some point. I’ve watched many of the guys on tour start families and continue to compete. As women, it could be the end of pursuing what we love. I’ve witnessed friends become moms and lose sponsorships and support because they were no longer “marketable.” These are sacrifices we have to consider.

Thankfully, times are changing. More and more women are showing us you CAN do it all. You can be a badass mom and still chase your dreams. From Bethany Hamilton, to Kelia Moniz, Alex Morgan, Naomi Osaka and Allyson Felix, these women are redefining the norm of what it means to be a mother in sport. Knowing that there are women who have gone and done it before me gives me the faith and courage that I can do it too.

When one of us wins, we all win. I’m seriously rooting for the girls, for this next generation to take the sport to new heights. Bigger barrels, more technical, tweaked out airs, I really don’t know what’s next. Limits are only a creation of the mind, and whatever barriers there are, are meant to be broken. So much has changed since little Riss was the only girl in the lineup. Now, anywhere I go in the world, there are a handful or more young girls holding their own and giving it a shot.

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