SEATTLE — Surfing is one of the five new sports introduced at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Unlike most other Olympic events, surfing requires a hand from Mother Nature.
Instead of riding a massive ocean wave, we headed up to Snohomish Aquatic Center to try out the next best thing: a surf simulator called the “FlowRider.”
The indoor wave machine generates a strong current of water that goes up a hill and allows people to surf on about a couple of inches of water.
“When the water comes out, it shoots out,” explained teacher and professional FlowRider Scott Callens. “The front goes up over, and it just cycles back through. It's going about 30 miles an hour. This holds about 30,000 gallons of water underneath. So, it's a large pool about eight feet deep underneath this whole thing."
Callens gave us a crash course on surfing.
FlowRiding is a lot like skateboarding or snowboarding but on water. If you've done that, you know having a good balance is key.
You put your weight on your back foot and guide yourself with your front shoulder.
Leaning forward is a common mistake, and we ended up wiping out a few times. Thank goodness for that padded surface. Surfing requires a well-rounded athleticism, including strength, agility, and grace to pull off difficult maneuvers.
Athletes at the Olympics will be judged on the difficulty and types of maneuvers they make.
"It's really great to see because I've been watching surfing and competitions for the U.S. and stuff throughout the years," said Callens. "But it's cool to see it on the world scale."
Callens is a top flowboarder in the U.S. He travels and competes in the FLOW Tour, a national series for athletes who compete on a FlowRider. Callens is excited to see surfing debut in the Tokyo Olympics, but he's secretly hoping the extreme sport of flowboarding will make it to the Olympic level someday.
In the meantime, you can find Callens at the Snohomish Aquatic Center teaching novices how to ride the wave.