I was told to lead a safe life. I was told to stop dreaming. At some point, I stopped listening." So begins the trailer for the film "Girl on Wave", which documented Sarah Hauser's life in 2017. By this time, she had already won the Aloha Classic on Maui and the IWT Tour. In total, the 34-year-old has three IWT Tour titles and two Aloha Classic victories to her name. And since 2019, she has also held the official record for the highest wave ever ridden by a woman in the Guinness Book of Records. In contrast, you never see her at the European wave events on the PWA tour - spots like Pozo or Sylt don't really match her philosophy of wave surfing. Born in New Caledonia, she is living her dream on Maui with her Canadian husband Casey.
Born to win?
I don't know if it's as important to me to be the best as it is to make progress. Getting better and better over time spurs me on. It's like a journey of discovery: You don't know what you'll find out about your limits. Are they close or are they still a long way off? I think the optimistic idea that I can always get better is the key to staying curious along the way. That can lead to becoming "the best" for a moment, which is great, but not the ultimate goal.
Formative moment
I met Pierre Yves Leroux when I was 15. He was Colin Sifferlen's former coach and one of the few people who surfed the outer reefs of New Caledonia. Not only did he take me to ride my first waves, but he also instilled a strong mentality in me. It was an interesting mix of brave and rebellious, ambitious but also humble, disciplined and hardworking.
Inspiring athletes for Sarah Hauser
So many - French surfer Johanne Defay; Maui's big wave legend Paige Alms; former Olympic ski champion Julia Mancuso, who is now a mother of two amazing boys and still giving it her all; former pro longboard surfer and founder of the organisation "Beyond the Surface" Emi Koch; marathon swimmer Diana Nyad; and pro climber Nina Caprez.
Best decisions
Best decision: Making room for love. When I made the decision to become a professional athlete, there was this cute guy named Casey Hauser who wanted to hang out with me. When we met, part of me thought, "I didn't come to Maui to find a boyfriend, I came to realise my dreams," but the other part of me thought, "This guy is really special, I'll never meet anyone like him again." Now, ten years later, we've been married for nine years, and Casey has only made me believe in my dreams even more than I would have on my own.
Worst decision
The attempt to work with an agent. Nothing ever came of it.
Highs and lows
Highlights: Going out to Jaws two days in a row in January 2020 and catching lots of great waves. It felt like the pinnacle of my big wave career. I've never done anything more physically and mentally challenging, except maybe my mission to Fiji the year before. These two adventures were absolute highlights and the culmination of years of dedication on the road to becoming a professional athlete. I had to utilise every physical and mental resource that I had within me and that I had learnt along the way.
Low points: I had two OTS phases (overtraining syndrome), a medical condition that occurs when an athlete's stress levels become too high. The first was in 2017: I had been training very hard in the gym and in Hookipa, while also teaching fitness classes in Wailea and swimming classes for kids in Spreckelsville, filming "Girl on Wave" and travelling to contests. I barely had time to eat and didn't get enough sleep. It threw my body off balance for months. In 2021, I experienced it all over again: a few too many side jobs paired with an intense off-season training programme at the gym, only there is no off-season on Maui. Even when we don't have waves in the summer, there's still plenty to do in the ocean, especially now with foiling.
OTS is not talked about much, but it is quite common among athletes. For me, the symptoms were reduced athletic performance, drastic changes in my fertility cycle, lethargy, depressed mood and skin rashes. That sucked. It felt like I was in a broken body, but at the same time there was no obvious injury. The only way out was to rest for several months. When you're forced to do less, it can be a real challenge. I've always known that self-care is important, but these experiences have really taught me that it's in my nature to go overboard and I should accept that this is who I am. This enables me to achieve great things, but I need to come up with protective mechanisms in my life to make sure I take time to rest.
Motivation
It depends, sometimes I'm motivated to work and get ahead, sometimes I want to be in nature and switch off, sometimes I want to be awed by the power of the ocean, sometimes I want to have a fun moment with my husband or friends - and sometimes it can be all at once.
Stress management
Preparation and rehearsals help with stress management. I learnt this at a young age when I played classical piano at the New Caledonia Conservatory of Music and Dance. It can be very stressful to practice for thousands of hours and then have to perform for an exam or concert. The same goes for windsurfing. But if you've worked hard enough, the performance can be a moment to let go and enjoy what's happening. Mental preparation tools can also help you reframe your physical and emotional response to stress and use it to perform better. It's good to feel something; a little stress usually helps you rise above it.
Pressure
I tend to thrive under pressure. Give me a bit of chaos and I'll get frustrated trying to sort things out. Give me a fierce challenge with high effort and low chance of success, and I'm immediately ready to give it my best shot. I like life to be exciting, full of unexpected twists and turns that require me to apply what I've learnt and also rely on my instincts, as if I have some kind of superpower that I don't quite understand. I guess my inner child playing an adventurous pirate at sea is still very much alive in me.
Competition
I love the community that I am part of through the contests. The professional athletes, the photographers, videographers, the organisers, the sports coaches. The people I've met on this journey are so passionate, talented, friendly, easy-going and fun! We make each other better, be it in our sport or in being good people.
I also love to entertain and inspire people who watch the competitions and videos of travelling. Windsurfing is a sport, but when everything works out, it can even be an art form. It's fun to share the art with others.
At contests, I don't keep my distance from other participants, I don't get out of their way. I think it's a form of sportsmanship if you can be friendly on the beach and then switch into fierce competition mode as soon as the heats start without getting annoyed. I want my competitors to push me to be better, so I want them to do their best, but that has nothing to do with how friendly we are to each other. Outside of competitions, I do my best to treat people the way I want to be treated: with respect and kindness.
Sarah-Quita Offringa and Jessica Crisp, for example, are great sportswomen who I enjoy being with, but who I know will do anything to win. I love that. They take the game seriously, but they can also be relaxed and have fun.
Strengths
Determined, courageous, analytical.
Admiration
I'm impressed that Sarah-Quita is so good in all three disciplines. I also like that Lina Erpenstein and Justyna Sniady are pushing their limits and challenging the Morenos. As for the men, I have the honour of being Marcilio Browne's fitness coach, which gives me a little insight into his life. The guy works damn hard all the time and spends so many hours training in conditions that can be quite taxing on the body. He doesn't just surf well in the perfect Maui conditions. He is a machine. Also, I've always admired Camille Juban's style of surfing the waves.
Escape
My balance to professional windsurfing is teaching fitness classes and creating online fitness programmes. I also pet my cat and enjoy baking sourdough bread - thanks to Dawn for teaching me how to do that! Casey and I recently became tiny home owners, so we've been keeping busy with home and garden projects as well. I've designed our solar panels and battery system, hooked up our plumbing, and refinished our shower floor.
Win or money
If you ask me what I would choose between "being unknown but rich and being able to be on the water as much as I want" and "being world champion every year but being poor and not being able to do anything else?" I'd choose the first, like everyone else, wouldn't I?
Powerfood
It really depends on how the day is going. But I usually eat a sourdough tart with butter and jam for breakfast, then either an egg sandwich with salad and tomatoes or I make myself quinoa and mix it with an egg, salad and tomatoes and any other leftover vegetables I might have. Snacks can be a banana, an apple with peanut butter, a hard-boiled egg or a granola bar. Dinner is usually a mix of carbs, protein and some vegetables. I don't cook complicated meals, but I try to eat home-cooked, colourful meals as often as possible. If you have lots of different colours on your plate, you're more likely to eat a variety of healthy nutrients.
Natural talent or hard work?
I don't know - I would say 50/50.
Water time
If the conditions are good all week, I'll probably be surfing for ten to twelve hours and doing three hours of yoga. If the week is shitty but you can still surf or foil, I'd probably spend three hours on the water, three hours doing yoga, three hours in the gym and maybe an hour swimming in the open sea or going for a hike.
"Rocky moment"
When I finished my engineering degree at the age of 22 and returned to New Caledonia after living in France for almost three years, I was disappointed with what life as a programmer was like and my relationship with my boyfriend had not survived the long distance. I was heartbroken, out of shape, demotivated and somehow lost. There was only one thing I was sure of: windsurfing in the waves felt better than anything else. So I went in that direction. In 2012, I flew to Maui alone, took part in the Aloha Classic and did well enough to attract the attention of Simmer Style as a sponsor. I went out with ten guys on a huge day in Hookipa. It felt like the universe was screaming at me to follow my dream and become a pro windsurfer, so I did. That's how my journey started.
Big waves
I like the high stakes of big waves, the courage to take risks in a situation where there is no room for error. It makes me feel alive in the purest way. I feel like my mind becomes clear. I connect with my instincts, I feel so small and so brave at the same time. I love it.
