THE DEFIANT ONES FEATURING PHILIPPA ANDERSON

And we’re back again with part 2 of a 3 part series and now we set our sights on another surfer who has constantly been knocking on the door of making the WSL dream tour. This surfer has been competing for a number of years now and we are so excited to see what the rest of her career holds. We definitely think a CT spot would suit this surfer, especially after her performance as a wild card this year at the Newcastle CT event.

Yes… You guessed it, Merewethers own Philippa Anderson. Philippa has been pushing the boundaries of female surfing for some time and is one of the most competitive people in the line up on any given day. This woman never gives up and we don’t think she should anytime soon. 

Qualifying for the challenger series alongside friend and fellow competitor Freya Prumm, Philippa has been getting herself ready to take on the couple month stint overseas competing for a place one the WSL dream tour.

Philippa you have recently started working with Michael Crisp and he has helped guide you to the Challenger Series. How has it been working with him?

“I’ve been super stoked to have linked up with Cripsy. It came about in 2019, I got introduced to Coach Cripsy who was the team manager for Carve. We did that one event together and I feel we just really gelled.  Since then we have both left Carve but continued to work together and it’s been incredible. We both come from that Christian background and really believe in talking/ thinking positively from every situation and believing the path we are on. It’s been great to hear about his past experiences in life and we talk a lot about that kind of stuff. It’s not all surf, surf, surf and I love that. We both have our own surfing platform (my surf school and his elite coaching) which we bounce things off each other in that way too.”

You have also started up your own surf school and have been encouraging people to get into the water during the lockdown. How has it been sharing your love of surfing with them?

“I definitely didn’t think I’d start my own surf school and think I could actually run it, but hard work pays off. It’s been an incredible journey so far with the school and I honestly can say I love my job. I get to share all my experiences from surfing over the past 15 years to the younger generation and help guide them to be the best they can be in and out of the water. Adult lessons are really cool too and pretty popular with us.  Being a little older we get to understand and talk about goals they want to achieve within their surfing. When you see them achieve these it’s such a great experience. I see how much I can make a difference in someone’s life or day from some hard work in lessons. As pro’s we forgot the simple things in surfing like kids standing up for the first time, or paddling out by themselves or overcoming their fear of certain things in the water. I take so much joy from that and it makes me so happy. I give 100% in every lesson and try to give the best opportunity in the water for everyone that comes to the school. It’s a lot of hard work but when you get an email or txt msg from someone that had a lesson and they had the best time, that makes me smile. I also have really enjoyed being a boss and learning so much along the way. I have a great team who work for me too. They are hard workers and genuinely such great humans.”  

Leading into the Challenger Series, do you feel as though you are prepared for the events and ready to ruffle some feathers?

“I feel this is the most prepared for a trip that I’ve been on. We knew a while out who had qualified for each region and had the schedule. It was Covid pending but I put my head down after our last qualifier with the mindset that it will run and have been prepping since then. I have done a lot of research, preparing all my boards, training in the gym, surfing and a bunch of little things which I normally don’t have time for but lockdown has been a silver lining. I’ve got coaches sorted at each event who are great and I’m very thankful for that. I’ve worked hard for the past 10 years on the WQS and taken a lot in from the close times of qualifying. The fire is still there so I’m very ready to ruffle some feathers and show the groms what’s up.”

What do you think you need to bring with your surfing and competing to the Challenger Series this year to grab a spot on the WSL Championship Tour?

“We have four great locations and finally one of them is in Hawaii. That’s going to be epic and separate some of the girls from the women. I do think you’ll need to bring the combination of smart and powerful surfing to make the WCT this year. Being the first time of the new format for the Challenger Series, everyone that has qualified can surf and surf good. So there’s going to be no room for errors- smart and powerful surfing.”

To get an insight into Philippa and her 2021 Challenger Series campaign, we thought we would connect with her coach and all round legend Michael “Crispy” Crisp.

You have been working alongside Philippa for a while now. How was it guiding her throughout the events this year and being there with her when she locked in her spot in the Challenger Series?

“Phillppa is so professional and a positive athlete who LEANS in to learn from each heat whether a win or loss.

Phillppas consistency and hardwork in the gym, with equipment and her progression has been amazing to be apart of her journey around 2 years since the tweed coast pro 2019 and Carve pro 2019 working as her coach at events and video analysis.”

Do you feel as though she is prepared for the events and has the ability to qualify towards the end of the year?

“Yes she has been a part of great habits mixed with great surfing, great nutrition, great training with Trypaz in Newcastle and working hard at her surf school.”

How involved are you with Philippa when she is competing overseas? How do you plan out her heats with her when she is so far away?

“Due to Covid I will be at Hawaii with her, and her long time friend and COACH will be at stop 2-3.

A great friend of hers and mine Mike Monterra will be at the US open to give her the beat chance.”

If you could describe Philippa as a competitive surfer in one word, what would it be?

“ULTRA”

With a great work ethic and amazing team around her, we foresee great things for Philippa in 2021 and beyond! Good luck Philippa and take no prisoners!

For more information and to follow Philippa click here: https://www.instagram.com/philippa.anderson/?hl=en