Q&A With the 2009 NSSA Collegiate Champion: Amy Nicholl

and I really appreciate that. I use what they say and I just go with what I feel is right to do. I like to get a really quick start off the bat and if that doesn’t happen, then I try to be patient and catch quality waves. Now I’m averaging about four or five waves a heat.

So you are calculating quality versus quantity, which means you are probably focusing on each turn. Do you have a formula for how you surf each wave in each heat?

I like to start off my wave off with a big maneuver, and then connect my maneuvers all the way in and then hopefully have a flashy finish at the end. I surf my waves in a heat at 110 percent. If it’s a wave that has the potential to be a heat changer than I’ll take it all the way in and even do white water floats to the end, basically do all that I can do on it.

What does it mean to end it “flashy?”

If I can I’ll do something that the judges will remember. For example, I’ll do a front side re-entry, or a 360 to finish it off. I try to do something that lets the judges know that I’m putting my all into it and hopefully will give me that extra point or .25 that will advance me to the next heat.

How long have you been doing the college?

It’s my first year. I did six contests on the East Coast to qualify. I won the East Coast Championships in which I combed the whole field and then came out her and won the national one. This is my freshman year and I know I’m going to be back next year.

What college do you represent?

I represent the University of Central Florida.

What’s it like riding for a surf college team that’s not on the ocean?

So there’s a surf team and there’s a surf team. The surf team has like 200 members and you know, it’s something to put on their resume. As far as our surf team goes, we have an A, B and C surf team. Only the A team came out from nationals. The kids there are pretty cool; they like to surf a lot.

Tell us about the day

I woke up at 5am, got to the beach at 9am, and surfed the first heat at 11. I won, got first in that pretty easily. In the second heat Darlene Conolly beat me and I knew she was the one to beat. She had the highest heat score thus far. I had to be relinquished to surf the repo-charge at 6pm. When I surfed that heat, that was a very disappointing heat, there were no waves in that heat. I pulled it off in the last minute. I almost didn’t make it. I was in fourth, I only had one wave, and it wasn’t really much of a wave at all. Then finals rolled around and I was lucky to have made it, but if you saw me two days ago I would have said I was going to win the whole thing. At this point I wanted to be top three no matter what. So I started off the heat with a six and it was a 20 minute final, and it turns out that my next best wave took me from third to first place in the last 40 seconds. A right bomb shoaled through out in the line-up. Everyone was in the inside and I faded left then went right, did a hack off the top and then started eyeing the rocks on the inside and did a little rebound floater upside down thingy majjigger, pulled it off [laughing], it was so rad. I heard a huge crowd on the beach; it was my team cheering for me. When I came in they said I won and I was so happy and they gave me the chair ride in up the beach. Everyone was hollering; it was a good feeling for sure.

What are your plans now?

I’m taking a summer class back in Florida and then start back again for the fall semester. Hopefully I’ll take a surf trip in August, maybe Costa Rica or something. I’m going back to Puerto Rico around Christmas time and do some contest here and there. I want to do a couple WQS contest in 2010 to try and build a seed for 2011. That’s it and graduate eventually.

I’m going into marketing, specifically sport marketing

What do you think needs to happen to take women’s surfing to the next generation to the next level?
I think women surfers should have much more support. They need more endorsements and be more out there for people to see.

Do you think there’s an interest in it?

I think so. Most people like the image of it and the beach. They try surfing and love it. I think there’s a lot of interest out there.