HB:
Nice, so when did you start competing?
KL: Competing came my freshman
year of high school with the CIF. Competing for
Carlsbad High School, and then the USSF I think
came first, or no, maybe the NSSA. The NSSA Open
or Explorer first.
HB:
I thought you were in the USSF first because I
don't remember you in the early days.
KL: Maybe it was, maybe
it was, USSF first. Yeah, you'd know better than
me.
HB: What made you want to
start competing? What makes you as a grom go,
"I want a trophy!"
KL: "I want a trophy..."
I think it was more so not "I want a trophy"
but "I want to be on the surf team"
and if that's the sport I'm gonna do then I'm
gonna do that sport and join the team and see
what happens with it. And my Dad's a surf coach.
He's the coach of Oceanside High School. So he
actually got me into the first contest. There
was some middle school trifecta thing with three
different middle schools and even though I wasn't
going to one of the schools I was able to do it
somehow. So I did it. And I was all nervous like,
"am I gonna try to go to the outside or am
I just gonna catch the soup on the inside?"
This was maybe eighth grade or something. So I
got like a couple whitewash waves and stood and
rode them to the beach and then paddled to the
outside and got a couple outside ones and got
first place.
HB: Good strategy.
KL: Yeah, I thought that was smart. Played it
safe, you know, get those waves under your belt.
HB: Definitely. Did your
Dad ever coach you individually?
KL: Um, yeah. For sure.
HB: And how did that work?
Was it super friendly or did you ever... ?
KL: Um, I wasn't very good
at handling criticism. I'm working on it. I like
getting it, but especially with my parents I just
don't react that well to it unfortunately. At
least I used to not. So I would want advice but
I just didn't know exactly how to react to it.
So it was alright though. He got the points across
and I got the results I was hoping for.
HB: After high school you
didn't go pro immediately. You went to college
and got your degree. What degree did you get?
KL: Environmental studies,
bachelor of arts with a focus in agro-ecology,
sustainable agriculture.
HB: Sounds pretty cool.
KL: Organic farming, pretty
much.
HB: Nice, how come you didn't
go pro right away and are you glad you waited?
KL: Definitely glad I waited.
I loved school. It was a really good experience.
Just kinda learned about all kind of different
things that I probably wouldn't have being on
the tour. I just didn't even think about it, to
try to go pro. I knew I wanted to go to Mira Costa,
just the local community college, and then transfer.
And so, I did.
HB: Now you're done with
school.
KL: Finished school, let's
do the tour. Let's do this!
HB: How long do you plan
to do it now? What's gonna be next? How long does
it go? When does Kyla make the WCT?
KL: It qualifies. This year
I hope.
HB: What are you rated on
the WQS right now?
KL: Um, I'm not exactly
sure but I think 11th maybe still. I don't know,
did you guys look? I was 11th after the last big
event.
HB: What's it gonna take?
KL: It's gonna take some
finals. I'm gonna make some finals, Durban, US
Open, Hawaii... I'm gonna make it to the finals!
HB: So, ride a couple whitewash
in the soup first and then head to the outside...
KL: Playin' it safe, you
know. Love that strategy man, bringin' that back
for sure.
HB: I'm gonna try that myself,
hope you don't mind.
KL: Nah, get into it!
Kyla Langen
Interview | 1
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