Surfing made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021, with Carissa Moore of the United States and Italo Ferreira of Brazil claiming the first-ever gold medals in the sport.
Speaking to Poland's PAP news agency, Kowalski acknowledged the challenges of training in Poland, where surfing conditions are limited. "The conditions here are not favorable," he said. "Most of our athletes live and train abroad, mainly in Portugal or the Canary Islands, where they can surf year-round instead of just during the two summer months like in Poland."
Nurturing young talent
The Polish Surfing Association was officially registered in 2006 and passed its membership in the International Surfing Association (ISA) to the newly created Polish Surfing Federation at the end of 2020.
This move opened the door to greater professionalization of the sport in Poland, driven by growing interest and grassroots efforts.
The national team currently includes 17 athletes, 10 of whom are juniors.
Kowalski noted that the federation is focused on nurturing young talent. The reigning Polish champion, Tomasz Budziński, is only 14 years old.
“In our sport, once you're past 30 or 35, you rarely compete anymore,” he said. “You may still be great, but the spotlight moves to the younger generation.”
Many Polish surfers come from other board sports, particularly snowboarding.
Kowalski explained that the skill sets are transferable. "Surfing may look different, but it’s built on the same principles," he said. "All board sports are alike in many ways. The key difference in surfing is that your slope, the wave, is moving. A good snowboarder who learns how to catch waves will make a great surfer."
'We’re not close to the global elite'
Asked about the current level of Polish surfing, Kowalski said: “Right now, we’re not close to the global elite. It will take time and a lot of work.”
Kowalski commented that Olympic competition does not yet hold the same prestige in the surfing world as other events. These include the world's longest-running surfing competition at Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia, MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal in Peniche, and the Billabong Pipe Masters at North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii.
Nine Polish athletes competed at the European Surfing Championships in Portugal, where Team Poland finished 12th in the overall nations standings.
Surfers were judged in two categories, surf and longboard, and points earned by men and women are combined into national team rankings. Judges assessed both the difficulty and execution of the maneuvers.
Kowalski said the federation hopes to identify new talent through a national scouting program focused on young athletes from related sports such as skateboarding, snowboarding and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP).
SUP is a watersport in which participants stand on a board and use a paddle to move through the water.
The federation also plans to host at least four training camps next year for individuals who have never surfed before. The goal is to determine whether new entrants from outside the traditional talent pool could help grow the sport in Poland.
“It is possible to learn the basics of surfing on the Baltic coast,” Kowalski said. “The real question is whether we can train people here to the level needed for international competition.”
Many training camps are held abroad, primarily in Portugal. “You can surf real waves there year-round,” he explained. “That doesn’t mean it’s impossible in Poland, but it’s clearly more challenging."
Surfing remains a relatively expensive pursuit, he added. “It’s still largely a sport for rich kids,” Kowalski said. “The gear itself isn’t that expensive, but the cost of living abroad to train consistently adds up. That’s why we’re working to create better conditions.”
The ultimate aim, he said, is to get a Polish surfer into the World Surf League (WSL), which organizes elite-level competitions around the globe and is considered the most prestigious body in the sport.
“All the top athletes from the US, Australia, Brazil, compete in the WSL,” Kowalski said. “They might send one or two surfers to championships like the current one in Portugal, if any. But they always show up for the Olympics and usually take home the medals. Even so, for them the world league is more important.”
“That’s exactly why having a Polish surfer at the next Olympics is a realistic goal,” he concluded.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP, przegladsportowy.onet.pl