Maizy Gordon - Chasing the Dream

And the Family Behind the Journey

The minutes before a surf contest have a way of making everything feel a little more significant.

The board is ready. The waves are moving. The beach is filled with surfers, families and spectators. Somewhere ahead, a jersey is waiting to be pulled over a head, signaling that it's almost time to paddle out and compete.

For 15-year-old Maizy Gordon, these moments represent much more than the next heat.

They are another step toward a dream.

What began as something she did alongside her family has grown into a serious pursuit.

But standing on the beach before a heat, waiting for her turn, it would be easy to forget just how recently Maizy was the little sister being pushed into her first wave.

Her path to competitive surfing wasn't something she planned from the beginning. It developed gradually, surrounded by the people closest to her.

It started with a father who discovered surfing far from the ocean.

It grew through an older sister who was already riding waves and competing.

And eventually, it became Maizy's own.

Five years after standing up on that first wave, she is now reaching for something much bigger an opportunity to compete among the best surfers in the world.

And behind that dream is a family that has been there since the beginning.

Where It All Started For Maizy Gordon

Long before Maizy Gordon ever thought about competing, her father, Kimo Gordon, was already fascinated by surfing.

Living in Washington State, Kimo wasn't surrounded by the ocean. But while serving in the Marines, he developed a passion for the sport. After returning to California, he decided he wanted to learn how to surf himself.

Surfing soon became part of the Gordon family.

Kimo was hooked. Veronica followed him into the water. And eventually, Maizy followed them.

"It was because of my sister and my dad"

"It was because of my sister and my dad," Maizy said.

But it was Veronica who helped set the course for everything that followed.

Her first wave came at DMJS, north of the Jetty. Her sister pushed her into it, encouraging her through the attempts until Maizy finally stood up.

Once she did, like most of us, something clicked.

I kind of want to do more of this.

"I was just like, 'I kind of want to do more of this.'"

That first wave wasn't just the beginning of Maizy's love for surfing. Her dad and sister became some of Maizy's earliest examples in the water, while her mom, Amy, remained a constant source of support for Maizy and her surfing journey.

By then, her sister was already competing, giving Maizy an early glimpse into the world of competitive surfing. The two shared those experiences in the water, learning from each other and pushing each other along the way.

Eventually, their surfing journeys began to take different paths. Her sister moved toward other interests, while Maizy found herself wanting to continue competing and see how far she could take the sport.

By the time she was 12, Maizy was competing seriously.

What started as something the family shared had grown into a path of her own.

From Trophies to the Mental Game

Once Maizy started competing seriously, something changed.

Surfing wasn't just about catching waves with her family anymore. There were heats to win, rankings to improve and, occasionally, trophies to chase.

And Maizy is honest about what first caught her attention.

"I saw a trophy,"

"I saw a trophy," she said. "Trophies were like so big because it was shiny, you know? And I was like, 'I want one of those.'"

The trophies became a carrot on a stick. She would win a small one, see someone holding bigger one and immediately want to know how to get there.

But as her surfing progressed, the motivation became less about what she could take home and more about what she could accomplish in the water.

Today, Maizy continues to build her experience through events including the USA Prime Series, WSA competitions and major contests such as the Super Girl Pro.

The pursuit has also taught her that competitive surfing is as much about what happens in your head as what happens on the wave.

Maizy has had to learn how to handle the nervousness that comes with a big event and, more importantly, how to move on when things don't go according to plan.

"If you fall on a wave in the heat... you have to reset..."

"If you fall on a wave in the heat... you have to reset and be like, 'Okay, that didn't work. I need to try something else.'"

That lesson has extended beyond competition. Maizy has spent years working through a fear of failure and worrying about what other people might think when she makes a mistake. As she's gotten older, she's become more comfortable with herself and less concerned about being judged.

There are still moments when that critical voice shows up. But instead of allowing it to stop her, she's learning to recognize it and keep moving.

For Maizy, failure isn't the opposite of success anymore.

"You have to fail in order to succeed."

It's a perspective that seems particularly fitting for a 15-year-old surfer whose journey is still just beginning. She doesn't expect every wave to work out, every heat to go her way or every goal to happen immediately. She just wants to keep improving and see how far she can go.

More Than the Destination

For all of Maizy's ambition, there is still a part of surfing that has nothing to do with trophies or competition.

Some of her favorite sessions are the simplest ones—summer sunset surfs with friends and family, when the waves are fun, the conditions are clean and nobody is keeping score.

"You're not trying to be competitive or beat anybody," she says. "You're just out there... having fun."

That balance may be one of the things that keeps Maizy grounded as she continues to grow as a surfer and as a person.

The lesson, Maizy is learning, is not to avoid those moments when things don't line up. It's to keep paddling back out.

And that's the message she has for the young girls watching her now: don't be afraid to make mistakes. Don't quit when progress feels slow. Step outside your comfort zone. Give yourself time to grow.

You don't have to know exactly where you're going to end up.

You just have to keep moving toward the things you love.

Maizy has already learned that lesson in the water.

Five years ago, she was the little girl her sister pushed into her first wave. Today, she's a young surfer with bigger goals, a growing support network and a dream of competing among the best in the world.

And through it all, her family remains close.

Maizy remembers one wave at Lowers that stands out among all the others. The wave was beautiful, and when she kicked out, she looked back toward shore hoping her mom saw. When she got back to shore, her excitement came out before anything else.

"Did you see that, Mom?"

Her mom hadn't filmed it.

But she had seen it.

And somehow, that was enough.

Because maybe that's what having a family behind you really means. They don't have tocapture every wave. They don't have to celebrate every result. They simply have to be there—to watch, to encourage, to believe, and to remind you where you came from when you're trying to figure out where you're going.

For Maizy Gordon, the World Tour may be the dream.

But she is already surrounded by something that matters just as much.

A family that helped her find the ocean, a community that continues to push her forward, and the confidence to believe that there is no telling how far she can go.

So for the young girls watching from the beach, from the lineup or from the shore of their own dreams, Maizy's message is simple:

Keep going.

The next wave might be the one that changes everything.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE JOURNEY

Maizy Gordon knows that no surfer makes a journey like this alone.

She would like to give special thanks to Will and Jason at Chemistry Surfboards for their continued support and for helping her develop through the boards they build for her.

She also wants to recognize Tony Perez and Salt Life for believing in her journey and supporting her not only as an athlete, but as a person.

And to all of her coaches, past and present, Maizy says thank you. Each has played a unique and special role in her development, helping her grow in different areas of the sport—from heat strategy and wave selection to technique, surf skate training and gym training.

The people who have helped Maizy along the way may have played different roles, but each has contributed something meaningful to her journey.]

Thank you to everyone who has believed in her, challenged her, supported her and continues to help her become the surfer—and person—she is becoming.