Durban North resident ready for Mexico longboard challenge
This is the fourth time since 2021 that the 23-year-old has been invited to the competition.
DURBAN North longboard surfer Christy Gilmour is hoping to fly the South African flag high at the Mexi Log Fest in Mexico in May.
The annual competition sees more than 200 world-class longboarders from all over the world battle it out in the invitational-only competition.
This is the fourth time since 2021 that the 23-year-old has been invited to the competition, however, the lack of funding has made the trip impossible.
“I’m one of two South African women invited to the competition, and it is my second time going since my first appearance at the competition in 2021. In that year, I was the only South African woman to compete at Mexi Log Fest. It would be an honour to return to Mexico and to showcase my style and grace on a longboard and my passion for this sport.
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“My experience in 2021 was incredible, and getting to surf against the world’s best longboard surfers was an absolute privilege. I finished 37th in my first Mexi Log Fest, so this year, I’m aiming to do better than that. I really want to make the quarter-finals. The way the competition is run is very different from other longboarding events. You have to surf three rounds to accumulate points, and the top 15 with the highest points surf the quarter-finals. That’s my goal,” she said.
In order to earn an invitation, Gilmour had to submit videos of her doing various tricks on a sequence of waves.
She also gave some insight into the competition.
“The reason the competition has its name is because it is strictly logging. That’s a single fin longboard with no leash, and it’s seen as the traditional longboard. That’s what the sport started with, and they are heavier and wider than a conventional longboard. I’ve been surfing since the age of six and when I began competing I started on a log which is why I’ve learned and excelled in the sport,” she said.
Gilmour, who is the chairperson of the South African Longboarding Association, is putting in the final preparations ahead of the competition in May.
To reach her goal, she also started a BackaBuddy page and has raised R16 000 with a target of R70 000.
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