The San Clemente City Council joins a growing global coalition of organizations, surfers and community leaders working to protect surfers’ on the pathway to U.S. Olympic surfing. The council’s unanimous support following statements from the “Stop the Skijack – Keep Surf in Surfing Coalition” raises the stakes for this moment in the sport’s future — and for the region’s surf-centric economy, culture, and global profile.
The Council’s action adds to the deep coalition backing USA Surfing’s bid, including the International Surfing Association, World Surf League, Surf Industry Members Association, Olympic surfers, brands, retailers, board builders, event organizers, and surf media producers — many of whom live and work in San Clemente.
Council members warned that if surf governance shifts to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, jobs, partnerships, events, and the Olympic spotlight that should benefit surfing and San Clemente — home to the LA28 Olympic surfing venue — will instead be diverted to Park City, Utah.
In a formal letter to U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) decision makers — including the Team USA Athletes’ Commission — the Council expressed full support for USA Surfing’s application to be recertified as the National Governing Body (NGB) for Olympic surfing. The letter warns against U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s bid to take over governance and commercial rights for Olympic surfing, a move that will divert the economic and promotional lift away from the LA28 Olympic venue’s backyard in San Clemente and export benefits to Utah.
The letter states: “The City of San Clemente is not only the epicenter of surfing in the United States, but also the home of USA Surfing,” the Council wrote. “Having a Governing Body that recognizes and understands the importance of surfing in San Clemente — and is deeply connected with its community — is crucial. USA Surfing’s leadership, relationships, and expertise will ensure an unparalleled Olympic experience for athletes, fans, and local residents.”
The Council acted after hearing from the Stop the Skijack – Keep Surf in Surfing Coalition, which distributed a fact sheet comparing USA Surfing’s qualifications and priorities with that shown in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s NGB application.
The coalition is led by world champion surfers PT Townend, Ian Cairns and Shaun Tomson, alongside surfers and stewards of surfing’s future like SURFER magazine Editor-in-Chief Jake Howard, Surf Industry Members Association (SIMA) executive director Vipe Desai, and local businesses. See list of testimonials here.
The coalition thanked the mayor and council for “truly understanding what’s at stake for both our athletes and our city’s future,” noting that San Clemente leaders represent a city of surfers at every level — from Olympic gold medalists to board builders, apparel brands, event organizers, and local businesses — and that their action “sends a powerful message to decision makers nationwide.”
Surfers Speak
Kirra Pinkerton, who won the ISA Gold Medal that earned the U.S. an extra women’s spot for the Paris 2024 Games, spoke to the Council about the vital connection between grassroots development and Olympic success.
“The Olympics are the pinnacle — but without the full development pipeline, the system breaks. You can’t strand a few Olympic surfers at the top and disconnect them from the USA Surfing community that got them there. Pulling governance away from surfers, and away from the heart of surfing in Southern California, will drain resources from the place that built this sport. We should be investing more — not cutting off the roots.”
Two-time U.S. Open winner and WSL Rookie of the year Sawyer Lindblad attended the meeting and shared with reporters the pride of representing both San Clemente and the U.S. on the world stage. Sawyer is a product of USA Surfing’s program, who represented her country in the ISA World Junior Championship.
A Surfer-First Focus
USA Surfing CEO Becky Fleischauer underscored the simplicity of the choice:
“It all gets crystal clear when we ask, ‘What’s best for surfers?’ Listening to and including surfers in decision-making makes all the difference in building trust and delivering the support they want. Surfers already face constantly changing wave conditions, and unpredictability. So, they need an NGB that’s steadily and completely dedicated to surfing, that listens to them and stands up for their needs. We’re grateful to the surfers who’ve shared what matters most to them, our sport, and our community.”
Legacy-building Opportunity to Reinvest in Surfing
Kip Sheppard, CEO of Resin Services and Kamaka Responsible Development, and leader of the investor alliance backing USA Surfing, emphasized the once-in-a-generation opportunity of an Olympic moment in USA Surfing’s backyard:
“This is a hometown opportunity — a legacy-building moment to re-invest Olympic revenue back into our sport and community. That’s why our investor alliance committed a multi-million dollar investment in USA Surfing’s long-term operations to ensure strength and capacity to continue leading on behalf of our surfers,” Sheppard said.
What’s at Stake
Surf Industry Members Association executive director Vipe Desai, whose organization represents surf brands, spoke to what’s at stake for the local economy and surf industry:
“If governance shifts to U.S. Ski, the jobs, training camps, events, and sponsorships that should stay here with our community and sport will be funneled to Park City. Surfing should be led from its home break — by people who live it, know it, and train here every day,” Desai said.
What’s Next
Key decisions will be made in the next month. USA Surfing is completing its USOPC audit, submitting 100+ documents and sharing policies, practices, and financial details. The NGB Certification Review Group will deliberate and review USA Surfing and U.S. Ski’s NGB applications (found here: Surfing’s and Ski’s) and make a recommendation to the USOPC’s Board of Directors who will vote to determine Olympic governance of surfing.
The ISA, the International Olympic Committee’s World Governing authority in surfing, said they will not recognize an NGB that isn’t in the best interest of athletes and the sport. The Stop the Skijack – Keep Surf in Surfing coalition wants to ensure that surfers’ Olympic opportunities are not jeopardized by circumventing federal law and the Olympic charter.
If you would like more information or want to help the Stop the Skijack – Keep Surf in Surfing coalition email: kangacairns@gmail.com
About USA Surfing
USA Surfing is the only U.S. organization recognized by the International Surfing Association to govern all surfing disciplines — shortboard, longboard, SUP, and para surfing. Headquartered at Lower Trestles, the LA28 Olympic surfing venue, USA Surfing has developed nearly every U.S. Olympic surfer to date and remains committed to a surfer-first, community-driven approach to the sport. See what surfers and the surf community had to say about USA Surfing’s NGB application here.
