How Do Elite Athletes Adapt During the Pandemic

One thing we all share in common is that this worldwide pandemic has thrown off everyone's routine in one way or another. But what do you do when your career revolves around being in elite shape. Surfing big waves is one of the most dangerous and physically demanding sports in the world.

Your physical condition can literally be the difference between life or death. So what happens when something like Covid-19 hits and your routine is immediately shut-down? This is what happened to COR Surf team rider Paige Alms.

Paige resides in Maui and her workout routine is critical to her job as a big wave surfer. Paige is a 3 time big wave world champion and is always ready when the swell hits Peahi. If you’ve never heard of Peahi(otherwise known as Jaws) it's a world renown big wave spot.  This is where big wave surfers from around the world congregate in the winter when big Northwest swells hit the coast of Maui. One of the most consistent and heaviest big wave spots in the world, Jaws is where the worlds best big wave surfers go when the swell is on.

Being able to surf Jaws takes years of hard work and dedication. Even some of the best competitive surfers in the world won’t surf Jaws. It takes a certain type of person, and also serious, year-round training. If you aren’t sure how difficult it can be, try holding your breath for a full minute while doing push-ups. Most big wave surfers can hold their breath for over 5 minutes when calm, but that’s an entirely different story when you are paddling for your life to catch a 50 foot wave. With the combination of physical exertion and adrenaline sucking oxygen at a rapid pace, there's no room for error. It takes mental and physical preparation and the training is 365 days a year.

When Covid-19 hit, Paige's gym was forced to close.  Where there was once a community pushing each-other on a daily basis to push the limits, were suddenly cut-off. 

This didn't stop Paige though, within weeks, Paige and her crew at Deep to Peak arranged zoom classes so they could all keep each other motivated. Another perk of living in Hawaii is that the beaches didn’t close down. Paige was able to keep surfing and foiling. Also, lucky for her, there was some amazing late season swell during the quarantine. She set up a pull-up bar in her garage and an area in her house to work-out and created her own program to maintain conditioning. Her trusty COR Surf travel Towel came in handy for all those sweaty floor exercises and the COR Surf Tie down straps allowed her to strap her foil board to her jetski so she could head out to ride the swell.

The great thing about the COR Surf straps is they have a silicon coating so they don’t damage or scratch the jetski. One thing is certain, when the first swell of the year hits Jaws, Paige will be ready!