Via USA Surfing — America’s top junior surfers including 2022 ISA World Surfing Games Gold Medalist Kirra Pinkerton, 2019 ISA World Junior Silver Medalist Zoe Benedetto, and aerial phenoms Taj Lindblad and Cannon Carr, worked with USA Surfing coach Ryan Simmons to launch airs and progressive maneuvers to help in developing a new Microsoft AI surf technology.
These “groms” were joined by seasoned pros like Olympic skateboarder Heimana Reynolds, WSL Ultimate Surfer Brianna Cope, and wave pool specialist and air guru Jacob Szekely, each contributing their own unique styles to produce a wide variety of video clips in developing the AI surf technology.
The AI product is aimed at improving performance while reducing risk through video analysis that breaks down everything from a surfer’s movements to surfboard position to the motion and shape of waves ridden.
Movement analysis and attention to proper technique are increasingly important in addressing body position and training patterns that lead to injury.
“USA Surfing and Microsoft are teaming up to use AI technology in ways that capture joint and movement patterns to improve performance and prevent injury,” said USA Surfing CEO Brandon Lowery.
“Under the spotlight of the Olympic stage, surfing is experiencing exciting new breakthroughs in science and tech that are helping to carve its future.”
On the heels of American surfing’s Gold Medal Olympic debut in Tokyo and recent clinch of a coveted bonus Olympic spot for Paris 2024, surfing is experiencing more worldwide attention than it has ever known.
Specialists in fields such as nutrition, psychology, body mechanics, orthopedics and artificial intelligence are working with USA Surfing to push the sport’s performances to new levels.
The Social Standard partnered with USA Surfing in hosting the Waco Surf event, overseeing influencer marketing and sponsorships.
“We wanted to create an event that drew attention to the sport because of the increase in wave pools around the country and the potential to bring the sport to exponentially more people and places, said Dylan Conroy, Chief Revenue Officer, The Social Standard. “It is an exciting time for surfing which is now more available to a growing number of surfers, some who will eventually represent us in competitions as high profile as the Olympics.”