Getting to Know USA Surfing Executive Director Becky Fleischauer Jewell
USA Surfing’s board of directors named Becky Fleischauer Jewell to be USA Surfing’s executive director. The announcement applauds “Becky’s strong track record working with some of the most successful nonprofits in the nation. She has been working for us on and off over the last several years behind the scenes, including leading USA Surfing’s media and communications for surfing’s 2021 Olympic debut. She is a quiet force with strong relationships, diplomacy and knowledge of surfing from both an insider and outsider perspective.”
We asked her some get-to-know-you questions about her experience and plans for the future.
Q. Congrats on USA Surfing’s board of directors voting to make you the organization’s executive director. How do you feel?
A. I am honored to take on this opportunity at a key time in surfing’s development — the progression in youth surfing is incredible. I’ve been working part time behind the scenes and have been offering suggestions over several years, so I guess it’s put up or shut up time ha ha. Seriously there is so much potential for USA Surfing.
The surf industry is going through some massive shifts, shedding mainstay sponsorships. USA Surfing can and should be a constant source of support at this time with the best coaches, positive competition experiences, and stoke. I thank the new board for this exciting opportunity. I have done well with my business and clients, and this is a good time to give back to a sport that has given me and my family so much.
Q. Say more about that. What has surfing meant to you and your family?
A. I grew up in the Midwest in a farming community where the ocean and surfing were inconceivable. I loved water, became a lifeguard, swim instructor, and with the help of the town’s pool director started a swim team. But it would take until I was in my late 30’s and a mom before my husband and I pushed our boys into their first waves during a New Jersey summer vacation. There’s nothing like it. It is such a gift. A few years later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and we moved to the beach full time. We needed the ocean. Now we can’t imagine a life without it, moved to California, and take our boys on as many surf trips as possible.
My sons have been all over the world surfing and have made lifelong friends in the water. Our oldest son is on UCSD’s college surf team and our youngest just started competing in World Surf League Qualifying Series and junior tour events.
I loved what 2021 Olympic surfer Kolohe Andino said about what surfing means to him and all the young surfers who look up to him. He urged surfers not to let a bad heat or comp ruin a sport that gives them so much happiness, solace and lifelong friendships. As a parent, I think that’s so important.
Obviously competition and continually raising the performance bar is a core part of USA Surfing’s work, but we must never lose sight of, and honestly capitalize on and enhance the fun and friendship factors. Plus… the most elite surfers will tell you that when they surf happy and free, they surf better!
To be clear, I by no means rip myself, but have been blessed to see and share so much incredible surfing. I live in Oceanside and on any given day at the harbor, pier, or Lowers you will see some of the best surfers in the world. I saw Caroline Marks win her first WSL world title, the 2019 ISA World Surfing Games team of Carissa Moore, Caroline, Courtney, Kelly Slater, Kolohe, and Connor Coffin win silver in Miyazaki, and the most special day — Carissa Moore winning surfing’s first Olympic Gold Medal in crazy Chiba conditions and then accompanying her on her marathon Gold Medal media tour where she represented her sport and Hawaii with such power, grace, class, and Aloha.
Surfers are such exceptional athletes and humans. I’m looking forward to creating a strong platform to celebrate and support them.
Q. What are some of your plans for USA Surfing’s future?
A. I want to build on action taken by the board of directors to create a flatter, more responsive, accountable, collaborative, financially sound nonprofit. That’s core.
With that solid foundation, USA Surfing is in a position to evolve and deliver more value for our surfers. For example, surfers will benefit from our proven successful coaching staff led by Ryan Simmons and assisted by Asher Nolan. USA Surfing did something new this year, and broadened its coaching/leadership pool by bringing on former WSL CT veteran Courtney Conlogue to co-coach in Brazil with Asher at the ISA World Junior Championship Games. The athletes loved having Courtney’s firsthand expertise, having surfed her first ISA comp at just 11 years old, and it was a definite boost to the Silver Medal they won. I look forward to continuing to expand and strengthen our coaching program.
Our para surfers deserve much more support and celebration. In 2023, they continued to dominate on the world stage, breaking world records, winning medals, and doing it mostly on their own. They all have incredible stories, and put in intense hours of training and preparing in and out of the water. A board member had a great idea to have more joint trainings and development events.
The board will be creating working groups on several key areas related to USA Surfing’s growth and impact, including sponsorship opportunities, athlete performance and competition development, membership and partnerships, media and marketing, and gaining feedback from a parent advisory committee.
The USA Surfing Prime Series and USA Championships at Lowers have been valuable opportunities to prepare the next generation of our surfers for the highest level of competition. It has been a stepping stone, a proving ground, and a front row seat for the future of surfing-turning out greats like Caroline Marks, Kolohe Andino, Griffin Colapinto, Courtney Conlogue, Lakey Peterson, Kanoa Igarashi, and Caity Simmers. Just this year, to cement USA Surfing’s role in producing elite level champions, we saw four new American men and two new women qualify for the WSL Championship Tour: Crosby Colapinto, Cole Houshmand, Kade Matson, and returning tour surfer Jake Marshall along with Alyssa Spencer and Sawyer Lindblad all cut their teeth in Prime Series, Champs, and ISA World competitions.
I will be working with our sponsors, coach Ryan, Andrea and the competition development working group to make advances that give our surfers the best opportunities to prepare and gain competitive advantage. There are opportunities for sponsors to support webcasts for the Prime Series, Championship at Lowers, Para Surf trainings and comps to grow our fan base and allow more people to watch top talents.
Surfers would benefit from more partnerships and engagement in Hawaii with events, trainings, environmental education, and celebrations of surfing’s heritage. Carissa’s Moore Aloha Foundation, the DeSoto’s Nā Kama Kai, and Kupu Hawaii to name a few have so much to offer.
Just in the past year, there are so many things to celebrate and build upon –
· The U.S. is the only country in the world to be going into the 2024 Olympics with the first Olympic woman Gold Medalist Carissa Moore, the WSL World champ Caroline Marks and the only country in the world to win a third Olympic spot for women on the 2024 team for Caity Simmers.
· Our under 18’s won ISA World Junior Championship team Silver, and USA Surfing team alumni are part of what Surfer magazine called America’s “Delta Force” on the World Surf League Championship Tour (Kade Matson, Cole Houshmand, Eli Hanneman, Alyssa Spencer, and Sawyer Lindblad)
· USA’s Para Surfers won team Silver and individual Gold for Alana Nichols, who set world-record high scores with an insane barrel.
· SUP racers Connor Baxter and Candice Appleby continued their run of PanAm dominance. Maui SUP surfer Zane Schweitzer brought home a Gold Medal just months after devastating fires ravaged his community.
· U.S. longboarders are some of the most stylish and impressive in the world.
There are a lot of people I need to listen and learn from at the outset and ongoing. I’m grateful to have a strong network of smart connected people to work with. The potential for growth and impact is so clear. I’m looking forward to getting started.
