Salute to Lakey’s Mom!
“In retrospect, missing out on the Olympics was probably why Lakey became a surfer and now an alternate on surfing’s first Olympic team!”
July 19, 1980 would have been the opening ceremonies for the boycotted Olympic Games in Moscow. It was a crushing blow to athletes and sport, but … could be what catapulted Team USA Olympic surf team alternate, Team Toyota athlete and world №3 Lakey Peterson into surfing and a love for the ocean.
When the U.S. boycotted the Russian Olympics, Lakey’s mom Sue Hinderaker Peterson was an All-American at the University of Southern California and held the 50-yard freestyle American record from 1978 to 1980, putting her in a prime position to make the Olympic team.
After the U.S. announced the 1980 Olympic boycott, she pulled out of the Olympic Trials and went to Hawaii for the rest of the school year to try to put things in perspective.
“I was so disillusioned that a boycott could really happen after nearly missing the Montreal Olympic Team in 1976 by .003 at age 16,” Peterson said.
Peterson would train another four years to hopefully make it, but really sees a silver lining to it all.
“In retrospect, missing out on the Olympics was probably why Lakey became a surfer and now an alternate on surfing’s first Olympic team! Because of the boycott, I got to spend time in Hawaii, where my love for the ocean and surfing began and was later shared with Lakey,” Peterson shared.
Hinderaker Peterson also made the 1980 Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest female swimmer at 4.42 miles per hour.
Her athleticism and drive to improve and have fun doing it can be seen in Lakey’s surfing.
Her mom says that given the frequency of injury in surfing, the alternate position on the Olympic team is a valuable role, but it hurt to watch Lakey miss making the team being ranked №3 in the world.
“It’s crazy how I watched my own daughter go through the exact same pain of missing the team by a breath, 40 years later. What I do know is, it doesn’t make you any better or worse of a person. What truly defines you is your character, not your clout.”
USA Surfing CEO Greg Cruse watched Lakey progress as a junior surfer competing in the Team Toyota USA Prime Series.
“A big thank you to Sue for setting such a valuable example of growth through adversity! The nation and sport learned a hard lesson at your expense, yet you never lost sight of what’s most important in life — being the best version of yourself and spreading joy and love,” Cruse said. “Your Olympic contribution in raising Lakey to came just a few years later than expected.”
You can watch world №3 Lakey and her mom at the final Olympic-qualifying WSL event in a new mini-documentary produced by Marie Claire magazine and Newsy.
