Here comes the judge
Tory Gilkerson has just been named as the first female surfing judge confirmed to work at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. With surfing essentially making its debut appearance to the world through the Olympics, it’s crucial that surfing puts its best foot forward. An international board of directors made their selections carefully, with each country only getting one representative on the judging panel. With such big stakes, it was important to pick the best of the best which speaks to the high quality work that Tory has proven over the past few years.
By Rachael Tilly
“It’s a huge honour having the American flag next to my name when my scores are dropped. I’m so proud to be the only American representative on the panel and am ready to work hard to make sure we put forward the highest quality of competition as possible”
Since I was young, Tory Gilkerson was always a person I looked up to. Being a few years older than me, she was the girl that dominated the amateur surfing scene in California and I remember wanting to win with as much grace and style as she did. Although we have become the best of friends since our amateur surfing days, I still look up to her. In 2016, it was her relaxed style in the water and calm under pressure that led her to win her WSL Longboard World Title. I can still close my eyes and rewatch her winning wave in that final. Her hang 10s were effortless.
With many years more of high results and even a few more potential world titles to come, she decided to retire from competition to pursue a career as a judge. With her name cemented in longboarding history, with a WSL World Title and an ISA Gold Medal under her belt, it became time to fully focus on her next goal of cementing history on the judging side of competition - which didn’t take long.
“I started to lose my passion for competitive surfing. All while that passion was diminishing, my hunger for judging and moving up the ladder only continued to increase. After choosing not to compete in the ISA 2019 Longboard World Championships, they approached me about judging. I had previously judged with ISA for their shortboard competitions so I knew the panel well. I found that I absolutely loved judging longboarding and felt like I was combining my two main passions of longboarding and judging. From there on, there wasn’t much looking back to competition. Longboarding has not had many previous high level longboarder competitors turn to a career of judging so I also feel it’s a bit of my duty now, with how much the sport has given me, to give back and bring my knowledge on longboarding to the table.”
Announcing her ‘official’ retirement at the end of 2019, she then became the only female judge on panel at the last stop of the 2019 WSL Longboard World Tour. The beginning of 2020 only brought more opportunity with her traveling all around the Australiasia region and working her highest WSL event at the Newcastle Surfest.
While the Covid-19 Pandemic has put a halt on international events, there was still plenty to be celebrated with her wedding happening at the end of February to fellow longboard world tour surfer, Jared Neal, and a few days later receiving the official invitation to work as a judge at the Tokyo Olympics.
“The official email came completely out of the blue, I had no idea when to be expecting it. It came right after my wedding as well so I was pretty much walking on Cloud 9. I knew I was one of many judges being considered, but to get the invitation in official writing was a feeling like no other. Surfing has never been a part of the Olympics, so as a judge, the pinnacle of judging was being a judge on the WSL Championship Tour. With the addition of the Olympics, it now adds an additional goal for judges and a new pinnacle to achieve. While this didn’t come easily and I have put a lot of hard work in over the years, I still feel like I’m so early into my judging career and feel so honored to have my work up until now earn me a spot on the Olympic panel.”
Although the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed until the summer of 2021, the judging panel selection will remain the same. Although Tory was meant to be in Tokyo at this moment which brings bittersweet emotions, she assures me that the excitement will only continue to build up over the upcoming year until summer 2021 finally rolls around.
Links: Tory Gilkerson