Surfing
The San Clemente native arrives on the North Shore with a fresh perspective and competitive mission in 2023.
Griffin Colapinto’s unique and aggressive style in the water bodes well for the conditions for Pipeline. His sights are set on his goals, which are to “Qualify for the Olympics, make the top five, win the world title and win three CT events,” states Colapinto. As America’s highest-ranked male surfer from last year, and runner-up in the recent Vans Pipe Masters, he carries a ton of momentum heading into the new season.
Griffin’s remarkable ability to absorb information earned him the nickname “Sponge” from his former coach Jake Paterson. “I don’t let any good advice go untaken,” laughs Griffin, “I put it into practice.” His two-month stint on the North Shore of Oahu in the ‘off-season’ is a testament to his desire to stay sharp over the break. Despite calling Hawaii a “home away from home,” Griffin made strategic errors that cost him results in the opening two events last season. “Those mistakes that I made in my heats last year are pretty much imprinted in my brain now. That's a good thing, I learned a lot. Now I'm just going out with a bit more of a purpose, having more of a task that I'm trying to accomplish with a certain goal in mind,” he continues.
More impressive, however, was the way Griffin bounced back after a disappointing Hawaii run. “I told myself in Portugal: I’m not making those mistakes ever again, and all my decision-making during the contest felt really good.” Griffin caught fire, scored the first 10 of the season, then took out the event over an in-form John Florence. It was the first CT victory of his career, cementing him in the top five conversation.
“Looking ahead, it's really exciting to have John (Florence) and Gabriel (Medina) back this year. I feel like a lot of us improved a lot in 2022. So it'll be interesting to see how we go in head-to-head matchups with these guys now.” As a side note, there was a bit of a generational shift on tour last year with new faces like Ethan Ewing, Jack Robinson and Griffin all achieving maiden CT victories. “Seeing fresh faces do well gets me super psyched," Colaptino says. "I love it, because it makes us all believe in ourselves more. If one of our peers does it, then we're like, I can do it too, you know?”
Now there’s another carrot to chase: making the Olympics in Paris 2024. When asked, ‘What holds more weight? An Olympic gold or a World Title?’ Griffin responded, “That's a good question. I still think a World Title. The World Title is against all of the best guys in the world. The Olympics include some of the best guys, just not all of them.”
In his spare time Griffin’s been working on growing his YouTube channel, ‘Cola Bros’ which he co-produces with his brother Crosby. Since starting it in 2020, it has quickly become regarded as one of the best channels for quality surf content amongst surfing’s core community. “It’s mostly a creative outlet,” he explains, but it also reveals his colorful and affable character outside a jersey. "DNA: The Colapinto Brothers" which documents his sibling rivalry with Crosby took out ‘Best Film’ at the 2022 Florida Surf Film Festival.
“I’m excited to see what we can achieve together this season,” says Colapinto on his new spot on the Red Bull roster. Griffin joins fellow Red Bull athletes Carissa Moore, Italo Ferreira, Kanoa Igarashi, Jordy Smith, Kolohe Andino, Molly Picklum, Caity Simmers and Jack Robinson on the Championship Tour in 2023.
The waiting period for the Pipe Masters event begins on Sunday, January 29. You can watch the event live at WorldSurfLeague.com/Watch.
