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Kristen Magelssen: Family roots, humility keeps her strong.
Passion for surfing, keeps her on top.By Kimberly Lehano
Kristen Malia Tsuya Magelssen can definitely say she's not in Kansas anymore. This sharp and talented 19 year old, born on December 16 in Fort Riley, Kansas, surfs to live and lives to inspire. This 2005 Kaiser High School graduate is a surfer who keeps her outlook on life grounded, and rooted in Hawaii. Hawaii wasn't where she was born, but where she fell in love with the ocean and later, surfing. “Despite the fact that we lived on the mainland for seven years while my dad was completing his training to be an Emergency Room physician, my parents always knew they wanted to move back to Hawaii to raise my older sisters and myself,” says Magelssen. She is grateful for their eventual move to the islands when she was five years old, as were her parents, for the melting pot that Hawaii provided. “Our parents thought it would be great to raise us in a place with so many culture, foods, and people, but especially the ocean,” recalls Magelssen. “I was basically raised in Hawaii because we moved back here when I was five years old,” continues Magelssen.
When the youngest of three sisters (Noelle-27, Marie-25, and Joy-22) is asked when she can first remember surfing, she admits she can't even recall. “I honestly don't remember the very first time I actually went surfing, but I know that my dad started to take me out when I was about six or seven,” remembers Magelssen. She recalls of stories of her father's youth as told to her by himself. “When my dad was in high school, he was literally a beach bum with long bleach blonde hair down to his shoulders . . . he always had a strong love for surfing and the ocean. He wanted to share one of his favorite hobbies with his daughter to give us a taste,” says Magelssen. Its not a guaranteed thing for parents when they encourage their children to take part in what they themselves once enjoyed and still take a part in. Luckily for the elder Mr. Magelssen, Kristen, along with all of her older sisters, took that love of his as a part of their own lives. “ . . . when he started to take all of us out not only was I hooked but all of my sisters were too. It kind of evolved into a family sport. It was something my family could do and enjoy together and one of the mottos we formed was ‘a family that surfed together stays together,'” beams Magelssen. She happily recalls of moments where she was too scared to ride on her own and her father was there to give her that boost of confidence she needd. “I was really little and too scared to ride the waves by myself; so my dad and I would tandem surf (when two people ride on one board) at Waikiki all the time and he would pick me up so I could stand on his shoulders,” says Magelssen.
Beach girls turned surfers, Kristen and her sisters became familiar with the beaches on Waikiki and eventually were “hanai'd” by the famous Waikiki “Beach Boys.” “My mom felt safe just dropping us off in the morning and leaving us there until the afternoon because they (beach boys) would watch out for all of us,” says Magelssen. Not too shabby “babysitters” for these young girls. In time; Magelssen started riding on her own at about seven years old; and with practice, Magelssen perfected her craft, and entered her very first surf contest when she was about nine years old, the Rell Sunn Menehune Contest. She lovingly shares memories of the late Rell Sunn. “My family was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet Rell Sunn. She encouraged us (my sisters and I) to enter the contest, and she entered all of us in for free,” says Magelssen. She remembers Rell radiating with the type of personality she would never forget. “She was such a genuinely nice and giving person, with such a good heart, inspiring all of those around her,” says Magelssen. Something she told Magelssen is a phrase that sticks with her to this day. “She told my sisters and I to ‘always have fun,' and I have strived to maintain that perspective of surfing and never let competition take the fun out of surfing,” says Magelssen. Her mother even echoed that when raising the Magelssens. “Whenever me or any of my sisters were really grumpy my mom would always make us go surfing, I mean, literally she would tell us to go surfing and tell us to leave the house because she knew that when we would come back we would be in a better mood,” recalls Magelssen. However, it was Rell Sunn's example which stood out to Magelssen. “Here she was (Rell Sunn) in her final stages of breast cancer and she was still giving and inspiring all of those around her,” recalls Magelssen. She decided to heed Sunn's words and have fun with the sport, regardless of the outcome. Although she didn't win that first contest, Magelssen took those wise words to heart, and soon, her surfing skills would take shape. Literally. Her first victory came in Lahaina, Maui, and the rest, they say, is history. Surfing soon became an integral part of Magelssen's daily life. Along with her sister, Joy, the two younger Magelssens began competing in many different contests (HASA Series, which led to the state and national competitions, China Uemura's, Local Motion Surf Into Summer, etc.), and started to devote her summers and even winters, to surfing. Thus began the traveling-surf life for Magelssen. “I have had some really great experiences and have met wonderful people from all walks of life . . . I have traveled to California multiple times, the island of Tavarua in Fiji to surf, and France last year to compete in a contest with my sister Joy,” says Magelssen.
So just what else does this surfing-phenom do other than surfing? Build her future, on solid ground. Magelssen just completed her second year studying Art Education, at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where she feels she has truly grown in so many ways, due to the parental guidance she received to “go away for school.” “My parents really encouraged my sister's and I to go away to college for our first year because we could always come back home later. I am very thankful for that because I was able to grow in a lot more ways than if I stayed in Hawaii,” says Magelssen. While one may think she misses the water too much when she's in school, according to Magelssen, she copes and tries to adjust by staying as busy as possible. “I did at times miss the water but Utah has so many out door activities I was able to try new things because there is a lot more to life than just surfing. Ever since I have gone away to school I have not gotten back into competition but I still surf all summer long as much as I can,” says Magelssen. Taken from her family and friends, Magelssen needed to make those all-too important decisions and make the best of a different situation. “Attending BYU during my first year was definitely an adjustment because Utah has such a different culture and climate but I was able to adjust and I realized I am going to get what I put into it so I might as well make the best of it while I am here and I was able to have a really enjoyable experience and make a lot of really good friends,” says an upbeat Magelssen.
So while surfing may not always be in Magelssen's plans for a day while attending college on the mainland, she keeps what she was told growing up in the back of her mind for her summers and life in general. “My mom always says in Hawaii you don't need a very big house because you just play all day and only really sleep in your house at night,” says Magelssen. She definitely took those words of advice while growing up in the islands and adapted it where she saw fit. Keeping busy; whether hiking, adding to her very large shell collection, making jewelry, painting or doing other crafts, hanging out with friends and family and just enjoying “yummy food,” Magelssen is a product of never getting bored with life. Embracing new things and treasuring the old, Magelssen realizes that her childhood sports-gymnastics, soccer, swimming on the swim team, diving, and track (pole vaulting), all in some way have contributed to her conditioning for surfing. It was her parents' strict academic rule which kept Magelssen and her sisters on track. “During the school year we would probably surf at least three times a week. My parents had this rule when we entered high school that we had to maintain at least a 3.5 or above grade point average or we couldn't surf on weekdays,” says Magelssen. Apparently, that rule worked. “I never broke it, and it helped me realize the importance of education and being able to set other goals and accomplish them,” says a grateful Magelssen. Magelssen even received a scholarship, from excelling academically, which she owes to her parents. “My parents have always been really supportive in our surfing career or progression, but have always made sure that we keep our heads on straight by reminding us to keep our priorities in order such as family and our religion first and then school, friends, and surfing after,” states Magelssen.
Having sisters who shares her love doesn't hurt, either. “It has been really fun to have sisters that always surf, especially my sister Joy. We have always been really good friends, and have helped and supported each other in surfing,” says Magelssen. Magelssen is quick, yet humble to point out that she believes her sister Joy is, in fact, the better surfer. She even goes so far to suggest that Joy is the “best girl longboarder there is today.”
So although this pro is young, she has a solid view of what she needs to do to become and remain successful, both in the water and on land. Her humility and willingness to learn and adapt, however, is something as commendable as her awards and medals, and the reasons for her motivation speak wisdom far beyond her youth. “ I think that something that helps to motivate me is just knowing who I am and who I can potentially be because it helps me to keep striving to progress in this life. Everyone has so much that they can offer into this world and surfing and the ocean in general is a great place to get my energy out and relieve any stress, I guess you could say it helps to heal me internally. Surfing has not only become one of the main sports in my life but a lifestyle. The ocean is such a great place for kids and families and can offer so much,” says Magelssen.