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RETURN TO FLIGHT:
JOSH WILSON OVERCOMES PAST AND ASCENDS TO NEW HEIGHTS
By Mike Fish
Twenty six-year-old Josh Wilson stands in the warm sand at Patrick Air Force Base, FL. "It doesn't look too good out there," he says, "but I gotta get wet." The waves are hardly breaking, but Josh hits the water running. He paddles past the inside whitewash and sits waiting for a set.
In the early to mid-'90s, Josh was widely regarded as one of the most promising young surfers to ever emerge from the East Coast in the post-Kelly Slater era. Garnering three back-to-back U.S. Championships and four NSSA National titles, the Cocoa Beach, FL, native's nickname "The Rocket," was earned as much for his quick ascension up the competitive ranks as it was for his insane speed in the water. But pressure, temptation, and indulgence quickly squandered his success, and he disappeared from the surf scene entirely for several years. He was MIA until 2001, when he began a three-year prison sentence. That time locked up was the rock bottom of a half-decade downward spiral of self-abuse and addiction.
Despite his troubled past, watching him in the water--a peaceful buoy on a limitless horizon--those tribulations seem well behind him. Today, he's found spiritual rebirth, a reunion with the sea, and a dedication as a surf coach helping the next generation learn from both his mistakes and victories. Late this spring, ESM spoke with Josh about his fallen dreams and rising hopes.
ESM: What is your earliest surfing memory?
JW: My dad pushing me into waves on his longboard at 8th Street South in Cocoa Beach. I was a little scared at first, but I was really excited to be out there.
ESM: You were considered a top Eastside prospect in the '90's. Talk about expectations, both your own and those of the people around you.
JW: My goal was to make a living surfing. I wanted to be World Champ. People were always saying, "You're going to be the next Kelly Slater." I did well in contests at an early age, and everyone put a lot of pressure on me. Of course, they had the best intentions. They were just trying to help me do everything I could to move my career forward. And seeing I had talent, my Pops obviously wanted me to be the best I could.
ESM: Are the demands parents are putting on their kids these days to be future champions too heavy?
JW: A lot of times, parents live their personal dreams vicariously through their kids. But that totally takes the love out of it. They forget the reasons why their kids started surfing: to have fun and to be around their friends doing what they love.
ESM: Where is the line drawn between negative and positive support?
JW: Kids these days tend to be lazy, so it's good to push them. But you can also brow beat the shit out of them, when you humiliate them in front of other kids and parents. And that's where the line is drawn. When the parents start screaming at their kids on the beach, it becomes all about winning or losing. Everybody has bad heats and bad days. The positive way is by just encouraging. Win or lose, you have to show love.
ESM: Besides that type of pressure, what else contributed to pushing you away from the sport?
JW: I started drinking, smoking weed, and hanging out at strip bars at a really early age. I thought I was cool because I was getting attention. That boosted my ego and gave me a false confirmation to keep doing what I was doing. For a while, my raw talent got me results. But that can only take you so far--you need dedication and practice. While everyone else my age was practicing, I was selling drugs and getting wasted. So they passed me up, and I stopped surfing.
ESM: You left Florida for a while and moved inland, right?
JW: I moved to a place called Greenville, TN. I had an aunt and uncle who lived there and took me in. I had to get away from Cocoa Beach because I had nothing to do, nowhere to stay, and selling dope had become just doing dope. I woke up one morning, and I weighed 115 pounds. I was malnourished and could barely walk from all the drugs.
ESM: Did things get better when you left?
JW: Unfortunately not. I was strung out and still getting wasted all the time. I couldn't figure out how to stop. That's the worst feeling in the world, but I was too prideful to ask for help. Back then, it made me physically sick to look at a surf magazine, because I'd see what I had lost.
ESM: How long did that last?
JW: About six years. It just got progressively worse. Like I said, I couldn't ask for help because I thought that would be a sign of weakness. I didn't want all the people from my past to see me how I was.
ESM: What made you stop?
JW: I came back to Cocoa Beach, and within three days I was arrested for resisting arrest with violence and possession. I got into a bad fight with a police officer. At that point, I was drinking and coming down from a three-day Valium bender. I spent the next three years in jail.
ESM: What did you learn while in prison?
JW: You have to live every day like it's your last. But living life to the fullest doesn't mean raising hell. It means dedicating your life to being the best person you can and going after your dreams.
ESM: What was the first thing you did when you got out?
JW: I got out in November 2004, and the first thing I did was drink beer. I was wasted for the first two weeks I was out. But I woke up one day, looked in the mirror, and said, "What am I doing? This is exactly what got me into the place I didn't want to be in before." So I checked myself into detox at Circles of Care here in Brevard. I spent 30 days in rehab and five months in a halfway house. Then I returned to life.
ESM: How do you deal with sobriety today?
JW: None of this would be possible without God being number one in my life. He definitely kept me around for a reason. I believe that reason is to help others: to show others that you can go the wrong way or the right way. But even if you go the wrong way, you can still make something right out of your life.
ESM: Did you also have a reunion with the waves?
JW: Yeah, it was after those five months in the halfway house. I borrowed a buddy's longboard and paddled out. It was the first time I'd surfed since before prison. To be back in the water, it was just the most peaceful feeling on earth. I took it for granted for so many years, but my original love of surfing totally came back.
ESM: What other natural feelings have replaced the artificial highs?
JW: After everything I've been through, some of the best highs I've had have been sober: the day that I rededicated my life to the Lord, the day I got married to my wife Amy, the first day I paddled back out, the day I started coaching the Cape Surf teamriders.
ESM: What drew you to coaching, and what do you hope to share through it?
JW: Surfing in competition was always my first love. I want to pass on the things I took for granted. I try to get kids to hear the things I didn't listen to. Along with the things not to do, I try to teach them things they should do. I want to teach them how to be good competitors. The two kids I work with on a consistent basis are Tyler Thornsley and Savannah Bradley. They're amazing kids with great attitudes, and both sets of parents are super supportive. Their parents help cement things I coach. It's been such a huge blessing for me to have their families in my life, especially considering my past.
ESM: What's your approach to training?
JW: I believe in cross-training. We meet about three days a week. When there are waves, we surf for hours. We run mock heats. I coach them in the water, and then I critique their video footage. But when it's flat, we meet at the beach to stretch, run, sprint, paddle, do push-ups and sit-ups... I think it's very important to train physically when there aren't any waves. That can take someone to the next level.
ESM: Where would you like to take your coaching, and do you have any plans to give competition a stab again yourself?
JW: I want to keep working with the kids I'm coaching now. Maybe down the road, I can expand--whether it be working with other teams, or forming my own. As for me, I'm going to surf a full season of ESA and NSSA contests, as well as a few selective pro events. Hopefully, I'll pick up a few sponsors again. (Update: As of press time, ESM learned Wilson picked up sponsorship with Viking Surfboards.)
ESM: What is your most recent surfing memory?
JW: Surfing with Tyler and Savannah one weekday morning at Patrick. It was a fun little chest-high day. We got in the water at 6:00 a.m. and were the only ones out. Afterwards, I went to work, and the kids went to school. It was the perfect way to start a day.
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Interview
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