THE OLD COLLEGE TRY:
FRESHLY DEGREE-ED AND EXTREMELY DETERMINED, LINDSEY BALDWIN EXPLAINS WHY SHE'S THIS YEAR'S WQS HONOR STUDENT  

By Matt Walker/ Surfing Magazine 

She's blonde. She's from north of Sebastian. She a former ESA champ-turned-WQS charger. And she's not Karina Petroni. 

Jersey Girl. Photo: Mez

So why the hell are we just now hearing about Lindsey Baldwin?  

Well, the truth is: we're not. Up until about five years ago, Lindsey--along with her sister Marcie--was one of Florida's top prospects for a shining professional career. Then she just disappeared. Not in a drug-addled haze of overexposure. But for an even more surprising reason: to stay in school. "My plan all along was to finish college first," she explains. "I even overloaded myself with classes my junior and senior year, so I could charge the 'QS as soon as possible, without feeling too old to start." 

You see, smart women like Baldwin know the surf industry is still an old boys club that usually chases a chick for a few months then forgets her faster than a frat boy on roofies. So she backed herself up with the tools for success in the outside world before diving back into the contest scene, giving herself a short period of opportunity to either make the WCT or make her way elsewhere.  

The result is a first-year frenzy of globetrotting and grueling heats--not to mention the second best WQS rating on the mainland. At press time, Lindsey was ranked 11th, just two spots and 332 points behind Petroni--and ahead of every other American media darling from Holly Beck and Erica Hosseini to Florida homegirl Connie Arias. With one event to go in Hawaii, we quizzed the 23-year-old tour freshman to find out just what got this competitive dropout back in the honors program.

ESM: Why such a big push this year? Was it because you started well with that quarterfinal finish at Sebastian in January?
LB: No, this has been my plan for a while. I've given myself a two-year goal to make the 'CT, so pushing as hard as I can is the only way to do it. I actually started doing the Huntington events about a year ago, but this is my first year doing the 'QS full-time since I finished school at the University of North Florida last August.  

ESM: Obviously your goal is to qualify, but are you also trying to build a seed for next year?
LB: Definitely. Having only surfed three events last year, I finished somewhere in the 60's, so I usually ended up in Round of 60 or 48 in each event. I had hoped to make the 'CT this year, but with a stronger seed and a little experience under my belt, I hope I can produce the results I need for next year. Those early rounds are always the most difficult anyway, and I think having those out of the way will help my results a bit.  

ESM: Is it true your dad sold the shop (Inlet Charley's) to help with your push?
LB: Ha! No way! My dad sold the shop before I decided to do the tour. I think he did it so my mom could chill out and not have to worry about the stress anymore. I'm sure, however, if he hadn't done it, I wouldn't have been able to surf almost every event this year. I'm so thankful I have such supportive parents. 

ESM: Who else is supporting you on your run this year?
LB: I am still struggling for sponsors at this point, but it looks like I'm going to be riding for Oakley Eyewear by '07. Surfing has been the easy part. Finding sponsors has been the challenging part.  

ESM: You're definitely surfing well. Right now, you're the second highest-rated mainland American. Did you expect to have such a strong season?
LB: I had high hopes for myself, but I didn't think I would do this well. 

ESM: Probably your standout result so far was that 13th at the U.S. Open, a 6-star. You actually did better than any of the more recognized East Coast girls--why?
LB: I'm not sure why I did so well in Huntington. The surf was small, and we're all used to small surf, growing up on the East Coast. I just really needed a good result at the Open to try and move up a few spots in the ratings, so I was really determined not to shut down in early rounds. But I actually consider my February result in Florianopolis my best showing; it was a 4-star and I ended up in 5th. Plus, I'd have to say that was the event I started really having fun with the tour and surfing heats.  

ESM: On the other hand, you lost first round at the ECSC (East Coast Surfing Championships), which you won in 2004. What happened?
LB: I guess it had a little bit to do with the fact that I didn't go to the ECSC [laughs]. I hear if you don't show up they tend not to advance you to the next round. Seriously, though, I had literally stepped off the plane from Brazil and would have had to get in the car and drive 12 hours alone. The points just weren't worth it. I actually called the contest director and told him to give my slot away because I wasn't going to show up. Come to think of it, I have had a few people asking what happened in Virginia Beach, and I wasn't sure what they were talking about. I might have to ask them politely to correct that 4th into an "n/s" on the results page.

"Call me sometime when you... have no class." Lindsey dialing into the WQS. Photo: Jimbo

ESM: There's only one event left--a 6-star at Haleiwa--which you need to win to even think about qualifying. Are you nervous?
LB: Considering I've never surfed Hawaii before, I am a little nervous. I know I don't have the big-wave training that most of the girls have, but I'm a crammer, so to speak. I'm going out early and training as much as my body can take. I surf four hours, at least, every day that it's rideable. Then I lift weights--upper body one day, lower body the next. I'm also running to get in some cardio. Then, a few weeks before I leave, I'll read up on all the spots and study photos, so I can be as book smart as possible before I go for the real deal. Plus, my dad has big-wave experience, so I sit and listen to him and just take notes. If the other girls can do it, I can do it. 

ESM: A lot of competitors' success seems to stem from their crew. Are you traveling with any girls in particular?
LB: It all depends upon the event, but I usually end up running with Holly Beck or some of the Aussies like Jessi Miley-Dyer or Laurina McGrath. (Editor's note: at press time, Jessi was ranked 1st, Laurina 17th, and Holly 18th; Baldwin was 11th, almost a perfect average of the other three.) 

ESM: Those are certainly three well-known surfers, and the girls spotlight is much smaller. Do you feel like something of an underdog?
LB: Definitely, but I am slowly becoming more known to the surfing world. I guess the underdog position is a good one to have at this point, simply because I don't get hassled quite as much, because no one knows who I am. 

ESM: Karina's obviously the most recognized East Coast girl right now. How is y'all's relationship?
LB: We're acquaintances. Other than that, there's quite an age difference between us, so our travel methods are a bit different.

ESM: Does it feel good to have done better than her at the U.S. Open?
LB: Only because that's the first question everyone always seems to ask me: "Did you beat Karina?" There's no rivalry between us, so it really didn't faze me. I just concentrate on how well I do, not who I beat in the process.  

ESM: Still, you've got to get some push out of beating bigger names.
LB: Definitely. I hope to be a big name someday, and that's the only way to do it. 

ESM: Speaking of big names, are you getting any encouragement from former world champs like Frieda or Lisa?
LB: Frieda's been awesome. I've had the opportunity to travel with her, and she's shared some of her workout programs with me and just really been a great role model. 

ESM: It's funny you say "role model." Frieda's a perfect example of how thankless women's surfing can be. She left the tour a pretty disgruntled four-time World Champ. Why do it?
LB: I love it and I know I have the talent. Plus, when I finished college, it was either get a real job sitting behind a desk or go surfing. I had worked my ass off in school, and it was time to go surf. I think I'll wait to sit behind a desk --at least as long as I can.

ESM: What if you don't qualify next year? Any chance you'll pull another timeless college move and extend your two-year plan by a year or so?
LB: Maybe if I have a solid sponsor by that point. Otherwise, I doubt it. I don't want to drop off the tour in the near future, but without more support, it's inevitable. I work way too hard to be making a negative profit. Granted, an office job would not be nearly as exciting, and not that I'm in it for the money, but I have to have the freedom to live well and do what I want. I'll go where the money is. College taught me that much.