Newsworthy: Stephanie Gilmore Proves Surfers Aren't Just Party Animals in CNN Interview

Photo courtesy of ASP.

Leave it to that golden-haired champion of women's surfing Stephanie Gilmore to prove that surfers aren't what Hollywood makes them out to be—in a recent interview with CNN, the 25-year-old Australian and four-time ASP champ explained that, unlike the characters in films like Point Break, not all surfers are washed-up, drugged-up party lovers.

"The biggest misconception about surfers is they all talk the surf lingo," she told CNN's Human to Hero series. "It's probably been 30 years now that it has been a professional sport and it hasn't grown too much. But now it's really turned into this phase where it's about treating the surfers as professional athletes and not just party animals."

Maybe it's just because Steph was the first surfer I ever interviewed, but I think she's a eloquent, poised example of what an athletic role model should be. She's also a dedicated professional, and I think many other female surfers (like Alana Blanchard) are catching onto the idea that surfing is a true sport, and one that takes just as much training and dedication as others. Read the full interview here.

What do you think? Is she right about surfers?