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Most professional sports these days are a closed shop. The elite ranks are filled with people who have claimed their slot with a hard to replicate alchemy of rare talent, single-minded focus, sponsorship, coaching, family support and luck. Gone are the days when some of the world’s best competitors worked regular jobs and trained on the side, or the every day Joe could have a lash and pull off the impossible win. Such romanticised tales of underdog overachievement belong to ‘Rocky’ scripts and a different time, or at least they did until 27-year-old North Shore lifeguard and father, Luke Shepardson, outshone an illustrious big wave cast to claim the 2023 Eddie Aikau Invitational. Shepardson grew up on the North Shore, regularly skipping school when the waves were good, hopeful that the truancy might help fast-track a pro-surfing career. While he earned a couple of wildcards in to major events like the Pipe Masters and cemented a rep as a big-wave maverick on the North Shore, Shepardson failed to crack the competitive scene and took up a job as a NorthShore lifeguard, just like Eddie Aikau (who also had a capricious relationship with surfing contests).

It’s been widely reported that when The Eddie was called on, cool-hand-Luke was rostered on Lifeguard duty. Thankfully, an understanding skipper gave him time out to chase down a couple of horizon blackeners at The Bay. By day’s end Shepardson was the 10th winner of surfing’s most prestigious big-wave event and US $10 000 richer. The kid who’d once regularly skipped school had no intention of dodging work though. “I’ve got to get back to the tower,” Shepardson said after a brief celebration. “I got to get back to the tower to make sure everyone is OK until the end of the day.” Eddie would have been proud.

This is from the pages of our new mag ‘Issue 590’, which is on stands now, available for purchase online, or click here to subscribe and read all of
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