It is raining, cold, and pumping in San Diego. Kolton Sullivan, a seventeen year old surfer at San Juan Hills is paddling back out towards me. Taking a break from competitions, he opts to free surf in the pouring rain.

I decided to sit down and talk to Sullivan about his year over a warm cup of coffee.

“It was hip and happening,” said Kolton. The surf team killed it this season, winning leagues and heading into states defending champions. Good times and many fond memories were had this season.

Alongside surfing in school competitions, Kolton especially loves munching on food graciously brought by surf team parents. Much love to Mama Reckinger, the team Mom.

Kolton isn’t all about competing. There’s more to this athlete. “He’s something else, man” said Mr. Sullivan, Kolton’s loving Dad who drives him to daily surf sessions.

He is heavily influenced by Christian Fletcher, the godfather of aerial surfing, and seeks to align himself with the sensation. “Anyone who surfs has to have a deeper meaning to it. It just can’t be ‘Oh I’m going to be a pro surfer, bro.’ There has to be something else, ” said Kolton.

Following in his predecessors footsteps, Kolton acknowledges the surf-skate connection. Skateboarding and surfing came from each other, the two are deeply intertwined.

“I don’t know one surfer who can’t skate, who’s pro,” said Kolton, “being a skater has definitely pushed my limits.¨

When it’s flat and there’s no surf, the first thing Kolton grabs is a skateboard and throws it back to the early days of skateboarding, hitting abandoned ditches and empty pools.

Kolton looks towards the future with high hopes as he has set his mind on traveling and entering the Men’s Qualifying Series, a professional surf competition.

Upon his stay on the North Shore in Hawaii, Kolton experienced surf like never before. In one word he described the experience of surfing Pipe as chaotic. His desire to return is strong.

Kolton looks forward to joining the Qualifying Series, a contest series that qualifies you to become a traveling, professional surfer. The tour is expensive but Kolton is looking for help from sponsors to assist in the funding of his trip. Rumner Surfboards, Psyco Session Clothing, Vans Clothing, Astrodeck, Volkswagen San Juan Capistrano, Cyber Wetsuits, and Chophouse Surf are all backing him. Kolton hints towards a future sponsor, but refused to elaborate in fear of “jinxing” the opportunity.

With the future in mind, Kolton still maintains a very present lifestyle. “I just want to have fun, man” said Kolton. From spending time with friends, skateboarding, free surfs, and escaping to the desert with his Dad, Kolton definitely lives his life to the fullest.

Two words of advice Kolton has received and wishes to pass on to younger groms from his shaper Eric Rumner are to “back paddle everyone, just sit deeper than them,” but more importantly is a mantra that Kolton applies to everything he does: “be humble, don’t over-talk anything just keep it low.” This attitude permeates Kolton’s life.

A core surfer who doesn’t over market himself, Kolton has hopes of taking his career to new levels. He has set his vision and is drawing towards it.