00:07Something that I've learned from surfing is how to clear your mind, clear your mind from
00:11can't and focus on the things that you want to do and want to accomplish instead of the
00:17things that you don't want to happen. You shouldn't spend your energy trying to
00:23control something that's out of your control. I'm not in control of the waves but I'm in
00:27control of how I surf them, the way I train and the healthy lifestyle that I
00:32choose to live. My name is Maria Manuel and I'm a professional surfer. Growing up on an
00:44island you're surrounded by ocean and so it's kind of bound to be a surfer. Both
00:51my parents met surfing and I was just at an early age at the beach every day
00:55because they loved surfing. I remember winning my first surf event and that was
01:02what triggered this whole competitive surfing. Of course one of the biggest
01:07highlights of my young career was winning the national title and then it kind of
01:12gradually moved on to winning the U.S. Open at 14 and I'm still the youngest ever
01:17male or female to win U.S. Open. One reason I pursue surfing is to overcome
01:25challenges and to embrace adversity that comes along with competing. Without
01:32adversity you wouldn't grow and learn as a person. You only have a limited amount of
01:38time to get your best waves in advance on. Be patient, be conscious of your
01:44surroundings and breathe knowing that you're gonna get the opportunity to take
01:49advantage of it. Sometimes competitive surfing can leave you in disappointment.
01:56You pretty much lose more heats than you do wind heats statistically and so that can
02:01be very disappointing. When I'm in a heat and I have to adapt to a certain
02:10condition or a certain circumstance try to stay positive, stay happy, kind of will
02:16what I want to happen and try to think what I want to happen instead of thinking
02:20about what I don't want to happen. I never view losing as losing. I either win or I
02:28learn and that's how I've overcome a lot of different challenges. In life and in
02:33surfing it's all about knowing that you're gonna get another opportunity and
02:37being positive with yourself.
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