Thank You Makinohara, Host of USA Surfing's Pre-Olympic Games Training Camp

Good Bye and Thank You Makinohara! Hello Chiba Olympic Venue! 
​Team USA Surfer Carissa Moore Delivers Impressive Thank You Address in Japanese
 
Makinohara, Japan - (July 20, 2021) - Four-time world champion and Team USA Olympic surfer Carissa Moore delivered a thank you message in Japanese to Makinohara Mayor Kikuo Sugimoto and a crowd of fans, city employees, and business leaders who helped host USA Surfing’s pre-Olympic Games camp. 
 
Like her surfing, the speech was practiced, powerful and heartfelt. Carissa studied several years of Japanese in middle and high school and has been looking forward to sharpening her Japanese at next week’s Olympic Games.
 
“I was practicing all night,” she said. “I wanted to express how much the team appreciated the great care Makinohara took in hosting us with an amazing wave pool, beautiful beach and healthy, delicious meals.” 
 
Team USA surfers John John Florence, Kolohe Andino, Caroline Marks and Carissa Moore left Makinohara rested and energized after a mix of Surf Stadium PerfectSwell wave pool and Shizunami ocean sessions, and a suite of recovery tools and body work. 
 
Coach Brett Simpson said the goal of the pre-Games training camp was to acclimate to Japan’s heat and humidity, test their equipment, use a full-range of sports medicine tools, and soak in the experience of competing in surfing’s Olympic debut. 
 
The pre-Games camp was the result of years of planning and logistics among Mayor Sugimoto, his staff, and USA Surfing CEO Greg Cruse, and USOPC Japanese Special Advisor Jon Omori. CEO Greg Cruse thanked Mayor Sugimoto for a successful camp that put the team in a solid position to succeed when the competition window at the Olympic surfing venue opens July 25.  
 
Surfline’s lead forecaster for the Olympics, Kurt Korte held a Zoom session with Team USA Olympic surfers John John Florence, Kolohe Andino, Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks. Korte has been studying 40-plus years of Surfline data at the Olympic surfing venue and shared the mechanics of the wave at Shidashita’s Tsurigasaki beach. He said a number of storms are developing off the coast, which bode well for conditions next week. He and the team will be tracking the storms as they develop and monitoring the swell and wind conditions it produces. 
 
A bit of a meteorological nerd, Kolohe Andino, enjoyed discussing the different weather models and how they could come together. The optimistic forecast excited the team and has them preparing equipment for potentially more sizable wave conditions. 
 
More updates and information will be posted here leading up to and through surfing’s first Olympic Games. Contact becky at usasurfing dot org for B-roll, other media assets and more information.  Go Team USA!