Kiwi surfer Ricardo Christie has learned firsthand the power welcoming a newborn child to the world can bring to professional athletes.
Often referred to as 'Dad Power' for male athletes, they find a new source of strength when they're competing somewhere across the globe.
Christie and partner Sophie Steevens welcomed a son, Jai, in May. A month later, the 29-year-old posted his best-ever result at the Ballito Pro in South Africa – one of the biggest events on the World Surf League qualifying series (QS) with 10,000 points awarded to the winner.
"It's pretty tough to leave, to be honest," Christie said of travelling abroad to compete. "But it gives you that extra motivation to make your time away worthwhile – maybe that's the Dad Power thing; there's no point in going away unless you make it worth it, so maybe that's what I feel now."
Christie, who had a taste of the Championship Tour (CT) in 2015, finished in fifth place in Ballito earning 5200 points toward his qualification bid. He was eliminated by eventual runner-up Jack Freestone of Australia – himself a new dad.
