ROLE MODEL: CRYSTAL THORNBURG

Surfer and adventurer, Crystal Thornburg, inspires by example

By Alendandra Willinger
Photo: Linny Morris Cunningham

There are a lot of reasons to love Crystal Moonshine Thornburg. Yes, the Hawaiian native blows us all away when she’s on the longboard. But she also reminds us that nothing (not even the busy schedule of a world-class athlete) should interfere with the responsibility we all have to be conscious global citizens. It’s her passionate quest to do both what she loves—surfing—while at the same time doing good in the world that we admire the most.

“Directly experiencing the world is the only way to broaden your perspectives and really make a difference,” says the dedicated environmentalist and philanthropist. She’s certainly experienced a lot – and, indeed, made a difference. In 2007, the free-spirited Thornburg spent seven months backpacking through Southeast Asia, but her agenda included more than surfing and sightseeing; Thornburg spent her weeks abroad teaching English to Buddhist monks and toiling on an organic farm.

“My experiences on the road have been very humbling,” says Thornburg. “The connection between people and their environment inspires me every day.” That connection and Thornburg’s passion for surf dovetail in her latest venture, Sliding Liberia. The documentary follows a group of young surfers on a journey through the West African nation of Liberia and exposes the struggles of a society in the aftermath of a violent, decade-plus long civil war.*

Thornburg’s next move takes her clear across the globe to Chile but is within the same vein. She’ll be working with Surfers for Cetaceans, an organization dedicated to caring for the complex yet delicate ecosystem that is the ocean—maybe a logical step for someone who spends so much of her life in the water, but still one we really admire.