By Anne Beasley, published in Westways Magazine 2001
Don’t let her petite frame fool you. Rochelle Ballard’s athletic prowess has awarded her top-notch respect in the surfing world. As a competitor on the professional women’s surfing tour, Rochelle is well known for her big-wave riding ability. Some claim she’s the best woman tube rider ever.
She developed her skills while growing up on Kaua‘i, where she first got on a board and started paddling for the line-up at age 10. A decade later, she married her sweetheart, Bill, and moved to O‘ahu’s North Shore, where photographers line the beach during the massive winter swells. Rochelle’s professional career took off as her barrel riding finesse was captured on film and published in magazines around the world.
The Ballards’ house sits just steps from the world’s best high performance wave, Sunset Beach, and Rochelle has spent the past 10 winters mastering its many faces. When she’s not surfing Sunset Beach, she’s traversing the globe, competing in places like Australia, Japan, South Africa, and Brazil.
When Rochelle needs to rekindle the aloha spirit that she misses during her travels abroad, she goes to her old stomping grounds on Kaua‘i, where she drives the long and winding road from the historic town of Waimea to the idyllic panorama of the Kalalau lookout in Koke’e. “The drive up is a dramatic change of environment,” says Rochelle. “Waimea is hot and dry at sea level and as you drive up through the canyon, the air temperature begins to change, as well as the scenery. It’s quite refreshing.”
Waimea rests on the southwest side of Kaua‘i and once played host to an abrupt visit from Captain James Cook and his European crew in 1778. Although it is a popular tourist destination, its refurbished buildings and sugar cane plantation cottages give the town a feeling that time forgot. “It’s a small old town with friendly people,” muses Rochelle. “I particularly like a small antique shop, Collectibles. The shop is just about as old as everything in it.”
Once she’s done browsing the shops, Rochelle steers her car onto Waimea Canyon Drive, which hugs the ridge of Waimea Canyon and offers stunning views of this “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” The 2857-foot deep canyon is home to the 19-mile Waimea River and white-tailed tropic birds can be seen soaring along the airways. “The view of Waimea Canyon takes my breath away” says Rochelle. “It is so quiet and peaceful. I imagine long ago when the Hawaiians lived in the Canyon. My grandma told me, they would send people up to the top of the mountains in search for particular plants and some would end up dying from the cold.”
The road then intersects with Köke‘e Road and heads toward the high country, which often brings cooler temperatures and the need for a jacket. Rochelle drives along Köke‘e Road until she reaches Köke‘e State Park, where she stops for some home-cooked food at Koke’e Lodge. She then enjoys a stroll through the Natural History Museum or one of the many trails in the area. “Köke‘e is a tropical setting with big pine trees, waterfalls, valleys, and cliff sides that drop into the sea,” says Rochelle, whose family owns a cabin in the area. “You can visit the museum and learn about the indigenous flora and fauna, or you can get on a hiking trail and just wander off.”
Kokee holds a lot of memories for Rochelle. She considers it a true retreat, and has shared it with some of her close friends on the women’s pro tour. She grew up surfing waves all over Kauai, and her excitement builds as she continues on the short drive from Kokee to her last stop on the road, Kalalau Lookout—a dramatic view through the Kalalau Valley and to the rugged Na Pali coastline some 4000 feet below. “You can look through the valley at the waves, which get absolutely humongous and crash up against the cliffs,” she says. “All you see is whitewash and mist.” This is Rochelle’s favorite lookout on Kaua‘i. “ Because of its location, it is often foggy, but when the fog lifts, it draws you into a deep, lush valley that eventually falls into the sea. Birds glide across the valley, while goats and wild boar roam through the valley. If you have a good eye you can sometime see them. One of the most lush and wet hiking trails start at the Kalalau look out, the Alakai Swamp. This trail leads you to the wettest place in the world.”
Kauai’s beauty inspires Rochelle when her life gets hectic. Likewise, it also inspires her to pass her love of the sport to the next generation of wave riders. Lately, she’s been spending time with a local surf club on O‘ahu, handing out surf tips and telling stories from her life as a pro. She also organized a free overnight surf camp for girls. The three day camp was a huge success and the girls received lessons in surf instruction, ocean awareness, Hawaiian culture, and a visit from a local awareness group called Wave Riders Against Drugs. Rochelle has made huge strides in women’s surfing and has helped legitimize the sport as a whole. This year, she hopes to bring the world title home to Hawaii. “I want to give back to my sport what it gave to me,” Rochelle says. “I try to inspire the best in women’s surfing—a chance to live a dream.”
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