Surfer Coco Ho overcomes adversity to rise to the top of her sport

Former professional football and baseball player Bo Jackson starred in a series of Nike commercials in the 1980s with the catchphrase “Bo knows.” Baseball, football, basketball, even tennis, Bo knew it all. Well, almost all.

Bo didn’t know surfing, but Coco Ho does.

In fact the entire Ho family knows. Growing up in Honolulu, home to some of the best waves in the world, Coco wanted to add her name to the long list of champions in her family.

Dad Michael was a professional surfer, winning the World Cup and Pipe Masters in 1982, while her uncle Derek was World Champion in 1993. Her brother Mason also is quite talented with a board underfoot, so it was no surprise when Coco, at the tender age of seven, made her first foray into the water.

She was a natural of course, and within a year had already earned her first sponsorship deal. At age eight. Coco’s profile continued to rise in the surfing ranks. At 17 she qualified for the World Surf League Women’s World Championship Tour and won Rookie of the Year honors in 2009.

Not much fazed Coco when she in the water, but underneath her wet suit she was suffering from atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema which affects millions of Americans of all ages.

Coco has teamed up with The Now Me: Beach Mode program to both educate and inspire others who also suffer from atopic dermatitis and other forms of eczema.

“The heat triggers a lot of symptoms for me,” she told Around the Rings. “Big rashes nobody could see or understand. The salt water just made it burn worse.”

As Coco explained “the ocean is my office” so avoiding the sun and surf simply wasn’t an option. With help from her doctors and The Now Me: Beach Mode program, Coco has learned to live with her condition, get the treatment needed and effectively manage her eczema.

“It’s been a long journey, but I’ve learned to compete with pain,” she said.

Despite all the surfing trophies and titles accumulated by her and her family, an Olympic medal was never a possibility as the sport just made it’s debut in the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Surfing is back on the Olympic Program for Paris 2024 but you’ll have to travel far outside the French countryside to see the world’s best rip and shred.

Teahupo’o will host the surfing competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The small village is in Tahiti, French Polynesia, about 10,000 miles from the French capital. At first it may seem like an odd venue choice, but Coco thinks it will be a win-win for the sport and the Games.

“The reef is shallow but the waves are very big,” Coco told Around the Rings. “It will be high quality and very extreme surfing for the viewers and far more enjoyable than Tokyo 2020. It will be gorgeous to watch and I think a lot of casual fans will tune in.”

“In the back of my mind I always hoped surfing would be in the Olympics. The Olympics are going younger with snowboarding and other events.”

Although Coco is slowing transitioning away from competitive surfing, the lure of chasing Olympic gold might too tempting for Coco to refuse.

“The Olympics are so inspiring. I have a lot of dear friends that will be a part of it, so you never know. I might get the bug again.”