Liam Wilson
2.14.22
Polynesian Heritage: Hawaiian & Samoan
Family: I am the son of Joe and Melissa Wilson. I have four siblings. One younger brother and three older sisters. I am the second youngest of the family.
Favorite Polynesian Food: Kalua Pig with Poi and Lomi Salmon
I grew up in the small town of La’ie, Hawaii . Those who've heard of or grown up on this side of the island know how big football is. It's the lifestyle/escape to most Polynesian kids. I grew up playing sports and liking to play them. However, I had a hard time choosing which one to stick with. I slimmed down my options and stuck with football, cross country, surfing, and soccer. Out of those four sports, I really only loved one. That was surfing.
I was scared to only stick with surfing because football was a big thing in my community. I thought football was the only way for me to be noticed. My dad was a big football player growing up and so was every one of my friends' dads. I felt pressure to drop the sport because I felt more skilled at it than I was at surfing. Going to school in town, I only had 30 minutes of sunlight left to surf after getting off the bus at 5:15pm. I surfed on weekends but it didn't feel like enough to practice. Surfing wasn't even in the picture my whole life, I just did it for fun. I started when I was 11 years old, I taught myself how to stand up on a bodyboard at Hukilau beach and then it all fell into place from there. Finally telling myself it's okay to drop football, I felt like it was the right decision.
From there on out, I felt like I finally made the best decision for myself and not for others. To be honest, I sucked at surfing. I was nowhere close to all the other kids in my age division. I was probably the worst one. I never made a heat in competition for two years straight. Of course I questioned myself if this was the right sport for me or if I made the right decision to stick with surfing. Times like this either make you rise or fall, and I rose. Although surfing wasn't noticed as a sport growing up in Laie, I wanted to prove everyone wrong. I told myself if I'm going to do this, I'm going to show everyone that football isn't the only pathway out of here. Fast forward to now, I have now won multiple surfing contests including the Oceania Surf Cup and I am preparing for the Tahiti Olympics in 2024. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do, be different!
Being Polynesian has shaped me into the man I am today because I am able to grow up next to the ocean with fellow Polynesians next to me, and I get to learn a lot about myself being out there in the water and about others too. My advice for the next Polynesian generation is to always follow your heart and to not let others decide for what you do and always decide for yourself and listen to your Heavenly Father and go from there.
“Always follow your heart and don't let others decide what you do, always decide for yourself…Listen to your Heavenly Father and go from there!"