Jackson Fuller |Wilmington StarNews

SURF CITY -- Gianni Pike can't recall all of the details from his first time on a surfboard, but he does remember thinking he just wanted to be back on land.

Fast forward to today, 15 years later, and Surf City Beach is Pike's second home. He comes out almost every day, enjoying his time on the waves but also trying to become a better surfer for future competitions.

But there's so much more to Pike's love for surfing. The senior who also plays for the Topsail football team was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old, and his father believes surfing is a way for Gianni to fulfill his sensory craving.

Gianni keeps it a little more simple.

"I just like the beach and I love being in the ocean. They're places I can clear my head and only focus on surfing. Every day I get out here is a good day," Gianni said.

Gianni's father, John Pike, works for Surfer's Healing, a youth camp that travels the world and allows children to surf with adults. One of Gianni's first times on a board was with Surfer's Healing.

In recent years, Gianni has flipped roles. He's now a junior instructor for Surfer's Healing and is in charge of taking kids with autism out on his own board when the group makes its annual trip to Wilmington.

He does similar instruction with Wilmington's Indo Jax Surf School, which hosts camps for wounded warriors, the visually impaired and kids with autism. Gianni is also a member of the Indo Jax Surf Team, and he finished first in theEastern Surfing Association Southeastern North Carolina junior men's longboard division last year.

Indo Jax director Jack Viorel said he holds Gianni to all the same standards as his other instructors, making the end result even more rewarding.

"It's amazing because I know I've come a long way," Gianni said. "I used to be that kid at the front of the surfboard getting pushed out. Now I'm doing the pushing, but I can still see them and get a sense of what they're going through in life. I just want to help."

If Gianni could give any advice to those kids at the front of the boards today, it would be to keep pushing through uncomfortable moments, which is exactly what Gianni did when he decided to play football as an eighth-grader at Topsail Middle School.

Gianni admits that, as a student dealing with autism, there have been some challenges with football. His dad said teenagers can be difficult, and there were times of teasing early in his football career.

But today, Gianni can't imagine a life without football. He first signed up looking for a way to get his anger out, and now he has a band of brothers. His maturation over the past five years has been easy to notice.

"He's grown, not only as a player, but as a student of the game and as a human being," Topsail coach Wayne Inman said. "He's not just OK with playing football, he wants to be great."

"And when he first started out with us, he was kind of a loner. Now he has a group he belongs to and they are always there for each other. Surfing, you're out there by yourself on the wave and your success is mostly up to yourself. On the football field, he's depending on 10 other guys and they're depending on him. It's impossible not to develop a strong connection with your teammates."

Gianni's next step is still unclear. He has one more year at Topsail, though he primarily takes classes through Cape Fear Community College.

After that, Gianni's top choice for a school is UNCW, but he's also open to playing college football depending on his senior season. After starting at safety last year for the Pirates, Gianni will move back to his more familiar role at outside linebacker this spring.

There is another option. Gianni's mother, Tina Pike, is an Italian citizen. The family hopes Gianni can soon become a dual citizen, compete in the Italian surfing league and one day try to qualify for the Olympics under the Italian flag.

He's got a long way to go, but those around Gianni refuse to doubt his drive.

"It's a testament to a gritty family and a kid who enjoys the process of self-improvement," Viorel said. "His level of self esteem, to never quit, and keep on pushing through difficult circumstances, those are the things that keep me going and inspire everyone around him to do the work. He can genuinely accomplish anything he wants in life."

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Hunting the big wave: Topsail's Gianni Pike perseveres through challenges of autism - StarNewsOnline.com