The World Surf League (WSL) today announced that it will award equal prize money to male and female athletes for every WSL-controlled event in the 2019 season and beyond, becoming the first and only US based global sports league, and among the first internationally, to achieve prize money equality. The WSL is proud of its commitment to gender equality, and proud to join other organizations beyond the world of sport reaching this important milestone.
WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said, “This is a huge step forward in our long-planned strategy to elevate women’s surfing and we are thrilled to make this commitment as we reveal our new 2019 schedule. This is the latest in a series of actions the League has undertaken to showcase our female athletes, from competing on the same quality waves as the men, to better locations, and increased investment and support.”
Goldschmidt continued, “This change is simply the right thing to do for the WSL and we would like to thank the many advocates who have worked for decades to help advance women’s surfing. We want to be at the forefront of pushing for equality in all walks of life, starting on the waves, and we feel very lucky to have women on our tour who are highly talented, iconic role models, and more than deserve this recognition as they stand alongside our extraordinary male athletes.”
Stephanie Gilmore, six-time World Champion, said, “This is incredible, and I am thrilled. The prize money is fantastic, but the message means even more. From the moment current ownership became involved, the situation for the women surfers has been transformed for the better in every way. We have been so appreciative, but this takes it to another level. I hope this serves as a model for other sports, global organizations and society as a whole. My fellow women athletes and I are honored by the confidence in us, and inspired to reward this decision with ever higher levels of surfing.”
Kelly Slater, holder of 11 World Championships and 55 Championship tour event victories, said, “The women on the tour deserve this change. I’m so proud that surfing is choosing to lead sports in equality and fairness. The female WSL athletes are equally committed to their craft as the male athletes and should be paid the same. Surfing has always been a pioneering sport, and this serves as an example of that.”
Kieren Perrow, WSL Commissioner said, “Today is a huge moment for the sport of surfing. With our 2019 calendar (link below), new season and dates, we are proud to confirm the new prize money equality will be in effect. This covers all WSL-controlled events: the Championship Tour, the Longboard Tour, the World Junior Championships and includes the Big Wave Tour starting on October 1st, 2018 to March 2019. We will be working with our partners at competitions where we don’t control prize money, such as certain Qualifying Series events, to achieve equality as soon as possible.”
The WSL continues to be one of the fastest-growing sports leagues globally, continually expanding its reach and fan base. WSL content and live coverage is now digitally available in every market and over 100 linear broadcasters now cover its events, including this week’s groundbreaking competition at the human-made wave at Surf Ranch. Surfing has also been added to the roster for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, introducing the sport to new audiences.
The WSL also dropped next year’s schedule yesterday evening and the big news is there’s no news. It starts later in the year and Margies pushes back after Bali to be less sharky it seems. So no Mentawai final title decider or Euro events in spring, or a Pipe opener. Whether those ideas have been canned or will appear in 2020 remains to be seen.
2019 Women’s Championship Tour Schedule*:
Gold Coast Women’s Pro: April 3 – 13, 2019
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: April 17 – 27, 2019
Bali Women’s Pro: May 13 – 24, 2019
Margaret River Pro: May 27 – June 7, 2019
Oi Rio Pro: June 20 – 28, 2019
J-Bay Open: July 9 – 22, 2019
Surf Ranch Pro: September 19 – 22, 2019
France Women’s Pro: October 3 – 13, 2019
Meo Pro Peniche: October 16 – 28, 2019
Hawaii Women’s Pro: November 25 – December 7, 2019
2019 Men’s Championship Tour Schedule*:
Gold Coast Men’s Pro: April 3 – 13, 2019
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: April 17 – 27, 2019
Bali Men’s Pro: May 13 – 24, 2019
Margaret River Pro: May 27 – June 7, 2019
Oi Rio Pro: June 20 – 28, 2019
J-Bay Open: July 9 – 22, 2019
Tahiti Pro Teahupo’o: August 21 – September 1, 2019
Surf Ranch Pro: September 19 – 22, 2019
France Men’s Pro: October 3 – 13, 2019
Meo Pro Peniche: October 16 – 28, 2019
Billabong Pipe Masters: December 8 – 20, 2019
Boardmasters wrapped up its World Surf League events today in two-to-three foot surf at North Fistral beach, crowning four surfers in QS, LQS, men and women divisions.
The biggest final everyone was waiting for, the UGG Men’s Longboard Pro, both for the Fistral local Ben Skinner (GBR) being part of it, and for the tension of deciding the European Longboard title in a showdown between two of the best longboarders in the world. Edouard Delpero (FRA) wasted no time to showcase his incredible nose riding skills, posting a 7.50 and a 9.33 to apply pressure on Skinner. He further pushed the requirement for Skinner with an 8.17 and sealed the deal immediately.
Despite Skinner’s best efforts, the gap was too big and Delpero walked away with both the event win and the 2018 European Men’s Longboard title, the second of his career.
“I am extremely happy to take this win today,” Delpero said. “It was a major final for both of us and I was lucky I got those waves to start with. It was tough for one of us (brothers) not to come here and I didn’t know I would have to go all the way to claim the title, but in the end it was a great event and I’m stoked I got to battle it out with Ben in the final.”
Skinner surfed a great event on home turf, reaching the final for a shot at upsetting the Delpero dominance. He also led and inspired the performances of a crew of great surfers from the U.K, with three British athletes in the European Top 5 this season.
Andy Criere. Pic: Masurel/WSL
The lineup slowed down a bit for the start of the Quiksilver Open final as Andy Criere (ESP) and Daiki Tanaka (JPN) exchanged mid-range scores at first. Things got a lot more interesting on the five minute mark when Tanaka started on a long left and performed four good backhand turns for a 6.83 to steal the lead.
Criere started on a slightly bigger left right behind and tore it apart on his forehand to post an excellent 8.17 and get back in pole position. He then caught a similar set wave to further extend his lead with a combination of carves and snaps, marching away with the win, the second of his young career.
“This win is just as good as the first one,” Criere said. “It takes surfing a lot of heats to get to the final and I usually perform better when I get a chance to build momentum in a day. I started the event quite average but I sort of figured everything out along the way and definitely peaked and did my best surfing today! I couldn’t have hoped for a better start to this summer leg in Europe.”
Jay Quinn. Pic: Masurel/WSL
Tanaka had previously been the strongest surfer of the event, posting numerous high scores, including a 9.17 to defeat local wildcard Jay Quinn (GBR) in their semifinal matchup.
Juliette Lacome. Pic: Masurel/WSL
In the Roxy Open final, Juliette Lacome (FRA) and Yolander Hopkins (PRT) got active early on and posted a couple of numbers to build a scoreboard. Lacome found a good right with multiple turns and posted a 6.00 to take an early lead. Hopkins found a good right as well and pushed three powerful turns for a 6.10 to get back in the heat.
In the final minute, Lacome used her priority to block her opponent on a good looking left and posted the highest score of the final, a good 6.17 to claim her first-ever Qualifying Series event at only 15 years old. The French surfer also jumped a few spots up the regional rankings to the fifth position.
“It’s incredible, it’s my first win ever!” Lacome said. “I’ve had a pretty average year so far and my goal was to try to win a Junior event, but I never expected this. I’ve had a great time here with all the Roxy crew and my good friend Vahine (Fierro). I’m going to do the next four events so it’s good to start like this. I feel like I’ve learned a few things recently that help me make heats so hopefully I can continue.”
Hopkins showed great skills on her way to reaching her first-ever final on the WSL tours.
Yolander Hopkins. Pic: Masurel/WSL
The final of the UGG Women’s Longboard Pro was a low scoring affair in difficult conditions at mid-tide. Aping Agudo (PHL) and Francesca Rubegni (ITA) both struggled to find sections to work with. It eventually came down to a deciding wave in the last seconds of the heat. Agudo started on a smaller insider and cruised to the nose of her board for a few seconds before the wave disappeared. A long wait ensued as time ran out and the horn blew the end of the final. Eventually the score came in as a 3.9, enough for Agudo to overtake Rubegni and take the win.
“It’s unbelievable, I can’t even describe how happy I am!” Agudo said. “I never expected to win this so I’m just super happy. It’s a little bit cold for my taste but the waves were fun. For my first time in Newquay I had a lot of fun and I’ll be back for sure. I have a lot of events coming up in Philippines and the Asian tour so that should be fun.”
The Filipino surfer claimed her first-ever WSL event win, while the Italian with her runner-up result today climbed up to second on the European rankings.
With the completion of Boardmasters, the European rankings have once again been re-shuffled, here is the new current Top 5:
European Men’s QS Top 5:
1 – Jorgann Couzinet (FRA)
2 – Gony Zubizarreta (ESP)
3 – Maxime Huscenot (FRA)
4 – Andy Criere (ESP)
5 – Ruben Vitoria (EUK)
European Women’s QS Top 5:
1 – Pauline Ado (FRA)
2 – Camilla Kemp (PRT)
3 – Marion Philippe (PYF)
4 – Justine Dupont (FRA)
5 – Juliette Lacome (FRA)
The European Longboard Qualifying Series are now over, here are the final rankings’ Top 5:
European Men’s LQS Top 5:
1 – Edouard Delpero (FRA) ***European Champion***
2 – Antoine Delpero (FRA)
3 – Ben Skinner (GBR)
4 – Ben Howey (GBR)
5 – Jack Unsworth (GBR)
The UGG Men’s Longboard Pro and UGG Women’s Longboard Pro continued today at Boardmasters as smaller conditions kept the QS divisions out of the water. Surfers took on the one-to-two foot cleaner surf and completed several rounds to decide the events’ finals, set to be held on Sunday.
Aping Agudo. Pic: Masurel/WSL
The two strongest surfers in the quarters Justine Dupont (FRA) and Aping Agudo (PHL) met in the semis just as the swell started to pulse. Both surfers put on a great show and for the majority of the heat the reigning European Champion Dupont was in the lead.
It was a great opposition of regular foot vs. goofy in the rights and lefts of North Fistral and as rain showers stopped for a bit, more and more people got closer to the water’s edge to catch all the action.
In the last five minutes, a split-peak resulted in both surfers paddling back out to the lineup at the same time. When the next set wave came in, evidently the priority situation wasn’t clear for the French surfer and she received an interference. Filipino surfer Agudo’s advanced into the Final.
“I like small waves so that was great for me today,” Agudo said. “I surf a lot of similar conditions at home so I felt great. I’ve been coming here for six years now but it’s the first time I compete in the event so I’m very happy to win heats. I managed to find some sections for hang fives and tens and I had a lot of fun!”
In the second semifinal, Italia’s Francesca Rubegni took on French rookie Zoe Grospiron (FRA). The Italian found cleaner and longer rides and eventually took out the qualifying spot for her first ever Final.
“It’s my first final ever at a WSL event so I’m stoked!” Rubegni said. “The strong wind and rain made it very difficult out there but thankfully I found a few fun little waves. Conditions are completely different to what I’m used to at home but I managed to adapt. It would be a dream-come-true to qualify for the World Longboard Championship!”
Ben Howey, Pic: Masurel/WSL
The men’s semis started on the higher tide and offered great little waves for Edouard Delpero(FRA) and Ben Howey (GBR) in the first heat. By reaching the semis, Edouard overtook his older brother Antoine in the European rankings and could secure a second regional title comes finals day.
In their Semifinal, the Frenchman found longer rides and perfectly navigated the sections to score lengthy hang-fives and tens. Howey’s performance was by no means a let down, the British surfer collecting two 7+ rides for his nose rides and stylish turns, but Delpero with a 17.23 total moved on to the Final.
“I’m stoked to make the final, it’s going to be epic!” Delpero stated. “It definitely wasn’t easy and I’m hoping conditions are a bit better for the finals tomorrow. I really want to win another European title, so bring it on!”
Adam Griffiths, Pic: Masurel/WSL
The second semi was a battle of epic proportions between good friends Ben Skinner and Adam Griffiths. Griffiths found an excellent 8.50 right away and lead the next fifteen minutes of the heat, but Skinner clicked into gear around the ten-minute mark and managed to take the lead back.
As time ran out, Griffiths’ repeated efforts kept coming short of the required 7.26 and Newquay’s favorite, Skinner will join Delpero in the Final. The last heat will be a showdown for the 2018 European Longboard title as both surfers can clinch it with a victory at Boardmasters.
“It’s a dream finish for the tour,” Skinner said. “Both Edouard and I have a shot now and it’s going to come down to the best man in the final! I’m beyond excited to be a part of it, what a great European tour it’s been. Adam is one of my best mates, and he made my job difficult. But I knew what waves I wanted to get and I just kept my calm.”
Ben Skinner, Pic: Masurel/WSL
Griffiths scored the event’s highest single score of 9.33 earlier in the day and walked away with an equal third in his only event of the season on the regional tour.
“I think it was just North Fistral my local spot sent me that one great wave,” he said. “It allowed me to get a nose ride on the take off and fit a few turns in the pocket. I’ve been really busy with work and with the good ranking I had in the World Championship last year I didn’t need to re-qualify so I chose not to surf too many events this year.”
The Quiksilver Open will resume early Sunday morning with a 7:30 a.m call, the Roxy Open with a call at 9 a.m and longboarders finalists will come in the afternoon with a 2 p.m call.
Emily Currie, copped a weever sting 4 mins in to her quarter final but surfed on for 21 minutes. Epic work Pic: Masurel/WSL
UPCOMING UGG MEN’S LONGBOARD PRO FINAL MATCHUP:
Final: Edouard Delpero (FRA) vs. Ben Skinner (GBR)
UGG MEN’S LONGBOARD PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Edouard Delpero (FRA) 17.23 def. Ben Howey (GBR) 14.46
SF 2: Ben Skinner (GBR) 15.76 def. Adam Griffiths (GBR) 15.20
UGG MEN’S LONGBOARD PRO QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Edouard Delpero (FRA) 15.83 def. Federico Nesti (ITA) 6.67
QF 2: Ben Howey (GBR) 14.73 def. Emilien Fleury (FRA) 11.06
QF 3: Adam Griffiths (GBR) 16.33 def. Elliot Dudley (GBR) 14.66
QF 4: Ben Skinner (GBR) 14.50 def. Jack Unsworth (GBR) 11.27
UGG MEN’S LONGBOARD PRO ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Edouard Delpero (FRA) 14.17, Emilien Fleury (FRA) 11.76, Robert Storm (DNK) 7.70, Jordan Zervas (GBR) 6.60
Heat 2: Ben Howey (GBR) 14.04, Federico Nesti (ITA) 9.90, Edward Wilson (GBR) 9.00, Evan Rogers (GBR) 8.86
Heat 3: Elliot Dudley (GBR) 14.30, Jack Unsworth (GBR) 13.16, Joe Hornbuckle (GBR) 11.90, Barnaby Innes (GBR) 6.56
Heat 4: Ben Skinner (GBR) 13.34, Adam Griffiths (GBR) 10.40, Benoit Carpentier (FRA) 6.64, Robin Henry (FRA) 5.36
UPCOMING UGG WOMEN’S LONGBOARD PRO FINAL MATCHUP:
Final: Aping Agudo (PHL) vs. Francesca Rubegni (ITA)
UGG WOMEN’S LONGBOARD PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Aping Agudo (PHL) 10.17 def. Justine Dupont (FRA) 7.33
SF 2: Francesca Rubegni (ITA) 8.83 def. Zoe Grospiron (FRA) 3.30
Boardmasters continued today in two-to-three foot surf and a wind-affected lineup. Men and women of both the QS and longboard divisions took it to the water and made the most of the conditions on offer as competition winds down towards the man-on-man final battles.
Louis Thomas Hudson and the arvo scene once the morning showers had stopped. Pic: Masurel/WSL
In the Quiksilver Open, Daiki Tanaka (JPN) crushed the competition in Round Three, finding two excellent scores to post the highest heat total of the event so far, an impressive 16.24. The Japanese regular foot managed to fit multiple vertical turns, going lightning fast in the mushy surf. He’ll be looking to advance past the next round to improve on his equal 13th best finish in Newquay.
“My board felt great and I found some super fun waves,” Tanaka stated. “It’s my third year coming here and I really enjoy it. I’m traveling with a couple of friends and we usually try to go check out the festival too when we’re out of the event, so hopefully not before Sunday!”
Luke Dillon Pic: Masurel/WSL
Newquay’s Luke Dillon (GBR) advanced into Round Four as well, Jay Quinn (GBR) continued to dominate and Pedro Coelho (PRT) was the surprise second biggest scorer of the Round.
In the Roxy Open, Justine Dupont (FRA) was once again the strongest surfer in the water, closely followed by Rachel Presti (USA), Vahine Fierro (PYF) and Juliette Lacome (FRA).
Ellie Turner powering into the quarters. Pic: Masurel/WSL
Junior surfer Ellie Turner (GBR) scraped through a slow scoring matchup at low tide and managed to advance into the Quarters where she’ll carry the British hopes. The Bude local is continuously improving and starting to challenge the best European juniors for the top spots.
“It’s always nice to be surfing here and being able to go home after a day competing,” Turner said. “It was actually quite fun, there some good sections out there, they’re hard to find but they’re out there! I feel quite good about my surfing at the moment so I’m hoping I can make a few more heats here.”
With the top seeds only entering in Round Two of the UGG Men’s Longboard Pro, the first four heats gave us a glimpse at the local hopefuls, new and former competitors, coming to rub elbows and challenge the best European surfers.
Elliot Dudley back in the game and looking solid. Pic: Masurel/WSL
Elliot Dudley (GBR) posted the round’s best scores and showcased his flow and nose ride skills at high tide. The Welsh surfer, a former amateur European champion, gracefully navigated his 9’8 single-fin along the rights and lefts of Fistral. In the next round, he’ll be sharing the lineup with other Brits, including current rankings No. 4 Jack Unsworth (GBR).
“I used to come here a lot when I was younger, but I haven’t competed for probably about ten years,” Dudley said. “I really wanted to see everyone and see if I could still surf well against the guys. I’m trying to concentrate on flow and glide and I guess my board allows that, especially in these sort of conditions that are not perfect.”
2018 European Longboard Champion Justine Dupont (FRA) unsurprisingly took out the opening heat of the UGG Women’s Longboard Pro. NienkeDuinmeijer (NLD), currently second on the regional rankings posted the second highest single score of the round and advanced into the Quarters as well.
“I haven’t really surfed a longboard since the event in Biarritz and it took me a while to get my footing back,” Dupont explained. “But I’m very happy to win heats, especially in those difficult conditions. I have great boards and that definitely helps a lot. I hope I can keep going like that and the vibe here is really cool as always.”
Longboarders will be back early Saturday for the 8 a.m call while QS surfers will be back at 10 a.m.
Boardmasters are scheduled from August 8-12, 2018 at Fistral Beach, Cornwall – England. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.
Pro surfing continued to take center stage at Boardmasters with a second day of Qualifying Series action at North Fistral. The day started with Round two of the Quiksilver Open this morning in wind-affected two-to-three foot surf.
Newquay resident via NZ Jay Quinn killed it this morning. Pic: Masurel/WSL
Long time competitor Jay Quinn (GBR) came out of competitive retirement for the event on his adopted home ground and posted a 7.33, the highest single score of the men’s event today. Navigating seasons between his native country of New Zealand and Newquay, the Kiwi surfer clearly hasn’t lost an inch of the talent that led to the QS Top 40 a few years ago.
“I was a little bit rusty there but I got a quick start so that was good!” Quinn stated. “I’ve competed since I was 17 and now this is my only event of the year, but being based here I really like to participate each year, it’s a lot of fun. Cornwall is a great place to live, August is chaos obviously but the rest of the time it’s really peaceful and there are a ton of great waves.”
Canada’s Kalum Bruhwiler Temple got one of the best scores of the round as well, a 7.17 to claim the win in Heat 14 and advance into Round Three. Hailing from the West coast area of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Bruhwiler Temple is in his first season on the QS and should start to get noticed with the caliber of surfing he’s been displaying so far.
“I’m really excited to be over here, the waves have been really fun!” Bruhwiler Temple said. “I live in a place that’s super consistent, you can surf every day of the year and if you have a boat you can find really world class surf. Being here is one of the few times I get to wear some thinner neoprene so it feels really nice. My goal is to gain experience, get better at competing and hopefully get a better ranking to enter the bigger events.”
Traveling with fellow Canadian Hanna Scott in Europe, the pair is out to showcase the talent pool coming from their country.
“My best score was a bigger set wave and I got a good opportunity for an air so I just went for it,” he continued. “I managed to land it so it felt great, it was a simple forehand rotation, no grab, but the section was perfect and I landed it pretty clean. There’s a bunch of really good surfers at home and some are starting to surf in the QS events, so hopefully you’ll hear more from us.”
In the Roxy Open‘s Round Two, the top seeded surfers took center stage at Fistral as the tide came up high and the public sat much closer to the action. Longboarding’s defending champion and former Championship Tour surfer Justine Dupont (FRA), opened her Boardmasters account with an excellent display to rack up an impressive 14.67 and move on to Round three.
“Waves were a bit tricky, it changes really quick with the huge tides but I managed to stay active and find a couple decent ones,” Dupont said. “I got a little lucky with my best wave as it kept reforming and offering more sections. We’re probably going to have similar conditions for the longboard and I’ll try my best to adapt. I got a 1st and 2nd in an event in Portugal earlier this year, so the goal is at least as well or hopefully better!”
Heat 3 was a super fun back-and-forth battle between two generations of junior talents, the current European No. 10 Juliette Lacome (FRA) and a former European Junior Champion Cannelle Bulard (REU). Both surfers fought it out all the way to the buzzer, ending up only .04 apart, Lacome taking pole position.
Round Three was tragic for the home crowd with only a single English athlete managing to advance. Ellie Turner (GBR) will be carrying the locals’ hopes for a women’s title at Boardmasters.
The reigning World Junior Champion Vahine Fierro (PYF) took an easy win in the final heat of the day. Quarterfinalist here in 2017, Fierro could be the biggest threat to Dupont’s goal as the two sit on opposite sides of the draw.
“Conditions were a bi tough but I managed to get into a little rhythm and found a couple,” Fierro stated. “I really love coming to England, there’s a lot of nature around and it reminds me a bit of home. I’m here with the Roxy crew and we’re having a lot of fun. This year has been tough for me on the QS so I just want to make heats and get a few points to turn it around, but I’m not too stressed about it.”
Eveline Hooft out of Holland hoofing one at Fisty. Pic: Masurel/WSL
Surfers in the men’s QS will once again be on call at 8 a.m Friday morning, while the women’s QS will come in at 10:30 a.m and longboarders in the UGG Men’s Longboard Pro and UGG Women’s Longboard Proat 11 a.m.
Boardmasters are scheduled from August 8-12, 2018 at Fistral Beach, Cornwall – England. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.
Boardmasters are supported by Corona, Relentless, Cornish Orchards, Quiksilver, Roxy, Ocean Florida, Canna, All Out Beauty, Coca-Cola, Tarquins, Havaianas, Samsung, G-Shock, Malibu, Kraken, House of Marley, Monster, UGG, Voxi, Carve Surfing Magazine, Surfgirl, Radio X and DJ Mag among others, with MagicSeaWeed.com as official forecaster.
Fistral was busy AF. Pic: Masurel/WSL
UPCOMING QUIKSILVER OPEN ROUND 3 MATCHUPS:
Heat 1: Jobe Harriss (GBR), Arran Strong (GBR), Leon Glatzer (DEU), Ian Fontaine (FRA)
Heat 2: Pedro Neves (BRA), Joshua Braddock (GBR), Jake Elkington (ZAF), Daiki Tanaka (JPN)
Heat 3: Reubyn Ash (GBR), Miles Lee-Hargreaves (GBR), Luke Dillon (GBR), Alonso Correa (PER)
Heat 4: Luis Diaz (CNY), Enzo Cavallini (FRA), Arne Bergwinkl (DEU), Jay Quinn (GBR)
Heat 5: Angelo Bonomelli (ITA), Pedro Coelho (PRT), Samson Coulter (AUS), Joss Ash (GBR)
Heat 6: Andy Criere (ESP), Roberto Araki (CHL), Luke Hynd (AUS), Lens Arancibia Avila (FRA)
Heat 7: Jose Gundesen (ARG), Kalum Bruhwiler Temple (CAN), Jarred Veldhuis (ZAF), Stanley Norman (GBR)
Heat 8: Ben Penny (AUS), Naru Awada (JPN), Herbert Moreno (BRA), Titouan Canevet (FRA)
Here we go again! The annual festival of surfing, music and good times has began down here in Cornwall. There were waves, thank flip, the long range forecast a week or so ago was distinctly not good so everyone’s frothing it’s come right and there’ll be waves every comp day until it wraps on Sunday. The weekend should be pretty spicy n’all. Today saw a host of familiar faces go through and some of our juniors do well. The fierce battles start tomorrow when Rd2 continues for the men, and the ladies main Roxy event kicks off. The longboarding will begin, with all eyes on the European title race, on Friday. So there’s heaps to come and once Mr B finishes sweating bullets in his editing cave we’ll fire up the video round up from day 1 ASAP.
As for us, are we partying? Nope. Not after 12 hours on the beach today mainly being told how awesome the Maldives event that the boss, Steve England, is attending looks.
Noah Biersack by Jason Feast
–WSL PRESS RELEASE–
The Quiksilver and Roxy Open launched the World Surf League QS action today at Boardmasters in windy three-to-five foot surf at the iconic Fistral beach in Cornwall.
Surfers took on the playful peaks early this morning and competed all day to complete the men and women’s opening rounds, as well as four heats of the men’s Round Two under bright sunny Cornish skies.
Local pro Alan Stokes (GBR) was the first to find a wave with big scoring potential at low tide. The regular foot took apart a good sized right-hander for a 7.17, the highest single score of Round One. A multiple British champion, Stokes regularly makes an appearance on the WSL tour when the QS comes to his local break.
“We haven’t had swell here for a month so I’m happy it came up for the event, it’s head-high with lots of power and sections, it was fun!” Stokes stated. “I know the wave and how tricky it can be so that certainly gives me an advantage. I launched a new surfboard brand so that kept me busy and out of the events but it’s good to be in the jersey again and win a heat.”
Stoker by Masurel/WSL
Unfortunately Stokes couldn’t quite match the competition savvy of his adversaries in Round Two and bowed out much too early for the local fans.
A strong Brasilian contingent competed in the opening round, led by Maracaipe’s Jose Silva(BRA), who belted the opening round’s biggest combined heat total of 13.50. In his second event only, Silva posted an impressive win to advance into Round Two and will look to keep his form going into the rest of the event.
“I’ve been surfing for a long time but am only starting to compete really,” Silva said. “Conditions were fun today, a bit mushy and disorganized but there were some good waves in there. I’m going to do three or four events in Europe this summer and the goal is obviously to go as far as I can!”
Pedro Nogueira (BRA) and Christopher Holler (DNK) enjoyed an early man-on-man battle as two other surfers failed to show up for their heat. Nogueira dominated the exchange with solid surfing on the longer rights and lefts at high-tide to post two good scores and advance into Round Two.
“The wind was really good for airs so I was super happy to be able to try a couple and land a good one,” Nogueira said. “I’m excited for tomorrow and can’t wait to surf again. Only two guys out is pretty rare in the early rounds so I tried to really enjoy my time out there. It’s my first time here and I’m loving it so far, we have a good crew staying together and it’s been fun!”
Last year’s semifinalist Jobe Harriss (GBR) stepped things up in the first heat of Round Two and showed he’s lost nothing of his amazing form from 2017. With an 8.33 highest wave and a 15.10 total, Harriss’ numbers spoke for themselves as the surfer from Bude easily advanced into Round Three.
“I don’t really compete that much anymore, competitive surfing is not my main focus so I feel really relaxed out there and I guess it’s working out for me,” Harriss said. “I’ve got many things to keep myself busy, I’m working on building sites, lifeguarding, I even grow vegetables for a living as well, but thankfully I still get a bit of time in the water.”
The Roxy Open completed the only heat of Round One with three surfers late this afternoon, preparing for a full round of action tomorrow when the event resumes.
