Out of all the extreme big wave locations Teahupo’o in Tahiti is probably the most feared. With only a 25 year history Teahupo’o creates the fastest, thickest, biggest barrels on the planet.
You need to be good to surf big Teahupo’o and even then you’re going to pay a price.
Live competitive surfing is back this weekend with a one-day, winners-take-all surf showdown in the perfect waves at the Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California on Sunday, August 9, 2020 at 3pm ET / 12pm PT.
The Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold Rumble At The Ranch will see 16 of the world’s best surfers pair up for the first-ever mixed tag team event, live on WorldSurfLeauge.com. Competitors include 11-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater, Olympic qualifiers Caroline Marks, Kolohe Andino, Kanoa Igarashi, Tatiana Weston-Webb and reigning four-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore, alongside Championship Tour stars Filipe Toledo, Sage Erickson, Conner Coffin and Lakey Peterson.
The full list of competitors and teams were revealed during a Selection Show on WorldSurfLeague.com.
Round 1 Match-Ups
Coco Ho and Filipe Toledo vs. Alyssa Spencer and Kolohe Andino
Carissa Moore and Seth Moniz vs. Sage Erickson and Kelly Slater
Kirra Pinkerton and Conner Coffin vs. Caroline Marks and Adriano de Souza
Lakey Peterson and Griffin Colapinto vs. Tatiana Weston-Webb and Kanoa Igarashi
Slater, the 11-time World Champion, is teaming up with Erickson, and the pair will match up against Moore and Seth Moniz.
“Kelly is the best, so if I’m going to be paired with the ultimate perfectionist there’s very little room for error,” said Erickson. “I surf better under pressure and that’s why I love to compete because I love to put myself in uncomfortable situations. That brings the best out in me and that’s what I think Kelly will do also. If I’m going to do my best surfing, it’s going to be with him. I can’t believe it!”
Peterson, the defending Surf Ranch Championship Tour event winner, is paired with Griffin Colapinto, who finished the 2019 event in third place. The stacked team will go head-to-head with Olympic qualifiers Weston-Webb and Igarashi in Round 1.
Competition Format
Judges will watch and score the event remotely. Full format details available on WorldSurfLeague.com.
The Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold Rumble at the Ranch will be broadcast live on WorldSurfLeague.com starting at 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT on August 9, 2020. In the US, FOX Sports will telecast the event live on FS2 from 3 to 5 pm ET and then will continue on FS1 live from 5 – 7 pm ET. Check local listings for details of additional broadcasters. The WSL Surf Ranch venue will be closed to spectators and the production and event will be run by the WSL.
Health and Safety
WSL officials have collaborated extensively with public health officials, medical experts, as well as local and state officials, to create a thorough plan to ensure the health and safety of participants, staff, and the surrounding community. This event will be strictly executed to follow the WSL’s health and safety procedures, which were developed based on guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and emerging best practices established by other sports leagues and broadcast-only live sports events. These procedures include testing for athletes and essential staff, strict social distancing measures, temperature checks, and minimal personnel on-site.
A classic winter day in California with River Covey, Erin Ashley aka Worm, Nick Melanson, JJ Wessels, and Dane Petersen.
Filmed by Ryan Cannon
Edited by Cole Walton
Song: Souls of Mischief – Step to My Girl
Cynevin (pronounced k – neh – vin):
Describing a connection to place of birth an intimate relationship with home.
Surfing and international travel have always gone hand in hand. From the culturally iconic 60’s surf film The Endless Summer to the current WSL world tour, the two appear intrinsically linked. This film is instead a celebration of staying put, an ode to home.
In Mike Lay’s case, home is West Cornwall in the UK. As a professional longboarder, Mike is more often pictured overseas, competing and telling stories of his adventures. But the Cornish coast is his first love and this entire film is shot in a 20 minute radius of his house.
While this project was mainly shot pre COVID-19, its message is pertinent to the future of surfing. Travel is never going to be as plentiful and accessible as it once was. Maybe we all need to learn to love home a little more.
