With the reimagined Championship Tour – the Mid-Season Cut, Finals Day at Lower Trestles, et cetera et cetera – professional surfing looks a little different these days.
Now, those surfers who were guillotined from the CT after the Mid-Season Cut, and those looking to make the jump onto (or back onto) pro surfing’s main stage, will compete on the Challenger Series. And the first event of the season is about to kickoff, the Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro. So, who’s looking good?
On the women’s side:
“Sally [Fitzgibbons] is one who I know will never give up,” said former CT surfer and Margaret River Pro commentator, Richie Lovett. “She’s not done yet. She’ll tap into that energy on the CS.
“Then, Isabella [Nichols] came super close to making the Cut, but unfortunately she’s out. On her homebreak, I think she’ll do extremely well. Along with Macy [Callaghan].
“There’s something about coming from the Championship Tour to the Challenger Series. You go back there with so much confidence. It’s like going back to preschool, and you just boss everyone around.”
Then, on the men’s side, Lovett continued:
“For me, it’s Kolohe [Andino]. Then, Jackson Baker. I was surprised to see him not make the Cut. His surfing has been incredible. But I think the best thing that could happened to Kolohe is about to happen. He’s going back to college. And he’ll get that fire again.”
But those are just the tip of the iceberg. The Challenger Series is stacked with big names, fighting to further their careers and make the jump onto the elite Championship Tour. Like…Conner Coffin:
Could the Santa Barbara-based surfer and former CT’er make the jump back into the big leagues? The well-groomed walls of Snapper certainly suit his surfing well. But we’ll just have to wait and find out.
The Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro kicks off May 6th.
Snapper Rocks, Australia Stats/Info
Wave Type: Righthand pointbreak
Bottom: Sand
Crowd: Heavy
Skill Level: All types (depending on conditions)
Ideal Swell Direction: ENE, ESE
Equipment: All boards (but shortboard is best when it’s pumping)
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