Challenger Series Complete, Championship Tour Qualifiers Determined
Over the weekend, Erin Brooks and Samuel Pupo won the Saquarema Pro, the final stop on the 2023 Challenger Series. 16-year old Erin Brooks defeated Sophie McCulloch in the women’s Final and Samuel Pupo was victorious over Mihimana Braye in the men’s Final.
With the completion of the contest, the final 2024 CT qualifiers were also determined, seeing Isabella Nichols take the final spot in the women’s division and Kade Matson and Deivid Silva obtain the remaining spots in the men’s division.
The two men's spots were decided in consecutive heats. Eli Hanneman had a come from behind victory over Michael Rodrigues that guaranteed qualification for Kade Matson (while cruelling M-Rod's chance), while in the following heat, Samuel Pupo defeated Hanneman, which guaranteed the return of Deivid Silva to the CT.
Overall, Australians suffered mixed fortunes, having just one surfer qualify in the men's (in contrast, the US/Hawaii had six), yet in the women's, three of the five qualifiers were Aussies.
The final ten men’s qualifiers for the 2024 Championship Tour are in order:
- Cole Houshmand (USA)
- Samuel Pupo (BRA)
- Jacob Willcox (AUS)
- Crosby Colapinto (USA)
- Eli Hanneman (HAW)
- Imaikalani deVault (HAW)
- Frederico Morais (PRT)
- Jake Marshall (USA)
- Kade Matson (USA)
- Deivid Silva (BRA
For the women, Nadia Erostarbe (EUK) needed to win the event to jump into the fifth and final place that would qualify her for the 2024 Championship Tour. Erostarbe came close, but was taken down by Brooks, the eventual winner, leaving qualification with Isabella Nichols.
The list of the final five women’s athletes that qualified for the 2024 Championship Tour include:
- India Robinson (AUS)
- Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
- Sawyer Lindblad (USA)
- Alyssa Spencer (USA)
- Isabella Nichols (AUS)
The 2024 Challenger Series schedule is yet to be announced.
Comments
Good to see Willcox get trough and that's a strong showing for Oz in the women's.
Agreed, Bnkref. Good to see
Wozzle will be delighted with four mainland US men, two Hawaiian, and two mainland women.
Eli Hanneman (HAW)
Imaikalani deVault (HAW)
Frederico Morais (PRT)
Jake Marshall (USA)
Kade Matson (USA)
Deivid Silva (BRA all fodder .
This is just sad. Pro surfing fucking sucks when these guys are on tour. Good news is they will all be off tour by the mid year cut.
Be interesting to see if young Australian surfers try and counter the 2% push that appeared to lock in Cole H, Eli, and Kade's place on the CT. Though it began in San Clemente it quickly grew to absorb Santa Cruz (Nat Young) and Maui (Eli Hanneman). Effectively, it was a national push, and it worked.
Earlier, Australia's 80s energy was lost to Slater and the Momentum crew with Sarge infamously setting up LMB to manufacture a united Antipodean front. It didn't really work and Australian surfing took a backseat till the CK7 came along, quickly whittled down to Coolie Kids 3: Parko, Mick, and Dingo.
As ever, it's interesting to see where the HPC fits into all this. The quantifiable attributes for surfing greatness (gym work, reps, coaching points) appear no match for cultural heft.
Sarge set up LMB? Are you sure? I thought it was Rich, Noods & the Snake?
May have been others involved but he was the driving force.
"Sarge finally clicked to the dramatic competitive shift in 1995, and in typical style resolved to do something about it. He created LMB, an informal grouping of young Australians doing the WQS, which would help them encourage each other in the increasingly difficult task of defeating Kelly and his new American generation. His account of LMB’s first road trip, during the five-week European leg, marks a serious change in Sarge’s attitude. “Indulgence, as we have come to know it, was kept to a minimum,” he wrote. “This is a different bunch.”
"Eventually, LMB would develop into communal accommodation for young Australian men, organised and partly funded by Sarge, to help those who were struggling to survive the tour. Over the years, up-and-coming surfers like Joel Parkinson, Kai Otton, Jarrad Howse, Richie Lovett, Andy King, Mick Fanning, Nathan Hedge, Sam Carrier, Nick Wallace, Will Lewis, Matt Griggs, and Dean Morrison either stayed in various LMB houses or hung around them, soaking up the camaraderie. At times, the house was so popular that there would be four to a bedroom and tents in the back yard. “It was the sort of place where you’d stay if you were on your first year on tour or didn’t have a sponsor,” says Howse."
https://stabmag.com/style/sarge/
Stu "research" Net!
Good fact checking there!
Sarge would have liked 4 men to a bedroom
Yes Surfing Australia has really pushed the bar with only one male qualifying this year! Great to see the government funded facility with 35+ employees are meeting their KPI’s . All the marketing and noise they make on how good they try to perceive they are is finally getting exposed!
Still waiting on the Swellnet article about that place...........
Points allocation of 10000for a win and 7800 for second way too skewed
You make one final and your in
Then fodder in WCT
Points don’t reward consistency
Plus this year near flat surf for Portugal and Huntington
A joke
I disagree,
I'm not in to watch people
Build a house....
I want the winners ,
No point either ( consistency wise)when the title is decided in 1 event at the end of season.
Winners, winners, winners....
Consistent winners even better.
I want world champs not back paddock animals.
Push surfing's limits please.....
Lanky
I see your point
BUT
When 4 of the 10 qualifiers got there by surfing finals day in nesr flat conditions it’s a mockery
Take out their points for that final and see their respective ranking
My home beach was better than those 2 finals days
Silva won’t surf waves of consequence
Wilcox was consistent in all 6 events
Sure about that?
Hard to see any of the current (Mens) Qualifiers making a dent on Tour.
When was the last time we saw a proper Top 5 or potential World Champ come on the scene?
I think Cole Houshmand & Jacob Willcox will be the only surfers to make the mid year cut.
I was going to ask this question .
I have more people to nominate. I hope all rookies and devault make the cut.
There's some fill on tour who have to go
Back 40 for the slackers.
Chianca
Wilcox and Crosby Colapinto will do some damage, as will Sammy Pupo. I think the real smokey in the pack is Cole Houshmand, he’s a big unit with some big turns up his sleeve.
Agreed.
I've only ever seen him in shitty surf though, so can't comment on his skillset at Pipe/Sunset etc etc.
So now, who's gonna post up in Hawaii and clock some time in the Pipe and Sunset lineups?
I hear Deivid Silva is super excited for 10ft pipe.
He's hired Filipe as coach and has been relentlessly picking his brain.
2% crew for sure, probably flew straight there.
I'm excited to see the rookies perform.
DVD and Freddie yeah nah!
Its like their surfing exists in a vacuum .....
Same same same same.
Its a pitty Herdy didn't make it on tour feel he could have made a good dent.
Hey Dean, got any thoughts on how the 2% qualifiers might perform next year?
This year they had all that support and encouragement, which they said made the difference to their campaigns, but next year that's not guaranteed.
Sure, there's a few of them on the CT: Cole, Matson, both Colapintos, Hanneman, but that also means they'll come up against one another. Will that team unity remain or will they fend for themselves?
My thoughts are they'll pay lip service to the 2% thing, aside from Cros and Griff - blood being thicker than water. Surfing is a solo sport, nowhere more so than the CT.
Either way, reckon it'll be interesting to see if/how the 2% support can extend to the CT arena.
Very, very tough start for Rookies.
Pipe/Sunset/Portugal/Bells/Margies.
None of those locations are kind to rookies.
All of these will be in Willcox's wheelhouse FR.
Plus plenty of CT wildcard experience, some at these breaks.
hhhm....I see him doing well at Pipe and Portugal.
Not sure how big his turns are for Sunset, Bells, Margs.
True.
He's looking as hungry as ever.
I'm really looking forward to seeing him surf Cloudbreak so I hope he makes the cut.
Pretty sure his Gnaraloo skillset will be fully transferable.
100%
Should be able to surf CB with his eyes closed considering his approach up north.
He'll blow a few minds.
Did our new JW get a good result at Bells a while back?
I don't watch much of this pro tour shit but Jwilcox has the balls and style to make an impression. You said he didn't make an impression at Margs? A couple of years ago he went left, which is actually THE wave there and barreled and got about a 6. He will do well . I hope.....
2% - is this named after the end of the socioeconomic scale the boys and girls from San Clemente belong to?
Haha! Yes privileged white kids that claim harder than the Brazzos. Other than Cole and the Colapintos I’m not seeing too much depth. 2% of the 2%?
They really didn’t put too much thought in to the name, did they? Guess that’s one of the side effects of homeschool
Coming at this from a different perspective, who of the current CT surfers are most likely to get knocked out at cut time by someone from this group?
I’ll wager Italo won’t make the cut this year
Bold!
Jordy Smith, Kelly Slater, Seth Moniz, Rio Waida, Matty M, Leonardo Fioravanti, Caio Ibelli
Leo had his best form since joining the tour last season.
I'm sure he is feeling pretty confidant.
A certain maturity has come to his comp surfing.
You're right but i just cant stand him
It’s a tight group. I’d have to say:
Kelly, Seth Moniz, Ian Gentil, Rio Waida, Cal Robo and Matty M.
Sally.
I`m backing Sally to have a good year next year . To me those Pangs look to have rejuvenated her surfing .
Remember when Morgan burst onto the CT ? Think he finished the year 5th and then for whatever reason he fell off the cliff . Cole and Jacob should provide for good results should the WSL have a good year wave wise .
Kelly for CEO or coaching Fil in heavy water lefts .
Go India Robinson, missed 1 whole event and still ended up No.1 spot on CS.
Is it asking too much to wish for a Robbo world title win in both the Men's and the Women's?