Mikey McDonagh, Jordan Lawler, and Al Cleland each won an event on the Challenger Series. Not one qualified for the Championship Tour next year.
Ian Gouveia skipped 2 events and finished 2nd in the CS rankings.
Miguel Pupo, Joel Vaughan, George Pittar, Edgard Groggia, and Jackson Bunch never even made a Final, yet they all qualified.
What a debacle.
The Women’s side of the Challenger Series made a bit more sense, rankings wise. Macy Callaghan was the only one left with the short end of the stick – winning the last event of the year in Saquarema, but still not qualifying. Every other event winner made it – Sally Fitzgibbons, Bella Kenworthy, Isabella Nichols, and Erin Brooks. Vahine Fierro is only the second woman to qualify without winning an event (Sally Fitz last year). Pretty exciting crop of rookies incoming. The women’s side just keeps getting better and better.
The schedule for next year also dropped, and that’s pretty damn sick if you ask me. Lowers being back on as a regular stop, albeit after the cut, is rad. For some reason, I’m actually kinda stoked to see this new wave pool as a stop. And, in thinking about this, I am starting to develop a new viewpoint on pools and the Tour. I think I wouldn’t mind it on the CT, so long as they don’t surf the same pool every year. Or if they do fall in love with this pool in Abu Dhabi, they need to switch up the format yearly. Something to keep it fresh. Saquarema still needs to get the boot. It’s by far the worst wave on Tour, but I understand the need to keep it. I think they should just have the wave pool event in Brazil? Two birds, one stone.
Here is the full schedule:
Pipe – Jan. 27 – Feb 8
Abu Dhabi – Feb. 14 – 16
Portugal – Mar 15 – 25
El Salvador – April 2 – 12
Bells – April 18 – 28
Snapper – May 3 – 13
Margarets – May 17 – 27
CUT
Lowers – June 9 – 17
Saquarema – June 21 – 29
JBay – July 11 – 20
Chopes – Aug 7 – 16
FINALS DAY
Cloudbreak – Aug 27 – Sep 4
Portugal could kinda go too. Go, as in get dropped off the Tour. Not my favorite stop, though I know it has potential. All in all, pretty solid schedule for next year. We already named most of the Challenger Series Qualifiers, but here’s the official list:
WOMEN
Sally Fitzgibbons
Bella Kenworthy
Isabella Nichols
Erin Brooks
Vahine Fierro
MEN
Sammy Pupo
Ian Gouviea
Marco Mignot
Alejo Muniz
Deivid Silva
Miguel Pupo
Joel Vaughan
George Pittar
Edgard Groggia
Jackson Bunch
There we have it. Set for the 2025 year to get underway. It does feel a bit odd not having the season getting ready to start right now. Winter is quickly approaching, and nobody is in Hawaii. There is a local QS event window open right now for an event at Sunset Beach. I’ll definitely be watching that. I love watching events at that wave. The HIC Pro at Haleiwa window is Nov. 25 – Dec 7th, and then we wait for the start of the year. A slow couple of months to come.
I couldn’t find anything about the Triple Crown of Surfing online. Is it done? No more? What a bummer if true. The Vans Pipe Masters is still going to run this year – invitation only. That window is Dec 8 – 20th. But that’s it. No Wave Of The Winter? Sheesh. Surfing has gone soft. Maybe next year’s Championship Tour can bring some spark back? I can hope, right?
Cheers,
hwilsin
Drew Stanfield