Welcome to the CT

Happy New Year. While the Pipe Pro is still 2 weeks or so away from kicking off this years CT, we’ve got 12 qualifiers from the Challenger Series. Let’s meet the newest crew to grace the WSL’s beloved Championship Tour. 

We’ll start with some familiar faces.

Zeke Lau –

The big Hawaiian will be making his return to the tour after spending the last year becoming the Ultimate Surfer champion, as well as starting a vlog. He also got engaged. Don’t know exactly what that means, but there is that for you. While on the CT 2017-19, his best end of year finish was 20th place, and his best single event result were two 3rd place results. Starting out the year at home in Hawaii will benefit this guy, and he should be able to accumulate the points to stick around and make the cut at the half year mark. 

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Nat Young –

Santa Cruz native and former Nike 6.0 wonderkid Nat Young will rejoin the ranks now being one of only 6 surfers over 30 years old. The Bells contest holding period goes through Easter as it always does, and if he can land a result similar to his rookie year, we like his chances to make the mid-year cut. His grit will have to get him through this year, as many of the kids on tour now clearly surf a talent level above him. Watch his heat strategy early on in the year. I’d like to see him become the American version of Ace Buchan. 

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Carlos Munoz –

Although we’ve only seen him in one tour event, in 2014 at Hurley Pro Trestles, you’ve undoubtedly heard of this kid. If not, get your head out of the sand. He had a solid section in Snapt4 you can watch here. He’s won a few Q’ies and Junior events (3), and he’s an absolute grinder, competing since 2009 trying to get here. He’s put on the jersey at Pipe since 2010, so he’s familiar with the North Shore. We’d like to see him land a keeper result in the first two events before the tour packs the road to more unfamiliar waves to Cali. Really rooting for this guy this year. 

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Liam O’Brien –

If you don’t know him yet, we forgive you. Kid stays really underground, and he shares a name with some American dude who has nothing to do with surfing. Stab released a video of his last year that is pretty rad. Inherent Bummer also shared an almost 20 minute shredit (you like that?) of Liam and his mate Toby, much worth watching. It looks like he rides longer boards, which we’re into. He also looks like he knows how to get tubed. Making his CT debut with a splash, he took out Filipe last year on route to a 3rd place finish at Rottnest. Where the fuck is Rottnest, lol. Anywho, look for this kid to surprise all of your friends who don’t know who he is yet. 

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Connor O’Leary –

I’m gonna keep this one short, you know him already. 2017 Rookie of the Year. He surfed all 7 events last year, not making the final. Requalified through the Challenger Series with a very grindy win in France, taking out Kanoa and Michel Bourez along the way, two legit CT guys. I actually think he’s very underrated, and should do well this year. Don’t be shocked at a top 10 finish. Here is an edit from around this time last year.

Next, some recognized, but rather unseen blokes.

Jake Marshall – 

If you’re a California native, you’ve heard of this kid and his brother since they were super groms. Albeit different styles and generations, think of them like San Diego’s miniature Coffin brothers. The older bro is a regular foot, the younger Nick, is goofy. Jake’s been riding for Hurley since he was literally 10, and he definitely knows how to compete. He made the final at the US Open coming up short to Griffin Colapinto, and he also made quarters at Haleiwa, two very different waves. He doesn’t have many recent clips online, so here’s one from a couple years ago in El Salvador with his brother and friend Bryan Perez. Kind of feel like this kid is a wild card this year, as in we’re not too sure what to expect from him. If I had to bet, I’d gamble that he may not be around for the second half, though I’ll play it safe and stay away from this one. He knows how to surf.

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Samuel Pupo –

Welcome the beginning of the Brazilian Storm, what, 3.0? His brother Miguel, in just about 10 years on tour, has only placed worse than 13th at Pipe only twice. Which means he has made at least one heat in all the other years. This kid Sammy, however, is more the Filipe type – quick, sharp, dangerous in anything shoulder high or under, etc. etc. I actually couldn’t find many clips of him surfing waves of circumstance. Here’s a decent bowl in the Azores (Portugal). He did win the Rip Curl Trials at Bells in 2017, so there’s familiarity with a tough wave we’ll see in the first half. I think this rookie may be able to have his throwaway at Pipe and make the cut to the second half. He’ll have a lot of people in his corner.

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Lucca Mesinas – 

You may know this name as being the first guy to qualify for the Olympics. If you didn’t look into him then, let us inform you – this kid can fucking rip on his backhand.  He’s also won 2 Junior events, and 3 QS events, so he knows how to wear a rashie. We did see him last year at the Corona Open in Mexico where he got knocked out before the waves got really good. When going right, his style reminds me a bit of Jeremy Flores. If this kid can make the cut, you should be just as hyped as we are to see him surf G-Land. I’m looking for a good result from him in Portugal. We’ll see if it will be enough to keep him around for the second half. 

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Joao Chianca –

You’ve probably heard of, or at least seen clips of his older brother and supercharger, Lucas ‘Chumbo’ Chianca. This is ‘Chumbinho’, Sammy Pupo’s new partner in the Brazilian Storm 3.0. His wave at Off-The-Wall 2 years ago is still one of the gnarlier double-ups I can recall. This kid can obviously charge and get bowled, plus his performance game isn’t far behind. Time will tell how he fares up against the big boys at Sunset, Bells, and Margaret River, but we like him to start hot out the gates at Pipe. 

To round out the ‘rookie’ class, the unknowns.

Callum Robson –

As discussed on ‘The Monday M.A.S.S.’ podcast, Callum Robson is, possibly, the first Mad Huey on tour, so that’s sorta rad. This chap seems to have a pretty decent air game, with a style that is a mixed bag of Julian X Mitch Crews. I was glad to see one left added in at the very end of this edit, but that is a blind spot in his surfing we’ve yet to see. He competed at Pipe in 2020, and he’s also surfed a Junior event at Bells, which should obviously serve as an advantage over any other rookie unfamiliar with those tough waves. He also had a few solid results last year in some heavy fields – Quarterfinals at the US Open, and Semi’s at Haleiwa. The jury is out, as far as predictions go, for this Australian wonder.

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Imaikalani deVault –

In my personal taste, this is the most exciting guy to join the tour this year. Though he was introduced to the world a few years back by Surfer, as well as being documented a lot recently, like here, here, and here, I’m still telling you some of your mates in the lineup wont recognize his name. Though he hasn’t won a contest in any WSL events yet, he’s competed for quite some time. His local knowledge should fare him well to start the year, and his raw talent will really start to shine at Bells and Margaret’s. This kid is our pick for ROTY.

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Jackson Baker –

Perhaps the most unfamiliar of the incoming class is Jacko. The kids got 5 QS wins though, and we saw a glimpse of him at the CT level last year – the Ripcurl Newcastle Cup. That claim already makes me eager for some post heat interviews from this guy. Also this clip, in a short arm full, with booties. I’ve got a feeling he could become a fan favorite personality on tour. His surfing looks pretty heavy footed, as in, a lot of spray, big turns, not too many airs, so on and so forth. His best results will likely come at home, the last two events of the first half. Will it be enough to save his skin from the mid-year cut? A tinhorn might take that bet, not I.

There you have it, the new kids on the block. Best of luck to all of these gents.

-hwilsin.