2016 World Surf League World Tour Reinvention Take Off
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| John John Florence inspired and boosted by his Eddie win moving as a favorite into the World Tour |
The 2016 World Surf League Championship World Tour kicked off the start of the season with intense surfing series at Australia´s Snapper Rocks. World Champions, Legendary Surfers, Veterans of the Tour and a new wave of Rookies shined bright under the sun of the Man-Made Australian waves. In what is one of the demanding Sport in the World Top WSL Athletes are fired up and ready for the 2016 long run. The level of multidisciplinary training of WSL riders is amazing, the way they prepare and focus is Zen-Scaring and the way they Surf is just inspiring.
“Welcome to the 2016 Championship Tour”…”Welcome to the Show...” on March 11 WSL blasted away after a day and half of Dawn Patrol, Wait outs and Day Off Suspension and Callbacks. Finally when Snapper´s Quiksilver Pro got rolling it was on, really on.
Championship Tour Stars came through strong on the opening day. Toledo -2015 Quicksilver Winner, Medina -2014 World Champ, Adriano de Souza -2015 World Champ, Mick Fanning -Legend and last year favorite in the Crown Run, Slater -11 times World Champ, John John Florence -working his own zone after winning the Eddie Big Wave Invitation and others and others turned up for the show down.
WSL anticipated that this year's tour would include the largest wave of Rookies emerging from the QS series -a total of 11 but few expected them to be as “hungry” as they were and to deliver a shake up of the rankings. Wild Cards will also be playing a role through the year as the radical Mickey Wright -representing the Wright brothers legacy, proved bringing “hell-surfing” to Snappers.
As Heats progressed, speed picked up and surf intensified to its peak. Rookies and Stars went head to head in epic battles. Down and deep, carving, hacking the wave, working the rails, vertical and air reverse, off the roof, riding the lip and strong finishes became the norm. The level of surfing was incredibly high and gave the start of the World Tour and the start of a season a taste of what is to come.
Snappers -which creates among the longest waves to ride in the World -thanks to manmade sand bursting was not pumping under its Cyclonic Influence Behaviour but still delivered waves of power. Turbulence and lumpy sections connected with clean green emerald high power walls. Wave detection -choosing the wave also became priority. There was variety of everything at the opening of World Surf Tour and surfboard variety choices soon became a hot topic.
“Reinvention” is that one word that sums up the spirit of the start of the season. The blood and spirit of the WSL is reinvented constantly and 2016 is no different.
New Rookie Riders pumping new water into the WSL became “The News” spread around the World. The new wave of Rookies Raiders hacked Snappers and took down a whole range of Top Ten Ranking holders including Slater, Medina and de Souza to mention just some. Rookies took to the waters with no fear and sheer power of destruction, surfing out big stars in their own game court.
The surf work of Mickey Wright not only speaks of the power of his own surf agenda but of the power of Wildcards picked to engage in WSL CT events. Mickey Wright intentions came out through and clean, surfing under a mixture of aggression and love, the surf of Wright hit a power note.
While everyone jumped into the Rookie Tendency it is still too early in the season to assure that the tendency will remain all year long. It is also naive to say that the Top Best Riders of the World will roll over and sit down quietly and not respond hard to retake that which they won after long years of tour surfing and hard work.
Mikey Wright -the “Wild” Wild Card seemed to open a door for all newcomers when in Round 1 Heat 6 he took down none other than Adriano de Souza.
"With under a minute to go he knocked his fins loose with a solid dose of reckless behavior. His flurry of lip punches vaulted him from last to first, leaving Kolohe stunned with a third-place finish...(and Adriano on a second place finish)" WSL reported.
Stuart Kennedy -injury replacement filling in for Bede Durbidge (who acted in as a live commentator) took down Slater in Round 2 Heat 3 after scoring a 9.5 in his second best wave. Kennedy continued to outsurf favorites and in Round 3 Heat 12 took down Medina.
The list continued and continued...Sebastian Zietz took down Julian Wilson in Round 2 Heat 1, Ryan Callinan sent Jordy Smith packing on Heat 5 that same day, Conner Coffin took down Kai Outton and Kolohe Andino took down Matt Banting on Heat 12. In Round 3 Heat 3 Coffin took down Ferreira and Sebastian Zietz continued his incredible surfing and took down Mick Fanning in Heat 6.
John John Florence, Felipe Toledo and Adriano de Souza responded with fierce at all Heats refusing to go down and showing just how much they have to show. Surfing inspirational waves the new riders -as heats progressed realized that things were not going to be that easy all the way.
But reinvention does not always come in hands of the newly “Welcomed Aboard”. Each CT Rider seems to have reinvented himself in some way or another. From spìritual and mental transformations to heavy body reinventions to new surfboards reinventions. Snappers had it all in its early days.
Felipe Toledo showed up with a mental state that scared off any contender as he seemed to surf in his own mental space competing with non other than himself. John John Florence is another rider which showed up to steal the show. Some already consider John John the best surfer in the World but he is out to make it Official. This year his focus is on becoming the WSL Champ and he knows better than anyone out there that every wave and every Heat counts. John John came in strong recently taking the win of the legendary Eddie Aiku Big Wave Invitation and his method of surfing is just a beautiful thing to watch -he too seems to Surf in a World-Dimension of his own. John John rebuilt his body strength after having to sit out last year long months due an injury. Still at the first stop of the World Tour John John took to the air like no one else did. In Round 3 his straight air impressed the crowds which lifted up the beach with cheers. No other rider managed to gain the power to takeoff into the air and pull off a clean straight air. John John is sure inspired and on the Reinvention Track.
Adriano de Souza is also on the Reinvention Track -reinventing himself as the World Champ and taking the Crown to the water with tremendous focus he is proving that his surf is the result of also incredibly hard work. Slater -the Master of Reinvention dealt with “flow feel” and introduced new Radical Gear which “Surfed Magically” despite his numbers did not add up to those required for rounds flyby. Mick Fanning reinvented himself for as a “off-the-pressure-surfer” and announced a three time event show up throughout the 2016 Tour -statement that many wish to see reversed.
In this Reinvention Waterway riders had long months to prepare for the start of the World Tour. Some have prepared for it their entire life others have been on it for long years others are fresh off the boat. Whatever the case they all agreed at what the best Snapper Approach is. Deep and down, vertical and deep, carves, snapp-hacks and rips, off the roof, rail working the sections...
On March 14 Felipe Toledo flew into Snapper Rocks Quarter Finals after scoring a perfect 10. With a powered up repertoire, air reverse and perfect flow, innovation and progression, upbeat creativity and snap deep control Toledo flew through the sections with a unique speed riding a lighted-up green board. The Brazilian Spirit still beats into the very heart of the WSL.
Later that same day John John Florence took to the air finding his well deserved spot at the Quarterfinals after taking down Stuart Kennedy with a huge air reverse. Big risks high rewards, Florence makes it look mystical.
Florence adds to Toledo, Matt Wilkinson and Kolohe Andino all riders which fast tracked into Quarter Finals avoiding Round 5. Still as this story is being published surfers continue to fluidly work out their way to the Quarterfinals and sweat it out. They are all in at first event of the Tour even when they know that the WSL World Tour is a Marathon. Will they stand and triumph, will they have the air for the year´s long run? Who will take Snapper Rocks?
WSL says that 50% of Snapper Rocks Winners in the past decade went on to winning the WSL World Tour that same year. But from Australia´s Snappers to Hawaii Pipe Masters there is a long, long, long, long way. The Australian leg, Tahiti, Fiji, South Africa, European Leg: France and Portugal and US and Hawaii is a busy packed up and fired up schedule. Athletes of the WSL CT World Tour are already into it...deep into it.
