“Layne Beachley, 53, Playing Mind Games With 18-YO Quey Warriors Behind The Rock? That Shit Was Iconic”
Sebastian ‘Seabass’ Zietz and Jed ‘Smivvy’ Smith relive the thrilling final of the World Cup Challenge tag team.
“To me, the highlight was the final: Kauai, Culburra, Snapper, and North Narrabeen. Parko, Owen, Hog… are you kidding me? The waves have been shit on the East Coast for the past six weeks, then suddenly we get a proper, building behind-the-rock swell for the final day of the tag team. That cone Parko snagged on the buzzer was fucking cosmic,” said Swellian co-host Jed Smith, summing up the ecstasy-fisted finale of the World Cup Challenge at Snapper on Sunday.
The World Club Challenge (formerly the Usher Cup) brought together 48 clubs from nine countries. Created by Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, the 1978 World Champ, the event offered a $60,000 prize pool, with winners pocketing $10K to spend as they please. But it’s not just about the cash — the WCC flexes its philanthropic muscle too. Through the “$5k for TEN” initiative, $50,000 is donated annually to ten local Gold Coast charities during the presentation ceremony, thanks to epic sponsor support (and a few tax write-offs).
Now in its fifth year, this tag-team extravaganza was hosted at Snapper Rocks, where event permits seem easier to snag than a XXXX at Rainbow Bay Surf Club between all the recent Occy Grom Comp-ing, CS/CT, and WCC.
Leading North Narrabeen to victory were the blue lazers of Nathan Hedge, who alongside Jordy Lawler, Dylan Moffatt, and Olympic skateboarder Ruby Trew, ripped into BTR like a hot rotisserie chicken. Commentary from Ronnie and Vaughan Blakey, Bugs, Paul Fisher, and Smivvy delivered a mix of noxious ditties and rogue observations, harkening back to surfing’s wilder days. “This is what it’s all about,” cackled Fisher back on home turf, following a techno blitzkrieg of Thailand. “This is what’s missing overseas: the camaraderie. The energy. It’s super special to see.”
The depth of talent, from pros and joes alike, was another noteworthy feature. Former CT surfer Sebastian ‘Seabass’ Zietz told Stab. “We had a few groms in the team who didn’t know who some of the older guys were. They go, ‘Oh, we’re going to smoke these guys.’ I’m like, ‘you better watch out for some of those older Aussie guys with brown boards and no stickers. They’re killer.’ So just seeing those underground guys shine in this format makes it interesting too. I’ll add: it’s massive having the star power of guys like Michel Bourez in the draw to elevate it. At one point my 15-year-old niece, Oliver, was holding priority on Parko behind-the-rock. I was like ‘wow, this is kind of nuts.’”
Seabass explained his first encounter with boardriders culture came at 18, after Brent Dorrington recruited him for Dbah’s newly formed boardriders club. “I ended up winning, and they chaired me up the beach and stuck a beer bong down my throat. They were super rowdy but the energy was infectious.”
Once Seabass was off tour, many of his students complained of the dwindling competitive opportunities given to Hawaiian juniors coming through the ranks. When long-time contest organizer Milo Murguia stepped down, Zietz and his wife stepped up, starting tag team contests in Kauai with support from Brandon Guilmette. They established a Hawaii Cup, a requirement to qualify for the US Champs, and continued running the Usher Cup format locally.
“There’s now seven boardriders clubs in Hawaii: North Shore Oahu, Haleiwa, West Side, Kauai, Maui, Big Island and Town.” Focused on fostering young talent, Zietz’s team now ranges in age from 15 to 24. He sees boardriders clubs as a way to create opportunities in a challenging industry, helping young surfers travel, compete, and build lifelong memories.
“Australia leads the world in boardriders culture,” added Jed. “You can see a lot of these guys internationally are just soaking it up like dry sponges. It’s epic. Slater was texting in all day saying he’s pumped to surf for Space Coast Boardriders next year. And Layne Beachley, 53, playing mind games with 18-year-old Quey warriors? That was just iconic. Bugs absolutely brained the format.”
The WCC isn’t slowing down. They’ve already locked in a permit for Trestles in 2027. Correct — the former Final 5 venue is getting a tag-team remix.
WCC 2025 results
- North Narrabeen
- Snapper Rocks
- Kauai Boardriders
- Culburra
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