Italo And Gabriel Stumble, Mikey Wright Quits, And Barra Hates Goofs!

How good are highlights? 

You know, real highlights. In video form. Ones that don’t hit you with the frustrating “this content is currently unavailable in your location” message or mysteriously disappear from Italo Ferreira’s Instagram page a few hours after getting posted. Like these: 

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After surfing’s first Olympic foray, isn’t it nice to be back with the WSL, like returning home from a long trip and dining at a restaurant where the staff (Joe Turpel) knows your name? 

The last event, the Rip Curl Rottnest Search, wrapped nearly three months ago on May 25. You might be eager to point out that the Surf Ranch Pro occurred between now and then — but can’t we all be friends here and admit that doesn’t count? 

We can. It doesn’t. 

Now, Mexico. 

The first heat of the morning featured Kolohe Andino, Kanoa Igarashi and Kelly Slater — two Olympians and one almost-Olympian. I’d like to think conversation about Tokyo filled the air during the lulls, and that JJF’s name was cursed by the man who owns stronger, albeit older, ligaments in his knees. 

Kolohe won the heat by landing a cutesy alley-oop towards the end of the heat. 

You can (and we will) pull an Olympic storyline out of Heat 2, too. Griffin Colapinto went up against Lucca Mesinas while Jadson Andre was in attendance. Griffin’s impatience made the heat more entertaining, but certainly didn’t put him on the best waves. Meanwhile, Lucca waited for (and caught) better ones. 

Lucca was among surfing’s first generation of Olympians. Griffin was a long way away from qualifying for the Games. Guess who outclassed who. 

I enjoy Lucca’s surfing and wouldn’t be surprised to see him on Tour in the next few years, but there is simply a difference between CT surfers and the rest of the world. Every turn is bigger, faster, better. 

Also, note that Griffin is currently in the Top 5 and will stay there (says my money) and qualify for the showdown at Lowers. Imagine if he won the Title — it’d be a fine way to cap this bizarre year of pro surfing. 

Heat 4, feat Jez Flores, who just announced his retirement, lost to Filipe Toledo and his bleached facial hair. But, in doing so, he gave us perhaps the last club sandwich we’ll ever see on Tour. All good with me. It’s not that I hate the maneuver, but that name…

Oh, and Heat 5? Heat 5 was fucking great. There were a ton of waves, and a ton of airs from Italo Ferreira, Peterson Crisanto, and Stab High stud Mateus Herdy — who treated himself to a victory over the Olympic gold medalist!

I don’t think the WSL should even make Mateus go through the Challenger Series this year. Just chuck him on Tour for 2021. Fuck rules. It’s exciting every time he stands up on a surfboard. 

G. Medina looked off in his heat, which might feel like a weird thing to read from a man whose day climaxed with a forced, barely out of the water finner after calling a furry Nordic man on a soft top off of a waist high shitbowl. But G. fell often and lost to Jack Robinson — who will indeed need some big results if he wants to requalify for the 2022 Tour through the CT. 

In the next heat, everybody got 11 points but Ace Buchan had a fraction more than Conner Coffin and Matthew McGillivray so he won. You shouldn’t be surprised if he retires this year. But you may have been surprised when Mikey Wright announced his retirement from competition after the next heat, something we broke down here.  

Shortly thereafter, L. Fioravanti got the highest heat total of the day with 15.17 points. It was something that neither you, nor I, nor Connor O’Leary, nor Ryan Callinan, saw coming. Funny, how that works. And by “that” I mean the fact that only one goofyfooter (Ace) won a heat during the first chunk of Round 1 and it was by less than .10 points. 

Think about it: Mateus beating Italo. Jack beating Gabriel. Leo beating the aforementioned two. Do ur own research, etc. 

However, like most conspiracies, this was swiftly debunked when Miguel Pupo defeated Seth Moniz and Wade Carmichael in the last heat of the round. 

Also, shoutout to Ethan Ewing won his heat, got an 8.83, and made Koby Abberton wish he’d bet on him. 

On the Women’s side, Sal Fitz got the jump over Keely and Silvana with classic rail surfing for a 14.27 heat total.

Malia paid homage to the late AI from her hometown of Kauai in the number 8 jersey. His spirit was summoned, manifesting in the hammers she lay in her heat against Johanne and Shelby.

Carissa looked unbeatable, stringing together multiple carves over B. Mac and Regina. Her post-heat interview dripped with charm as she deflected Olympic-gold and 4x World Champ praise toward the other girls in the competition for just showing up. Her humility is endearing, but like why you gotta block us on IG Riss? Sadface.

Can you imagine doing the tour with two other siblings?

Given my family dynamic, I think I would have had my eyes gouged and hair pulled out in the competitors area, but Tyler flexed big-Wright clan energy with some fiery layback carves and sassy kick outs in the final heat of the day.

However, in the end it was the US’s 19-year old Caz Marks who got the jump on Tyler and Sage Erickson with the highest female heat total of the day, a 15.03.

Men’s Round 1

Heat One: Kolohe Andino (13.60) DEF Kelly Slater (11.00) DEF (10.77)

Heat Two: Griffin Colapinto (13.00) DEF Lucca Mesinas (11.73) DEF Jadson Andre (9.43)

Heat Three: Morgan Cibilic (10.00) DEF Rio Waida (9.70) DEF Deivid Silva (8.27)

Heat Four: Filipe Toledo (13.46) DEF Jeremy Flores (11.33) DEF Johny Corzo (6.87)

Heat Five: Matheus Herdy (14.13) DEF Italo Ferreira (13.93) DEF Peterson Crisanto (13.03)

Heat Six: Jack Robinson (13.83) DEF Gabriel Medina (10.13) DEF Diego Cadena (7.90)

Heat Seven: Ace Buchan (11.83) DEF Conner Coffin (11.77) DEF Matthew McGillivray (11.34)

Heat Eight: Mikey Wright (12.73) DEF Owen Wright (11.80) DEF Yago Dora (10.76)

Heat Nine: Caio Ibelli (13.77) DEF Frederico Morais (12.77) DEF Alex Ribeiro (8.87)

Heat Ten: Leo Fioravanti (15.17) DEF Ryan Callinan (10.13) DEF Connor O’Leary (9.50)

Heat Eleven: Ethan Ewing (15.16) DEF Michel Bourez (12.40) DEF Adriano de Souza (12.06)

Heat Twelve: Miguel Pupo (11.43) DEF Wade Carmichael (11.37) DEF Seth Moniz (10.46)

Women’s Round 1

Heat One: Sally Fitzgibbons (14.27) DEF Silvana Lima (12.90) DEF Keely Andrew (11.96)

Heat Two: Malia Manuel (14.93) DEF Johanne Defay (11.00) DEF Shelby Detmers (7.43)

Heat Three: Carissa Moore (14.96) DEF Bronte Macaulay (12.60) DEF Regina Pioli (5.07)

Heat Four: Courtney Conologue (14.24) DEF Tati Weston-Webb (11.24) DEF Macy Callaghan (8.30)

Heat Five: Steph Gilmore (13.07) DEF Brisa Hennessy (12.60) DEF Isabella Nichols (10.94)

Heat Six: Caroline Marks (15.03) DEF Tyler Wright (11.97) DEF Sage Erickson

Men’s Round 2

Heat One: Kanoa Igarashi vs Diego Cadena vs Peterson Crisanto 

Heat Two: Yago Dora vs Jhony Corzo vs Deivid Silva

Heat Three: Adriano de Souza vs Jadson Andre vs Alex Ribeiro

Heat Four: Seth Moniz vs Matt McGillivray vs Connor O’Leary

Women’s Round 2

Heat One: Macy Callaghan vs Regina Pioli vs Isabella Nichols

Heat Two: Shelby Betmers vs Keely Andrew vs Sage Erickson