“I Want To See The Winner Get Stretchered Off The Beach With A $5K Check”

Bum Rush arrived in Merewhether the day before an annual Australian ritual called Two-Up.

The game smells like desperation and wet paper. Tastes like stale beer. Looks like narrowed pupils. And sounds like: CoME On SpInNer. In remembrance of soldiers, the Australians confront their own mortality, which makes the bets higher and the noise bearable — even lovable. Except for one mouth-spitter.

Ahhh the perils of the journey.

The 13th installment of the Bum Rush Tour carried a similar tenacity to Two-Up without the surplus saliva. After a hands-on condition assessment, our qualified panel — Milla Coco Brown, Caden Francis, Hughie Vaughan, and Julian Wilson — decided the river raging in front of Ladypools spelled out one thing only: RAMPS.

“I want to see the winner stretchered off the beach with a $5K check,” Julian commanded. With the flash of Hughie’s Vaughen’s Stab High ticket, all of Newcastle ascended Merewhether’s lineup, throwing flesh, fiberglass, and any thoughts of self-preservation into the wind.

The headlines include: 

• Hughie almost gets hustled out of $5k by Jacko Baker
• If you’re feeling low, Milla Coco Brown is who you need in your corner
• One surfer breaks a fin, continues rotating to the flats (a la Eli Hanneman) 
• The same surfer destroys his ankle, still continues to rotate (a la Kerri Strug) 
• Judges send Bum Rush Winner back out to complete a “Stab High Worthy” air before handing over a golden ticket. 

After one collision, three hours of surfing, and over 30 flight attempts, Dom Thomas stomped a massive full rote and snagged a soggy ticket to Stab High. We’re looking forward to seeing how the 20-year-old’s unrelenting spirit translates to a wavepool. 

Click here for everything you need to know about Stab High Sydney 2025, Presented by Monster Energy — a surf contest focused on flight.

Buy tickets to Stab High Sydney on October 10 + 11 here