The CS Is Fun, The CS Is Hard

The digital print on canvas in your Ericeira rental will remind you: “It’s about the journey, not the destination.”

And journeying is exactly what Matt Myers and his mentees have been excelling at throughout their year in the Challenger Series.

Myers’ Wet Shoulder League series may not be shortlisted for any YouTube Creator Awards based on measurable popularity alone, but it still offers an engaging and authentic glimpse into the lives of mid-table journeymen and women striving to join the boss tour.

In the Ericeira episode of WSL (see what they did there?), the crew discovers that the sun doesn’t rise until after 7 a.m. in Portugal — perhaps the grand star, influenced by centuries of wine-fueled late nights and slow mornings, now simply refuses to show up on time. Sanoa Dempfle-Olin offends an entire nation by bringing her own sardines to a land renowned for the finest fish-tinning in the world, likely displeasing the judging panel, who didn’t count the Canadian Olympian’s potential heat-turner at the final buzzer of her Round of 32 heat.

The episode’s dishonorable mention goes to the brutal snubbing of Stab contributor and World Surf League mic man, Chris Binns. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

Results were hard to come by for Myers’ crew during the Challenger Series’ sole Euro stop. Alyssa Spencer was the top-performing surfer of the bunch, now sitting in 8th place in the rankings, with a realistic chance of qualifying if she delivers a strong performance at Saquarema. Alyssa was prematurely chopped off tour at Margs earlier this season during her rookie run.

On the men’s side, the odds look promising for Nolan Rapoza, the highest-ranked of the group, currently sitting in 15th place, not far from the qualification line. Meanwhile, despite having a mathematical chance, Levi Slawson faces a steep climb from the bottom of his 34th position.

Until the season finale of Wet Shoulder League shall we just embrace life with the same enthusiasm Matt Myers celebrates a 5.6?