Spaghetti, Ye & A Drop Of Red Was Griffin’s Winning Recipe
Inside the Portugal dream run of America’s next great world title threat.
This is Griffin’s first year as a serious WT threat. It’s not a particularly bold claim to make given he finished #6 last season, only one spot from being in the mix at Lowers on Final’s day, but this season he’s found fifth gear.
Griffin’s performance in the semi’s against fellow San Clemente CTer, Brother Andino, where he fetched him the first 10 of the WSL season, was the sort of next level surfing that we’re only used to seeing from guys like Filipe, Gabe, JJF and Italo. Seth and Josh Moniz earlier this season in Hawaii told Stab, “I’ve never seen Griffin as fired up and focused as he has been this year. It is psycho.”
Despite training harder than ever, Griffin got off to a slow start on the Hawaiian leg, with two 17ths at Pipe and Sunset. After his Portugal win, he unveiled his pre-event journal notes on IG where he wrote about his “mixed feelings” and fear about finding himself back on the “Challenger Series and what people will think about me” . It was no angsty sob story though, it was counterbalanced by an impressive kind of stoic self-awareness, “I may be making this too much about the contest… The bottom line is I determine my happiness.” Griffin then went on to take down Kolohe, Kelly, JJF and Filipe in one of the most stacked paths to #1.
After the final buzzer sounded, Griff did a headstand before being chaired up the beach by Conner, Seth, Kolohe, and Tommy Whits to hoist his first CT trophy. You cannot not like this guy.
Sus the ‘Cola Bros’ best clip to date.
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