John Florence, Steph Gilmore, and Jai Glindeman Are Your 2020 Stab Surfers Of The Year

Over the last 10 days, we’ve polled the most influential names in the surfing game. We asked them four key questions: who were top five male surfers, top five female, best under-18, and the best film of 2020? 

We received a wide array of choices, but some clear patterns began to emerge as we started to progress to the halfway point. Friends and siblings tend to choose each other. Not a surprise. You watch your friends and family surf in person more than others. Those memories from each session may not be as exhilarating as John John’s wave at Haleiwa, but they’re what you remember most. However, the cream always rises to the top.

We have some clear winners for the four categories. The results aren’t too surprising given the caliber of surfing delivered by these surfers in 2020. Instagram is still catching its breath from the massive influx of A+ surf clips. 

Without further ado, here are the winners of Stab Surfer of the Year.

Overall Mens Winner

John John Florence

Can anyone even argue with this? The guy is an animal. Complete dominance at every break on the North Shore, winning each stop of The Digital Vans Triple Crown. We could have given him a handicap for each vote and he still would have won.

Here’s what John’s peers had to say about his performance this year.

“I’m just gonna stay on the bandwagon. It’s hard to argue with anything he’s done. Obviously, he had the big comeback, and I think he’s actually surfing better than before the injury, which is really hard to do. He looks so strong. I think he’s really coming into himself and asserting himself as the guy to beat. He’s doing impossible things on a surfboard, and he would have been world champ in 2019.” –Chris Cote

“I feel like we expect so much of John at this point that it’s hard to give him credit, especially when he’s coming back from injuries. But he’s back now, and no one touches him on turns or barrels, and his air game is coming back to be one of the best again.” – Albee Layer

“Pretty remarkable comeback he’s had. I’ve missed watching him surf. It’s cool having someone like John John, that crazy level of surfing. Supernatural talent. The surfing world went a bit boring when he wasn’t putting out those freakish videos.” – Harry Bryant

“When the 2020 season got canned, John must have been psyched. At the 2019 Pipe Masters, he still looked like damaged goods. The break gave him the chance to finally get that crook knee right. Once mended, he dropped edits that proved nobody comes close… especially on the forehand and especially when it’s big. John got his Pipe title beating the GOAT and his ultimate rival Medina on the way. He’ll win the Vans digital Triple Crown too.” – Ronnie Blakey

Mens Rankings:

1. John John Florence (149 points)

2. Italo Ferreira (91 points)

3. Griffin Colapinto (58 points)

4. Kai Lenny (39 points)

5. Mason Ho (38 points)

6. Jack Robinson (33 points)

7. Ian Crane (30 points)

8. Nate Fletcher (27 points)

9. Gabriel Medina (24 points)

10. Jacob Wilcox (21 points)

Overall Womens Winner

Steph Gilmore

The Cleopatra of surfing. About every other quote we received about Steph referenced her as the queen. The kindest ruler of all the lands.

Divine, powerful, and graceful. Steph’s classic surfing is harmonious with her personality. Steph is not just a role model for young girls, but all of us. Smile more, ditch the ego, but most importantly, surf with passion.

Here’s why Steph’s peers gave her the crown this year.

“Didn’t see much of Steph this year except some clips from Dan Scott. One follow-cam piece at Snapper was all it took to remind me that when it comes to style and drawing lines on a wave… nobody comes close to the Queen.” – Ronnie Blakey

“This was an easy one. She’s on tour and stuff, but she has so much style and grace and makes riding a thruster look beautiful, which isn’t always easy (laughs).” – Karina Rozunko

“I’m always a Steph groupie. Even if she drops clips of one or two waves, they’re so good to watch. To me, she’s still a head above the pack. She could beat guys in the top 20 on the Men’s tour.”- Dooma

She’s the queen of modern era surfing. She draws clean lines and motivates the next generation of women’s surfing.” –Josh Kerr

Women’s Rankings:

1. Steph Gilmore (111 points)

2. Carissa Moore (98 points)

3. Tyler Wright (72 points)

4. Sierra Kerr (71 points)

5. Caroline Marks (58 points)

6. Bronte Macaulay (48 points)

7. Erin Brooks (41 points)

8. Caity Simmers(36 points)

9. Betty Lou Sakura Johnson (34 points)

10. Justine Dupont (25 points)

Overall Best Junior

Jai Glindeman

Did you see that Electric Acid Microdose? No, I’m genuinely asking. You might have missed it due to technical difficulties during our launch of Stab Premium. Despite these issues, Jai’s surfing is profound. At only 16 years old, he has a blend of style and power that most surfers spend their whole life looking for.

I wouldn’t say I like drawing comparisons between surfers. It’s corny and usually exaggerated. But recently, I’ve been scavenging clips of Tom Curren from the internet. Youtube clips, DVD’s, anything I can find. The resemblance between the two is uncanny.

Here’s why Jai took the top spot, according to surfings most influential figures.

“Because his surfing is out of control, I’ve never seen anyone else surf like it. That video that you guys did with him was insane. He makes surfing look so fun. It’s just so simple, and it’s perfectly surfed waves. And the best part about it is he’s not a complete little fucking prick.” – Harry Bryant

“I saw him on Insta like two years ago before he blew up. I was like, ‘Oh shit.’ So refreshing to see some kid not pumping down the line to do an air. Even though I can hardly do a turn to save my life, I really appreciate proper, fundamental surfing. It’s a great thing to see from someone his age.” – Cam Richards

“I really enjoyed his surfing in the Electric Acid Microdose. On the last board, the Black Beauty, which was really good to watch. It’s good to see a kid with a different style and not just doing rotators.” – Mick Fanning

“I put him in my men’s category last year, but he’s still a junior so I’m gonna put him here this year. Jai’s performance in the Microdose was insane, his surfing is incredible. Watching him ride the Shawn Stussy twin fin made me want to ride a twin fin. So that’s what I did.” – Stace Galbraith

Junior Rankings:

1. Jai Glindeman (13 points)

2. Jackson Dorian (11 points)

3. Erin Brooks (5 points)

4. Luke Swanson (3 points)

//5. Tosh Tudor (2 points)

//5. Sierra Kerr (2 points)

//5. Jett Schilling (2 points)

//5. Eli Hanneman (2 points)

//5. Caity Simmers (2 points)