Stab Surfer Of The Year: Craig Anderson, Chris Cote, Barron Mamiya, Griffin Colapinto, Caroline Marks

Day four of SSOTY is upon us. Yesterday we heard from Albee Layer, Stephanie Gilmore, Conner Coffin, and Josh Kerr. Italo Ferreira continued his lightning-fast rise to the top while Carissa Moore brought her lead over Steph Gilmore to just about ten. Will any dark horses make last-minute runs? Let’s find out! 

Here’s where the leaderboard stands. 

Stab Surfer of the Year Day Three results:
Male (Top 10)
1. Italo Ferreira (41 points)
2. Gabriel Medina (24 points)
=3. Griffin Colapinto (13 points) 
=3. Russell Bierke (13 points)
=3 Noa Deane (13 points) 
4. John John Florence (13 points)
5. Mason Ho (10 points) 
6. Kolohe Andino (9 points) 
=7. Ian Crane (8 points) 
=7. Chippa Wilson (8 points) 

Women (Top 6)
1. Carissa Moore (30 points)
2. Stephanie Gilmore (19 points)
3. Caroline Marks (15 points)
=4. Coco Ho (5 points)
=4. Lakey Peterson (5 points) 

Best Junior (top 3)
=1. Eli Hanneman (3 points)
=1. Crosby Colapinto (3 points)
2. Jackson Dorian (2 points)

Best Edit
1. Flow State starring Russell Bierke (6 points)
2. Left Brain Right Brain starring Chippa Wilson (3 points)
3. The quieter you are the more you can hear starring Craig Anderson (2 points)

Craig Anderson 

Age: 30 

Bio: Australian style icon, “not a mentor” but we had him shape the youth anyway on the Stab Innocents trip, Dane Reynold’s biz partner. 

Men 

1. Bryce Young (5 points): I’ve always known how good Bryce is but I just don’t think we get to see him that often. In Jack Coleman’s film, Zone Frequency, I was so impressed with Bryce’s surfing. It was some of the best surfing I’ve seen in a long time.
2. Chippa Wilson (4 points): I feel like Chippa is always putting out crazy edits, at least one or two a year. I really enjoyed that Epohke edit he worked on with Dion [Agius] and Kai [Neville]. I’m always amazed at how consistent, how technical and just how big he goes. I really back him as a person and surfer. 
3. Creed McTaggart (3 points): I feel like he’s had a really big year, he’s done so much good surfing. In that Fun Boys 2 edit, he was completely tearing. Then he dropped his Cut of Freedom Part with Globe which was ten minutes long and amazing. It’s nice to see him putting out so much good surfing and riding long boards. 
4. Noa Deane (2 points): Noa’s similar to Chip in a way. I saw Noa down in South Australia probably two months ago now, and he was surfing really good. Then he put out his RUBU edit, which had a lot of turns mixed into technical shoves and tubes. He can do everything, he charges and put his board on rail really well. 
5. Derek Hynd (1 point): He’s been around for a long time…eighties, nineties. We’re just fortunate to have him in surfing. I feel like he changed a lot of the perception of surfing and you see a lot of guys riding soft finless boards now and I guess that’s come from him in a weird way. Then guys like Ari Browne, who’s another guy from up that way who rides fiberglass fin-less boards and is just fucking amazing. I recently listened to Dave Rastovich and his partner’s podcast, Water People, and Derek was on it. I really enjoyed his insight on the history of surfing. 

Women 

1. Stephanie Gilmore (3 points): I just think she’s incredible. Not many girls out there that do it the way she does it. She just makes surfing look really pure. There’s not any girl in the day and age that holds a candle to what she does. 
2. Laura Enever (2 points): She’s just been chasing some big waves and for some unknown reason I happened to be at Shipsterns during one of her sessions. I witnessed a couple of her wipeouts and saw her make a pretty crazy wave. Seeing it with my own eyes was impressive. I haven’t participated in the slightest on those days, I was just there spectating and she was having a red hot go. 
3. Left Blank (0 points)

Best Junior 

1. Jai Glindeman (1 point): He’s got the full package. He’s got a beautiful style and incredible barrel riding technique. I feel like it’s going to be a pleasure watching him come into his own. On the Stab trip [Innocents] he had a broken toe and was still surfing really cool. He put out that edit earlier this year [PUP] and that was really good.

Best Edit 

Zone Frequency a film by Jack Coleman (1 point): I felt it had a really good balance of art and great surfing. Just the whole way it was put together really resonated with me. And I love all the surfers who were involved, like Ryan Burch and Bryce. It had a more underground cast you don’t really get to see surf that much. 

Chris Cote 

Age: 43

Bio: ex-Transworld Surf editor, 540 advocate, considered amongst Morgan Freeman and David Attenborough for his superior tonality

Men

1. Italo Ferreira (5 points): Everybody is saying Italo right? I love unpredictable surfers, and the second Italo stands up on a wave you can’t help but get excited ’cause you just know he’s gonna do something nuts, so maybe he is predictable? Either way, any time Italo drops a part or surfs a heat, I’m watching and I’m psyched. 
2. Jack Robinson (4 points): The savant finally lives up to his potential. Can’t wait to see what he does in 2020. Hopefully he and JJF will team up and Make Competitive Surfing Stylish Again and fend off Gabriel Medina. 
3. Wade Goodall (3 points): Had a great convo with Wade at the Stab in the Dark premiere in Hawaii and it reminded me why he’s one of my all time favorite surfers. His video “Pentacoastal” was amazing, love this guy. 
4. Harry Bryant (2 points): Who had a better year than Haz? River surfing, North Shore good times, all the Vans shoes he can wear, plus he’s a nice person, friendly, and usually when someone refers to themselves in the third person it bothers me, but when Haz calls himself The Haz, I think it’s awesome. 
5. Ian Crane (1 point): How could you not love Ian Crane!  The Stale Back 5, the smile, the stoke, the positivity, the Beach Head! I’ve always said Ian is one of the most underrated surfers in the world, and hopefully in 2020 he’ll give us lots of video clips and contest results so we get the most Crano possible. 

Women 

1. Carissa Moore (3 points): All love all day for Carissa. She does it with style, class, and is a joy to watch surf. Truly a deserving champion and a wonderful human being. 
2. Stephanie Gilmore (2 points): The best style in surfing on and off her board. She smiles when she paddles for waves! She surf’s the right way for all the right reasons.  
3. Sierra Kerr (1 point): She’s doing the best airs of any woman out there—game changer. 

Best Junior

1. Levi Slawson and Al Cleland Jr. (.5 points awarded to each): Two completely different surfers, but both super rippers and both deserving of this award. Is this an award or just a list? Can you guys make a trophy for these two dudes or something?

Best Edit: 

Ru.Bu 994 starring Noa Deane (1 point): The style, the power, the pop, the music, the editing, the whole package was just fucking sick. Noz. Holy hell, Noa Deane is the best.  

Barron Mamiya

Age: 19 

Bio: The next big thing to come out of the North Shore. 

Men 

1. Jack Robinson (5 points): His performance at Sunset was next level. And how he handled the pressure and qualified, that was one of the biggest performances of the year, hands down. 
2. Ethan Ewing (4 points) The last three events of the QS he did really good, and after having a bit of a shocker this year, he pulled it together and qualified. 
3. Seth Moniz (3 points) He did good on the CT. It was sick to see him get on and be in the top ten. 
4. Noa Deane (2 points) I feel like he’s a really good free surfer and does sick airs. But he’s getting his game well rounded now. Noa had a sick year. 
5. Matthew Mcgillavry (1 point) He killed it in the triple crown and he qualified which is really sick. He’s a good competitor and he went out and did it, got on the CT. 

Women

1. Caroline Marks (3 points) She’s the youngest girl on tour and she was going for a world title, that was rad. 
2. Moana Jones (2 points) The way she surfs Pipeline and how gnarly she is out there and how good she got pretty quickly is cool. She’s better than some of the guys out there, that’s pretty heavy! 
3. Carissa Moore (1 point) She won the World Title. She’s won four titles, but she’s so dominant. She surfs so well. 

Best Junior 

1. Eli Hanneman (1 point): I mean, he’s kind of a freak. He’s the best. 

Best Edit 

Fruition starring Seth Moniz (1 point): His edit was really sick. I was super stoked on that.

Griffin Colapinto 

Age: 21 

Bio: San Clemente’s new “it” kid, CT surfer with supreme talent. 

Men

1. Kolohe Andino (5 points) He put himself in the World Title race and he’s done a really good job to be able to get there without having as much freak talent as Italo and Gabs. If he had that, he would smoke the World Title 
2. Italo Ferreira (4 points): He’s just crazy. 
3. Billy Kemper (3 points): He won Jaws again. 
4. Seth Moniz (2 points): He’s rookie of the year. Had an insane season. 
5. Crosby Colapinto (1 point): He’s improved like crazy this year, I think he’ll be on tour this year. 

Women 

1. Stephanie Gilmore (3 points): She’s just the best. That Keramas wave was nuts. 
2. Caroline Marks (2 points): Caroline’s been ripping all year. 
3. Carissa Moore (1 point): The World Champ, enough said. 

Best Junior 

Caitlyn Simmers (1 point): I saw her do a backside turn during the US Open and it looked like Dane Reynolds. 

Best Edit 

Beach Head starring Ian Crane (1 point): Cran-O’s sick!

Caroline Marks

Age: 17 

Bio: The youngest and soon to be most dominant surfer on the women’s tour, does a fine Occy impression, a frother of the highest order. 

Men 

1. Kelly Slater (5 points): He’s the best surfer ever. This year in Portugal he was free surfing a lot right in front of our hotel and I was baffled on how good he was surfing. He was in a great mindset and he has done so much for the sport. 
2. Mick Fanning (4 points) Mick is so rad. He’s such a great human, unfortunately he’s injured right now. I was super stoked on his Stab in the Dark part. He’s just epic. I’m bummed he’s not on tour, he’s one of my heroes. And his Red Monkey Full Moon movie was amazing that was one of the best edits ever. The backside tube riding was blowing my mind. 
3. John John Florence (3 points): I know he’s been hurt a lot this year. His performance earlier this year at Margaret River and Bells was phenomenal he’s still in top ten. 
4. Gabriel Medina (2 points): He just has no weaknesses. He’s such a beast. He’s incredible. His J-Bay performance was really inspiring for me he turned around his full year, being a goofy foot I loved watching. Rights, lefts, airs, barrels, big waves, small waves…it doesn’t matter, he dominates. 
5. Clay Marzo (1 point): I haven’t watched too much of Clay up until this year but what he’s put out this year I’ve been blown away by. He’s one of the most talented surfers I’ve ever seen. He’s super raw and radical. When I was in Europe I was watching a ton of his footage getting super psyched. 

Women 

1. Stephanie Gilmore (3 points): She’s got my favorite style on tour and she’s really cool. Her performance in Bali was incredible that wave she got was psycho. I think that was the wave of the year as a female on tour. That was sick. 
2. Carissa Moore (2 points): She’s the World Champ, she surfed incredible this year. I think the final she smoked me in France was an incredible performance just from her barrel riding and everything. 
3. Lakey Peterson (1 point): Her performance at Margaret River and the Surf Ranch stick out. She told me she’s always struggled with Margaret River and she smashed that event in solid waves this year. And the air she made at the end was really cool.

Best Junior 

1. Kade Matson (1 point): He’s such a strong surfer and he’s gotten so much better this year. I think he’ll be on tour soon.

Best Edit 

Beach Head by Ian Crane (1 point): I’m living in San Clemente now, and I’ve been really impressed with his surfing. He was surfing really good in that edit. That opening Stalefish was crazy. I feel like he’s almost underrated for how good of a surfer he is. 

Stab Surfer of the Year Day Three results:
Male (Top 10)
1. Italo Ferreira (50 points)
2. Gabriel Medina (26 points)
3. Noa Deane (15 points)
=4. John John Florence (14 points)
=4 Kolohe Andino (14 points) 
=5. Griffin Colapinto (13 points)
=5. Russell Bierke (13 points)
=5. Jack Robinson (13 points)
6. Chippa Wilson (12 points)
7. Mason Ho (10 points) 

Women (Top 6)
1. Carissa Moore (37 points)
2. Stephanie Gilmore (27 points)
3. Caroline Marks (20 points)
=4. Laura Enever (6 points)
=4. Lakey Peterson (6 points) 

Best Junior (top 3)
=1. Eli Hanneman (4 points)
=1. Crosby Colapinto (4 points)
=2. Jackson Dorian (2 points)
=2. Jai Glindeman (2 points)

Best Edit
1. Flow State starring Russell Bierke (6 points)
2. Left Brain Right Brain starring Chippa Wilson (3 points)
=3. The quieter you are the more you can hear starring Craig Anderson (2 points)
=3. Beach Head starring Ian Crane (2 points) 
=3. Ru.Bu 994 starring Noa Deane (2 points)