New World Order

FINAL VENUE: The bashable but benign slopes of Lower Trestles were chosen Photo WSL / Rowland

There are nine days from September 9 to 17 to find an epic day of surf for a brutal, cut-throat winner-take-all format. By the end of that day, the two new world champions of the 2021 WSL Championship Tour will stand after a multi-heat battle within each of the top five ranked men and women at Lower Trestles.

The historic event in San Clemente, California, marks the end of the year in 2021, but heralds the beginning of a radically overhauled pro surfing structure in 2022 that has many fans excited but more than a few sceptical, judging by grumpy comments online.

"But how can you make No 5 have to surf against No 4 to surf against No 3 to surf against No 2 to eventually surf in a best of three heats against No 1? It's too difficult for the lower ranked surfers to have to fight so hard, and too easy for the No 1 (especially because Gabriel Medina gets the free pass)," seems to be the general complaint.

THE WOMEN: It was hard enough figuring out how many heats will be surfed. Photo WSL

Without passing any judgment, the naysayers should listen to the surfers themselves, who have given the new tours and formats the green light. The gist was that they wanted the Tour to be decided in the water. Instead of one person standing at the top after all the events, you now have five who must battle it out on a finals day. That adds spice to the whole year. Instead of only one person emerging in the old format, you have a much greater chance of making the final five.

On finals day, which look likely in about a week's time, both No 5 and No 4 - already seeded into the first match of the day - have to surf three heats to get to No 1, and then potentially surf another three heats to beat No 1. That means you'll surf six heats, unless you win the first two heats against No 1 to take the best of three 2-1. No need to surf the last. The toughest route is reserved for No 5 and No 4 - serves you right for only being fifth and fourth in the world!

It gets progressively easier as you move up the rankings though. For No 3 to get a crack at No 1, you surf one heat less to get there (two heats), and then another three if it goes down to the wire. That's five heats total. If No 2 gets to challenge No 1, you only need one heat to get there, for a maximum of four heats. Got it? I barely have.

THE MEN: Many complaints were around it being too easy for No 1. I wonder why? Photo WSL

Listen to this brief

interview with Head of Tours and Competition Jessi Miley-Dyer, where we chatted about her thoughts on the WSL Finals, the 2022 format and whether Snapper Rocks might be a venue for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. It might justify itself as an exciting format to watch. And having a halfway culling point next year - 36 men and 18 women are cut to 22 men and 10 women - puts so much more drama and tension into the first half of the year. There is more at stake. And it's certainly fantastic for South Africans that J-Bay is back in, and Ballito as part of the Challenger Series, with J-Bay ending two days before Ballito so the ous can head north after their Eastern Cape jaunt.

It's also great that the women will surf the exact same events as the men, which means they take on the heavyweights of the surfing world, such as Teahupo'o and Pipeline, and then of course there is the equal pay no-brainer.

Either way, you can see that during the Covid pandemic, the executives and staffers of the World Surf League have had a lot of time on their hands to brainstorm and plan for the change. According to Australian Jessi Miley-Dyer, who took over from Pat O'Connell to run all competition for the WSL, the many cancellations brought on by the pandemic enabled a reset and pause for the WSL, giving them the time and space to think big.

TEN PLUS ONE: A more streamlined tour for the men and women in 2022. Photo WSL

Speaking of big, Miley-Dryer's job at head of Tours and Competition is to oversee the Championship Tour, Challenger Series, Qualifying Series, Pro Junior Series, Big Wave, Longboard, and specialty events. That seems like a daunting task, but chatting to her, I got the sneaky feeling she will be good at her job.

She is a talented athlete. Born and raised in Sydney, she won the Australian National Under 16 Surfing Titles in 2000 and 2001. By 2003, she was Australian National Under 18 champion, and ISA World Junior Champion. She is also a National Scholastic Snowboarding champion, a competitive swimmer, and in 2000, she served as an Olympic Torch bearer at the Sydney Games, carrying the sacred flame on a surf boat into Bondi Beach.

That's all very well. Being a good athlete does not always a good administrator or manager make. I have seen it so many times in the offices of surfing brands. But she also holds a Masters Degree in Business from the University of New South Wales, and is a veteran administrator at the WSL. She was instrumental in ensuring equal pay for the women when she was head of the women's tour in 2018.

CHALLENGING SERIES: Ballito is set to start two days after JBay's window ends. Photo WSL

She has the backing of high profile women, such as seven-time champion Stephanie Gilmore, who said 'I'm very excited to have Jessi lead Tours and Competition. She has a holistic view of the tour since she was a CT athlete and a Surfer's Representative, and has worked at WSL in different capacities. It's also very important for future generations to have women in leadership positions, so Jessi's appointment is transformative and inspiring.'

Anyway, back to the WSL Finals. The forecast is looking good for 13 to 15 September, so expect competition to be called on around then. For the opening days of the holding period, a small mix of southerly swells from the Southern Hemisphere should produce chest to shoulder-high surf. The waves are expected to pick up on September 11 to 12 and the forecast indicates that another strong South Pacific storm will develop over the following weekend, potentially sending a larger SSW swell for the 13-15.

CREDENTIALS: Jessi Miley-Dyer won the Billabong Pro at Honolua Bay, Maui, in 2006. Photo WSL

THE FORMAT ON THE DAY

The top-ranked male and female surfers, Medina and Moore, will have a major advantage over the other four contenders as they will be seeded directly into the Title Match, a best-of-three showdown to determine the World Champion. The remaining surfers will enter the Rip Curl WSL Finals bracket based on their year-end rankings. The women will be the first to take the water with Match 1 and will alternate with the men for the remainder of the day.

So Match 1 will see Johanne Defay (FRA) take on Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), followed by rookie Morgan Cibilic (AUS) and Conner Coffin (USA). Both matches will have a traditional heat format in a head-to-head competition. The winners will advance to Match 2 where they will face world No 3 on the WSL Leaderboard: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and Filipe Toledo (BRA).

The winner of Match 2 will then face-off against the number two ranked surfers, the Brazilian duo Weston-Webb and Ferreira, in Match 3. The winners of Match 3 will move on to the best-of-three Title Match, where they will face the World Number 1 Moore and Medina in a head-to-head competition with a traditional heat format. The first surfer to win two out of three heats becomes the undisputed 2021 World Champion.

BACK TRACK: The WSL loves J-Bay and the tour wouldn't be the same without it Photo WSL / Tostee

OTHER STUFF

As title partner of the event, Rip Curl will be helping WSL make history by crowning the undisputed world champions in this new one day event format. In partnership with Tilly’s, Rip Curl hosted a sweepstakes for a few lucky winners to get an all expenses paid trip to the Finals.

Rip Curl will also be running a number of events for the San Clemente community during the event window, including working with Surfrider and WSL PURE on a beach clean up, hosting the Lineup Live, Rip Curl team signings and a live mural painting at the Rip Curl San Clemente retail location, and running surf and mentor sessions with the local boardriders youth club and Bethany Hamilton.

Long-standing WSL partners, Jeep and Red Bull, will also be activating on-site. Jeep will feature the all new Jeep Wrangler 4xe, and fans will be able to experience the vehicles up close and personal and learn about the power of electrification. As they do at every stop, Red Bull will build the Red Bull Athlete Zone on the beach - bringing a beautiful, isolated locker room area and warm up area plus an area for friends and family of each Finalist to relax and watch the contest. Red Bull also gifted each finalist custom Super73 electric bikes to enable the athletes to get to and from the break more efficiently.

SNAP! Snapper Rocks could be an Olympic surfing venue. How cool is that? Photo WSL

To celebrate the first ever Rip Curl WSL Finals Oakley will be outfitting water safety and their ambassadors in eyewear, Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold will be on tap for event VIPs, Waterloo will keep fans hydrated by offering a selection of premium sparkling water and DraftKings, WSL’s first ever sports better partner, will be upping the stakes with a prize pool to be raised from $1K to $10K.

IKEA will have an activation in San Clemente showcasing select products from their new Kaseberga product line. The Kaseberga product line was designed for surfers in collaboration with the WSL. The Kaseberga products will be available in IKEA stores in April 2022.

WATCH LIVE

The event will be broadcast LIVE on www.WorldSurfLeague.com and YouTube, as well as the free WSL app.

PARTNERS

The Rip Curl WSL Finals is proudly supported by Rip Curl, Jeep, Red Bull, Super 73, Shiseido, Oakley, DraftKings, Michelob ULTRA, IKEA, Expedia, Sambazon, Flying Embers, and Waterloo.