Page 4 - MidWeek Windward - Dec 14, 2022

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DECEMBER 14, 2022
Aloha surfers and beachgoers,
We recently found out who is going to be in the World Championship Tour in 2023. The Hale‘iwa Chal- lenger contest featured plen- ty of big west-northwest to northwest surf. It finished on Dec. 2 and the winners are Hawai‘i’s John John Flor- ence and Australia’s Sophie McCulloch. They received 10,000 points apiece. Top- ranked WCT surfers can surf in the Challenger Series, too. The CS is the second tier (or bracket) of the World Surf League. There is also the
Waiahole Poi Factory
BY GARY KEWLEY
Red Bull Magnitude Returns For Its Third Year
third tier regional qualifier series called the Qualifying Series. It’s for those who build from the bottom up — on their turf — to qualify for the CS, and then finally the WCT in 2023. Participants need to gain enough CS points to wind up in the top 10 for men and top five for women. Then, the 36 men and 24 women will kick off the WCT Jan. 29 at the Bill- abong Pro Pipeline.
Finally, congrats to Maui’s Ian Gentil for his entry into the big leagues. Andy Irons watched him grow up and said he was one of the best he’s ever seen.
hit Hawai‘i this winter. Last year’s winner was Kaua‘i’s Keala Kennelly — claiming the biggest wave and overall winner — and in her 40s, she’s still going for it.
Keala Kennelly surfs in the 2021 Red Bull Magnitude, an event that she won.
PHOTO COURTESY RED BULL MAGNITUDE
In other news, the Red Bull Magnitude returns for its third year. This awesome women’s contest reimagines traditional big-wave events with a content-driven for- mat.
“This year (2020-21) was definitely a milestone,” Ken- nelly says. “It wasn’t solely because you had one of the biggest extra-large swells of the decade (that made this year special), but also because Red Bull put on a specialty female big-wave event.”
Congratulations to Ha-
wai‘i’s Bettylou Sakura
Johnson for her No. 1 CS
ranking and entry into the
WCT. Congrats also to himself as worthy again. No. 20 in 2018.
This allows not just the biggest names in the sport to show their prowess and com- mitment but also the up-and- comers. These bold women will ride the largest swells to
Ezekiel “Zeke” Lau — Ha- Lau just snuck in at No. 10. wai‘i’s former WCT pro — Now, watch him go to work who missed the mid-year against the best. His highest cut and had to reestablish ranking on the WCT was
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