ZIPPERS, San Jose Del Cabo/Mexico (Tuesday, June 12, 2018) - The Los Cabos Open of Surf Pro Juniors are set to be crowned by the end of Tuesday, and the women's Qualifying Series (QS) will take center stage as their window opens June 13 through 17. The fifth annualLos Cabos Open of Surf QS 6,000 is a pivotal point in the season as it can provide a huge momentum shift moving forward. This is the fourth QS 6,000 of 2018 and the race for Championship Tour (CT) qualification, or requalification, truly begins. Another star-studded lineup is on hand at Zippers, with ten of the Top 17 in attendance, to vie for valuable points.
Former CT competitor Alana Blanchard makes her return to the jersey after becoming a mother just six months ago. Blanchard and long-time boyfriend, fellow former CT competitor Jack Freestone (AUS), are proud parents to Banks. The Kauai, Hawaii, surfer also comes back to the Los Cabos Open of Surf with her foundation as a key sponsor.
"Im so excited and honored to be a part of the Cabo event again," Blanchard said. "It's the perfect home for the Alana Blanchard Foundation Challenge -- it's such a girl power event and having it at Zippers really lets the girls showcase their surfing. To top it off, Cabo is such an amazing and fun location for everyone. It's definitely different this time around just having a baby and all. I'm in such a good mindset so I'm really just excited to surf. We love showing our son where we have gone and what we do. Banks is such a mellow little guy and travels so well, we are really lucky."
Bronte Macaulay marks the Los Cabos Open of Surf each year and returns as one of the most consistent competitors at Zippers in recent years. Silvana Lima topped the Australian last year, crushing her hopes of back-to-back Zippers wins, but Macaulay sets her eyes on a third consecutive Mexican Finals appearance. Macaulay earned her place among the Top 17 with a big boost up the rankings after her first major QS win at this event in 2016, but still looks to find ground on the CT despite being one of the top threats in a QS jersey.
"[My dad and I] really enjoy the week at Cabo," Macaulay said. "Zippers is definitely one of the best quality waves on the QS and one of the events we always look forward to. The set up is so easy and [you feel] confident once you're there as you can stay right in front of the beach and zip back and forth between surfs. I hope it always stays on schedule because when you look at the calendar, you know that it's a reliable event for wave quality."
But, the likes of current QS No. 6, Macy Callaghan, are a big threat to the elite women and the Australian already has a few heats under her belt during the Pro Junior. Callaghan hasn't earned a breakthrough win on the QS level yet, but knows this lineup all too well for a chance at taking one here.
"I love coming here because it's an all girls event for the most part and it's just such a fun one to compete in," Callaghan said. "It's nice to already have some solid results, but I really want to win a big QS like this so I'm hoping this is the one. These kind of points are crucial at this time of year and we don't have heaps of QS 6,000 events, so moving into the back half of the season you want those big results."
Chelsea Tuach garnered the Round of 48 wildcard after Alyssa Spencer (USA) was forced to withdraw due to a fractured tibia. The former CT competitor's form in 2018 has been some of her best in recent years and one she hopes to continue this week. Tuach's win in Martinique Surf Pro QS 3,000 marked her first big victory since 2015's Pantin Classic QS 6,000, but the Barbadian still has plenty of work to do this season for her shot at requalifying.
"It's mid-year and I already have one major result under my belt so I am really hoping to capitalize in Mexico -- and put myself in a comfortable position on the rankings," Tuach said. "Cabo is one of my favourite events, even though we haven't had the greatest swell the last few times, it's still such a fun week. Zippers is so rippable. I like that it's a fun place I can go with my mum too, it feels like a vacation spot for both of us. I am really confident in my fronthand surfing at the moment so I am hoping I can break the string of average results I've had here and make it a special one this year."
An ever-looming Hurricane Bud is forecast to continue sending pumping swell until reaching the Costa Azul shoreline. Due to the power of the Category 4 hurricane, event organizers are constantly monitoring the weather conditions after Pro Juniors took on eight-to-ten foot waves the last two days.
"The hurricane strengthened overnight and is looking like it may hit us on Thursday," North America Tour Manager Brian Robbins said. "Weather forecasters expect the storm to downgrade to a Tropical Storm before making landfall so we'll have to work around that with possibly a few lay days. We're working with local authorities, and will check the morning conditions, to see if we can get Round 1 started on Wednesday. The surfer's safety is our highest priority, so we are keeping open communication with them as well, to be sure they're comfortable with the call."