If Day 1 of the Vans World Cup was wild, then Day 2 was downright spooky. Outside the Sunset Beach lineup, a constant barrage of huge set waves slammed into the cloudbreak a half-mile offshore, creating a horizon of whitewater buffeted by plumes of spray shooting 50 feet into the air.
Huge surf and big performances are taking center stage on the North Shore of Oahu.
Closer to shore, a steady stream of 10- to 12-foot windblown peaks poured through heat after heat, providing plenty of opportunity to prove your mettle. Or melt under pressure.
And it didn't take long for the attrition to mount. Two of Day 1's standouts -- Billy Kemper and Torrey Meister -- were early casualties, bounced from the event within the first two hours of competition on Day 2. Such is the mercurial nature of Sunset.
Noe Mar McGonagle - WSL / Tony Heff
Never one to wilt in the face of adversity, however, was World No. 6 Matt Wilkinson, who saved the best for last. The Aussie goofyfooter showed off his Championship Tour skills late in the day with the highest total heat core of the entire round -- 18.10. It was a masterclass in backhand surfing at Sunset -- power, finesse, positioning and timing.
Matt Wilkinson - WSL / Tony Heff
Deeper into the draw, the stress of qualification weighed heavily on a handful of Qualifying Series hopefuls, while others dealt with the pressure in their own unique way. QS No. 16 Jorgann Couzinet brought his own good-luck charm in the form of board caddy and Sunset local, women's QS competitor Mahina Maeda.
"It never hurts to have a Hawaiian on your side," shrugged Couzinet, who is originally from Reunion Island, but has since moved to France. He needs to advance through at least two more rounds to keeps his Championship Tour dreams alive.
A sneak peek at all the best action from day 2 of the Vans World Cup.
Ethan Ewing, the former Triple Crown Rookie of the Year (who will not be returning to the CT next year), knows all about pressure. After his heat victory today, he offered up some humbling advice to this year's Triple Crown shooting star, Griffin Colapinto.
"I'd say just have fun on Tour, but focus on the QS," confessed Ewing, "I wish I would have done that this year but I was too busy focusing on the CT just trying to get heat wins. If I could've got a good start on the QS early in the year I wouldn't be in this position."
Ethan Ewing - WSL / Keoki Saguibo
While others still remaining in the qualification hunt, like No. 8 Wade Carmichael and No. 14 Michael February, survived to keep their flickering CT dreams alive for 24 more hours (on a somber day where competitors wore black arm bands on their jerseys to honor the late Jean da Silva and Oscar Moncada), it was No. 11 Michael Rodrigues who perhaps summed it up best.
"I've slept like five hours a night for the last few nights because I'm so nervous," said Rodrigues, breathing heavily in his post-heat interview, still gassed from wrestling Sunset for 25 minutes. "But I'm excited to get through this heat."
Heavy Hitters Enter the Fray at Vans World Cup
Brad Drew
If Day 1 of the Vans World Cup was wild, then Day 2 was downright spooky. Outside the Sunset Beach lineup, a constant barrage of huge set waves slammed into the cloudbreak a half-mile offshore, creating a horizon of whitewater buffeted by plumes of spray shooting 50 feet into the air.
Closer to shore, a steady stream of 10- to 12-foot windblown peaks poured through heat after heat, providing plenty of opportunity to prove your mettle. Or melt under pressure.
And it didn't take long for the attrition to mount. Two of Day 1's standouts -- Billy Kemper and Torrey Meister -- were early casualties, bounced from the event within the first two hours of competition on Day 2. Such is the mercurial nature of Sunset.
Never one to wilt in the face of adversity, however, was World No. 6 Matt Wilkinson, who saved the best for last. The Aussie goofyfooter showed off his Championship Tour skills late in the day with the highest total heat core of the entire round -- 18.10. It was a masterclass in backhand surfing at Sunset -- power, finesse, positioning and timing.
Deeper into the draw, the stress of qualification weighed heavily on a handful of Qualifying Series hopefuls, while others dealt with the pressure in their own unique way. QS No. 16 Jorgann Couzinet brought his own good-luck charm in the form of board caddy and Sunset local, women's QS competitor Mahina Maeda.
"It never hurts to have a Hawaiian on your side," shrugged Couzinet, who is originally from Reunion Island, but has since moved to France. He needs to advance through at least two more rounds to keeps his Championship Tour dreams alive.
Ethan Ewing, the former Triple Crown Rookie of the Year (who will not be returning to the CT next year), knows all about pressure. After his heat victory today, he offered up some humbling advice to this year's Triple Crown shooting star, Griffin Colapinto.
"I'd say just have fun on Tour, but focus on the QS," confessed Ewing, "I wish I would have done that this year but I was too busy focusing on the CT just trying to get heat wins. If I could've got a good start on the QS early in the year I wouldn't be in this position."
While others still remaining in the qualification hunt, like No. 8 Wade Carmichael and No. 14 Michael February, survived to keep their flickering CT dreams alive for 24 more hours (on a somber day where competitors wore black arm bands on their jerseys to honor the late Jean da Silva and Oscar Moncada), it was No. 11 Michael Rodrigues who perhaps summed it up best.
"I've slept like five hours a night for the last few nights because I'm so nervous," said Rodrigues, breathing heavily in his post-heat interview, still gassed from wrestling Sunset for 25 minutes. "But I'm excited to get through this heat."
Michael Rodrigues
Featuring Joel Vaughan, Caua Costa, Eli Hanneman, Bella Kenworthy, Amuro Tsuzuki, Shion Crawford, Jacob Willcox, Mateus Herdy, Imaikalani
An all-Brazilian affair went to CT requalification threat Michael Rodrigues in the dying moments to overtake the lead in a bout featuring
Mateus Herdy, Deivid Silva, Samuel Pupo, Luana Silva and Michael Rodrigues are all on the cusp of the Championship Tour Qualification.
M-Rod opens up the scale early on Day 4 at the EDP Vissla Ericeira Pro with a 15.27 heat total (8.17 + 7.10) as he locks in the Round of 16
With the US Open Of Surfing on the horizon, take a look back at all the highest-scoring rides from the 2022 Challenger Series so far.
Vans World Cup
Dreams were achieved last year as Sage Erickson and Kanoa Igarashi were chaired to the podium. Re-live Finals day from Huntington Beach.
Colapinto becomes the first Californian ever to win the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
The bright lights of the Championship Tour will be shining on six fresh faces next year.
Event wins, Regional titles, Rookie awards, CT qualification - it all went down at Sunset Beach
O último a ser confirmado foi o cearense Michael Rodrigues, que ficou ameaçado de sair do G-10 até o último minuto das semifinais.