LOS ANGELES, Calif., USA (Thursday, January 26, 2023) - Today, the World Surf League (WSL) announced the launch of the 2023 Vissla Championship Tour (CT) Shaper Rankings, a season-long battle to determine the best high-performance surfboard shapers. The Vissla CT Shaper Rankings is a new leaderboard that tracks the performance of the best surfers in the world via a combined men's and women's rankings counting Quarterfinal-or-better finishes at each of the ten CT stops this season. The best high-performance shaper will be determined by the end of the 10-stop CT, ahead of the Rip Curl WSL Finals.
"The surfboard builder community is amongst the most important in all of surfing and the shapers that support the surfers on the WSL Championship Tour are designing and innovating at the highest level of the sport," said Dave Prodan, the WSL Chief Strategy Officer. "Their time, energy and investment in the world's best surfers absolutely need to be recognized and celebrated. The WSL is excited to be partnering with Vissla on the inaugural Vissla CT Shaper Rankings and look forward to the broader surfing community tracking how the shapers perform this season."
"Surfboard Craftsmanship has always been part of the Vissla brand DNA" said Paul Naude, Founder of Vissla. "Surfboards are the cornerstone of the Surf Industry and together with the WSL, we're pleased to create a platform which will highlight the exceptional craftsmanship that board builders provide for advancement of surfing excellence."
There are 18 shapers who provide surfboards for all the CT competitors. The goal of the Vissla CT Shaper Rankings is to spotlight which equipment consistently performs throughout the season. The rankings will also provide a behind-the-scenes look at shapers' backgrounds and businesses.
The Vissla CT Shaper Rankings will count performances for surfers finishing in the men's and women's Quarterfinals or higher, offering 16 potential placings per CT event. Overall rankings will be combined across the season, beginning at Pipe and ending in Tahiti, with a winner being determined ahead of the Rip Curl WSL Finals.
To learn more about the CT Shaper Rankings, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
About Vissla
Vissla is a brand that represents creative freedom, a forward-thinking philosophy, and a generation of creators and innovators. We embrace the modern do-it-yourself attitude within surf culture, performance surfing, and craftsmanship. We constantly strive to minimize our environmental impact and protect the oceans and waves that raised us. This is a surf-everything and ride-anything mentality.