By historical standards, the rookie class of 2017 made a pretty massive impact with five of seven fresh faces making the grade for 2018. Last year, emerging threats like Connor O'Leary, Frederico Morais and Joan Duru made big splashes. But if you thought 2017 was a good year for the rookies, then you have to be loving the 2018 season, because this year's crew has been even more disruptive.
Griffin Colapinto - WSL / Damien Poullenot
By this time last year, O'Leary and Morais were already sitting on strong fifth-place finishes, while their fellow rookie, Ezekiel Lau, had nabbed a very impressive third at Bells. In contrast, this year five rookies have already made it to the Quarterfinals, three of them to the Semis, and one -- Australian rookie Wade Carmichael -- made a Final, at the Oi Rio Pro.
Their presence on the Jeep Leaderboard is looming large, with Carmichael now sitting in the No. 5 position, Michael Rodrigues in the No. 7 spot, Griffin Colapinto at No. 12 and Tomas Hermes ranked at No. 14. And last year's crop is still settling in, with Lau and Morais making early moves this year. No matter how you slice it, there's some serious rotation happening amid the elite ranks.
Tomas Hermes - WSL / Damien Poullenot
So why are these guys so good? And why are there so many rookies coming through the ranks of late? WSL commentator Martin Potter, the 1989 men's World Champion, chimed in on that subject during the Oi Rio Pro event when he remarked, "These guys have to battle so hard now just to qualify, looking for any edge, and by the time they arrive they're fully formed. We're seeing a lot more of that these days. There's much less of an adjustment period. These guys are coming right on and making a difference."
Wade Carmichael - WSL / Damien Poullenot
To Potter's point, rookies also aren't what they used to be because they're now arriving older and more experienced. While surfers like John John Florence, Gabriel Medina, Kolohe Andino, Kelly Slater and Joel Parkinson all qualified before they were 20, a bunch of today's new breed are breaking through in their mid-20s and even 30s. Surfers like Willian Cardoso, Tomas Hermes and Wade Carmichael are jumping on at the same age pro surfers like Mark Richards and Tom Curren retired.
Yago Dora - WSL / Damien Poullenot
These fully-formed rookies are making a serious dent, too. Over the last three seasons the rookie classes have been holding their ground. Today, 18 of the Top 36 surfers on the men's Tour have been there for three years or less, which means that they're changing the face of the sport. And right now -- on the cusp of the Corona Bali Protected -- there's very little sign that they'll be slowing down.
Michael Rodrigues - WSL / Damien Poullenot
The Rookie Impact Is Real
Chris Mauro
By historical standards, the rookie class of 2017 made a pretty massive impact with five of seven fresh faces making the grade for 2018. Last year, emerging threats like Connor O'Leary, Frederico Morais and Joan Duru made big splashes. But if you thought 2017 was a good year for the rookies, then you have to be loving the 2018 season, because this year's crew has been even more disruptive.
By this time last year, O'Leary and Morais were already sitting on strong fifth-place finishes, while their fellow rookie, Ezekiel Lau, had nabbed a very impressive third at Bells. In contrast, this year five rookies have already made it to the Quarterfinals, three of them to the Semis, and one -- Australian rookie Wade Carmichael -- made a Final, at the Oi Rio Pro.
Their presence on the Jeep Leaderboard is looming large, with Carmichael now sitting in the No. 5 position, Michael Rodrigues in the No. 7 spot, Griffin Colapinto at No. 12 and Tomas Hermes ranked at No. 14. And last year's crop is still settling in, with Lau and Morais making early moves this year. No matter how you slice it, there's some serious rotation happening amid the elite ranks.
So why are these guys so good? And why are there so many rookies coming through the ranks of late? WSL commentator Martin Potter, the 1989 men's World Champion, chimed in on that subject during the Oi Rio Pro event when he remarked, "These guys have to battle so hard now just to qualify, looking for any edge, and by the time they arrive they're fully formed. We're seeing a lot more of that these days. There's much less of an adjustment period. These guys are coming right on and making a difference."
To Potter's point, rookies also aren't what they used to be because they're now arriving older and more experienced. While surfers like John John Florence, Gabriel Medina, Kolohe Andino, Kelly Slater and Joel Parkinson all qualified before they were 20, a bunch of today's new breed are breaking through in their mid-20s and even 30s. Surfers like Willian Cardoso, Tomas Hermes and Wade Carmichael are jumping on at the same age pro surfers like Mark Richards and Tom Curren retired.
These fully-formed rookies are making a serious dent, too. Over the last three seasons the rookie classes have been holding their ground. Today, 18 of the Top 36 surfers on the men's Tour have been there for three years or less, which means that they're changing the face of the sport. And right now -- on the cusp of the Corona Bali Protected -- there's very little sign that they'll be slowing down.
Griffin Colapinto
The CT went huge from Yago Dora to John John to wildcard Bryan Perez. Relive the madness.
Featuring Gabriel Medina, John John Florence, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Molly Picklum, Barron Mamiya, Caitlin Simmers, Caroline Marks, Ethan
Here's how Griffin Colpainto secured the No. 2 seed to fight for a World Title in his backyard a second year in a row.
Featuring Gabriel Medina, Griffin Colapinto, Yago Dora, Leonardo Fioravanti, Erin Brooks, Ethan Ewing, Tatiana Weston-Webb, and Rio Waida.
The returning World Title contender, Griffin Colapinto, finishes off 2024 in defining form over a surfing Rio Waida. Now, Colapinto powers
News
Over 50 Longboarders Set to Compete at Noosa Longboard Pro As Part of the 2025 Noosa Festival of Surfing -- Australia / Oceania's Best Up
QS 3000 Event to End Season for Asia and Australia / Oceania -- Phillip Island Pro Locked In for 2025 Thanks to New Agreement Between WSL
In this special end-of-year episode, the tradition continues as producer Miguel Clemente takes over hosting duties to guide us through The
The Hayden Rodgers showcase took over Finals Day with four of the Top 5 moments on the way to his victory.
Hayden Rodgers Claims Maiden QS Victory at La Zicatela