Beachbreaks Are The Hard Yards to CT Qualification

August Howell
·3 min read

If there’s a lesson to take away from this video, it’s that competing at beachbreaks is a tricky endeavor. The Challenger Series ain’t all perfect Snapper. Of the six events on the WSL’s second-tier tour, three have sandbars that point waves in multiple directions: Narrabeen, Saquarema and the US Open at Huntington.

The second episode of coach Matt Myers’ Wet Shoulder League, which follows the California quartet of Levi Slawson, Nolan Rapoza, Nat Young and Alyssa Spencer as they attempt to qualify for the CT, is all about GWM Sydney Surf Pro at North Narrabeen, the second stop on the 2024 CS. Conditions varied from punchy lefts under bluebird skies to heaving brown closeouts under dumping rain. These are the hard yards one must trek to make it to the next level.

<em>Though Slawson was beaten by the eventual event winner and local wildcard Jordy Lawler, he was adept at adding a punchy finish on the shallow sandbar. </em><p>Photo: Matt Dunbar/WSL</p>
Though Slawson was beaten by the eventual event winner and local wildcard Jordy Lawler, he was adept at adding a punchy finish on the shallow sandbar.

Photo: Matt Dunbar/WSL

After a 17th at Snapper and a 9th at Narrabeen, Slawson sits 14th on the rankings, four spots away from CT qualification with four events left. Those results are in stark contrast to his first foray into the CS in 2022, where he barely could make a heat and finished 95th. Now, I’m of the opinion that the 21-year-old from Encinitas has a good shot at making the CT. Given his speed and agility in waves big and small, he has all the tools needed to work his way up the podium at those aforementioned breaks. Plus, he undoubtedly got some karma points for giving his Sharp Eye to a local grom.

If Alyssa Spencer and Levi Slawson get on the 2025 CT, Encinitas can boast about having hometown heroes at the elite level of the sport. <p>Photo: Cait Miers/WSL</p>
If Alyssa Spencer and Levi Slawson get on the 2025 CT, Encinitas can boast about having hometown heroes at the elite level of the sport.

Photo: Cait Miers/WSL

Spencer, meanwhile, has made back-to-back quarters and sits in 6th, one spot shy of the threshold. Given the small sample size of events left, she’s one big result from getting back into the mix.

We also get some screen time with Sanoa Dempfle-Olin, the 18-year-old who will represent Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics at Teahupo’o. She qualified for the Olympics by getting second at the Pan American Games in Chile in 2023. Coming by way of Tofino, Dempfle-Olin got a wildcard slot into the Narrabeen event, which was her first CS. She admittedly had a rough start, losing her boards in transit, breaking her favorite board while warming up, then finishing equal 33rd.

Related: From Tofino to Teahupoo: Canada's Chance at an Olympic Medal

As the Challenger Series continues to take shape, it’s becoming apparent that the margin for error shrinks like an outgoing tide. The fields are loaded with CT surfers who recently got booted via the mid-year cut and hungry up-and-comers trying to make their own legacy. It’s a battle to make every heat. The winners must outlast 80 men and 48 women in each event.

As SURFER contributor and colorful commentator Jed Smith said on his Ain’t That Swell podcast, "It seems to be that you cannot take your foot off the pedal. It's that tight at this level. It's so marginal what decided heat winners. It's wild to watch."

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