Loved or loathed, the Mid-Season Cut is in full effect.
At stop number five of the World Surf Leagues’ Championship Tour, the Margaret River Pro, the competitive field was chopped down with some surfers securing a spot for the remainder of the season, and others being relegated to the Challenger Series.
Here’s the full list of who survived the chopping block:
Women’s CT: Made the Cut
Tyler Wright (AUS)
Molly Picklum (AUS)
Carissa Moore (HAW)
Caroline Marks (USA)
Caitlin Simmers (USA)
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Tatiana Weston Webb (BRA)
Lakey Peterson (USA)
Gabriela Bryan (HAW)
Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW)
Men’s CT: Made the Cut
Joao Chianca (AUS)
Jack Robinson (AUS)
Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Ethan Ewing (AUS)
Griffin Colapinto (USA)
Ryan Callinan (AUS)
John John Florence (HAW)
Yago Dora (BRA)
Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Caio Ibelli (BRA)
Connor O’Leary (AUS)
Callum Robson (AUS)
Gabriel Medina (BRA)
Jordy Smith (RSA)
Matthew McGillivray (RSA)
Italo Ferreira (BRA)
Liam O’Brien (AUS)
Rio Waida (INA)
Kanoa Igarashi (JPN)
Barron Mamiya (HAW)
Seth Moniz (HAW)
Ian Gentil (HAW)
Big names who fell short of the cut line include: Courtney Conlogue, Johanne Defay, Zeke Lau, Kolohe Andino, and others. Perhaps the biggest name, however, is the 11x World Champion, Kelly Slater. The question now looms: What will Kelly do next? Retire? Secure wildcard entries into the rest of the season’s events? We’ll have to wait and see.
Make no mistake, the Mid-Season Cut is highly controversial. Additionally, so is the revamped end to the season – a one-day, winner-take-all bracket style competition held at Lower Trestles. The goal of these two changes is to make the competitive season more exciting; there’s more on the line for the surfers from the very start of the year. However, some surfers feel that the World Champion, and surfers’ spots on Tour, should be determined by an entire season of performance – vs. a one-day final, or the threat of being knocked off Tour halfway through the year.
Either way, for better or worse, the CT sure does look different these days.
Stay tuned for Finals Day coverage of the Margaret River Pro.
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