“Teahupo’o was firing, and I’m at Huntington surfing these one-foot (expletive deleted) waves..."
There was once a time, in the not too distant past, where our World Surf League was a facsimile of North Korea. A magnificent Wall of Positive Noise built around the “global home of surfing.” Everything inside perfect and wonderful, progressive and wow. To suggest otherwise, from there, a capital offense, or at least a fineable one.
Well, it seems that level of control couldn’t last forever and, in fact, didn’t. Now we have champions sharing how the WSL forces them to pay for trophies and Jacob Willcox torching the Challenger Series in an expletive-laced screed.
As a surf fan, you are aware of the Championship Tour, where the world’s almost best surfers perform in Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji etc. You might be unfamiliar with the Challenger Series, though, where hopefuls perform in Huntington Beach.
The Guardian, a British daily founded in Manchester, just profiled the grueling, often unfair, grind CS surfers are forced to endure as they ply their craft. Sophie McCulloch and Jacob Willcox were featured, Willcox letting the salty language fly. “Teahupo’o was firing, and I’m at Huntington surfing these one-foot shit waves,” he cursed. “Nothing against Huntington, it’s an iconic event, but in those moments, it drives you to want to be better.”
“It can be brutal,” he later continued. “You can go there (Portugal in this case), the waves can be absolutely dogshit, and you might not get a chance.”
Earmuff city.
Willcox, I think, might have qualified again for the 2026 Championship Tour but will have to wait all the way to April for his feet to be in the proverbial wax. Until then, he can enjoy daily offerings about beach volleyball, and such, right here on BeachGrit.
Very fun.
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sorry jacob, nobody cares.
The entire QS and Challenger series is geared towards trust fund kids who surf well in small garbage surf. Particularly in North America. If you’re not a trust funder or if you are a surfer who shines best in waves of consequence you need not bother trying. Bring back the Trials format and make the Hawaiian Triple Crown great again. Now get me a HamSammish.
This.
What is the difference between a ‘shit’ wave and a ‘dogshit’ wave??
The amount of people burning you?
Any is it the kind of dogshit where it’s squishy on the pavement, or white lumps on the grass?
Yeah well be careful kid…you may be Tudor banned before ya even get on Tour.
Capes been blown open sinse that Hardy prick started selling it out for a buck.
Willcox should be aware the emphasis has shifted from professional athletes who can win heats and contests with the goal of winning a world title being valued by sponsors and the surfing public to surfers who perform highly-specialised stunts for video cameras and the subsequent likes and follows on social media being valued by sponsors and the surfing public.
The surfer as professional athlete narrative has been eclipsed by the surfer as specialised stunt performer for social media –
or they are a model or influencer or spokesman for brands
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Bahaha nice
Wilcox is a nice bloke and decent surfer with a good style but to be honest I’m not overly excited about his return to the Championship tour unless it’s in big barreling lefts. There’s already much better goofy footers on tour belting and flying through the air on righthanders. He sort of missed his time in the sunshine by not getting on a decade ago when he could have made an impact.
I mean, he does have a point, especially when QS guys are surfing Nias, Krui, and Rangiroa.
That was a great series in fairness, Wilcox seems like good cunt who can laugh at himself!
Becoming a bit of a whinging cunt you mean
yeah, when asked, he should say how great 1ft huntington is.
And how he gets to travel around the world getting paid to surf.
if a pro surfer whines about travelling around while getting paid, they are fkn whinging cunts, simple.
…”seems like good cunt who can laugh at himself!”
Sounds like most people who aren’t American, Brazilian, Continental European or Mediterranean…
Has to be the nicest grounded humbel competion surfer that has come out of that town
Maybe he should look at the wozzle finance books and stop being an entitled cunt in a struggling market.
Xox
Also Jacob from the same article
“The worst day pro surfing is better than a fucking good day doing anything else.”
Are we being fed sensationalism ! I am shocked and appalled !
And hence the general wrongful division of modern day humanity !
Xox
Are you sitting in the carpark at hossegor on your 10 th recard
Haha only been pissed once!
Xox
There’s Squatch next week and Pipeline in January. The Chipper may be the chopper by April Chas lad.
He could always just leave it all behind and go film more of his long walks along the west coast
Hahaha this is the cuntiness we adore.
Xox
He needs to go back and catch that Snapper that got away.