The World Surf League (WSL) Surfing For Hope Longboard Classic, a men's and women's Longboard Regional Qualifying Series 1000, competitors dealt with wild conditions to start their surge toward Finals Day. Four-to-six foot, occasional bigger sets pushed the men and women to their best performances as they surged through men's Round of 48 along with women's and men's Round of 32. Now, 2024 event victors await to be crowned for Finals Day action beginning with Quarterfinal bouts.
Kai McPhillips Picks up Major Momentum into Finals Day
A massive day for Kai McPhillips yielded two commanding wins in the array of conditions he dealt with in the Round of 48 and Round of 32. McPhillips' 16.25 (out of a possible 20) in the Round of 32 stood as the day's best, including an 8.50 (out of a possible 10) single-scoring wave, and carried that momentum to best top seeds Ty Roach and Tucker Coleman with Roach advancing into Finals Day alongside McPhillips.
"That was a pretty good start to a first round heat with that first 7-point ride right away felt really good. Then I waited for a good and that bomb came through so I was stoked to get that," said McPhillips. "This is my first Finals Day so I'm stoked it's up here. If this were a shortboard event we would be out there in a heartbeat but with logging it's a different experience."
Recent World Longboard Title Contender Chase Lieder Takes Over
The recent Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships contender Chase Lieder slid right back into form in the jersey, opening with his weekend with a 7.50. Lieder narrowly missed a Finals appearance at this event, held in Morro Bay, in 2023 despite a brilliant showing. Now, the East Coast competitor looks to notch a second-career victory.
"I was actually more nervous in that heat then I was at a Tour event," said Lieder. "I guess it was just feeling more pressure coming into here. After that heat all the pressure went away and now I'm stoked for tomorrow."
Steven Newton (USA) continued a trend of taking down top seeded competitors after his Round of 48 showing. - WSL / Andrew Nichols
Steven Newton fought his way through all conditions after advancing through the Round of 48 before besting former WSL Longboard Tour veteran Tony Silvagni and advanced into Finals Day alongside another former WSL Longboard Tour competitors Cole Robbins and Kaimana Takayama, Noah Shimabukuro, and Julian Schweizer with heat wins.
Avalon Gall brings the Gusto in her Debut
Former WSL Longboard Tour competitor, and North America Longboard Regional, victor Avalon Gall showed her poise and control in the wild conditions. Gall's 14.25 heat total held as the women's best in their Round of 32 debuts to set up a stacked Quarterfinal draw. But, the Laguna Beach, Calif., competitor has her eyes set on a big result to start the season.
"It was actually pretty fun even though I got absolutely worked (laughs). But I had fun surfing with friends and getting some good waves," said Gall. "It's really nice to have the first heat out of the way. Now I feel really good going into the rest of the contest."
Hawaii's Cash Hoover Looks for more Success in North America
One of the event's youngest competitors, Cash Hoover, put on a display against her opponents to start with a 7.50 and set the scale for women's competition. Hoover, who competes in the Hawaii/Tahiti Nui region, has already played spoiler in North America once this year with a runner-up in Virginia Beach and now looks for another chance at gaining experience and momentum in the jersey.
"I'm so happy to make my first heat. It feels so good to have some good waves and actually some open faces," said Hoover. "The last few days I've been out it's just been crashing everywhere so it's great to see fun little sections."
Hoover and Gall are joined by the likes of 2024 WSL Longboard Tour rookie Chloe Coleman, Malia Ilagan, Puamakamae DeSoto, Aleia Anderson, Delilah Hutchins, and Reid Van Wagoner with Round of 32 wins and surged into Finals Day.
Event organizers will reconvene at 7:00 a.m. PDT for a likely 7:30 a.m. PDT start.
Watch Live
The Surfing For Hope Longboard Classic competition window opens on Friday, November 15, and runs through Sunday, November 17, 2024. Once called on, the event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app.