There are some solid waves heading for Supertubos, and the boys are going to get a mixed bag of waves for the opening few days of the event. Some barrels, some wobbly sessions, and a whole load of variables in between. It looks like it is going to be as diversified as France and as opposite to the Wave Ranch as possible when it comes to conditions.
While Jordy and John John still dominate the headlines when it comes to the final run, we see something slightly different happening at this penultimate Championship Tour event of the year.
Julian is smarting and wants more than he has got so far this year. Sitting at number 6, he has a whole lot of hunger, anger, smarts and desire for this event, and has no doubt been sitting down with his team and going through what he needs to do to finish off on the right note. Remember when he won he event in 2012, beating Medina in the final and bringing the Brazilian to tears in the process? Last year he came 5th in this event but he has a different drive this year and knows what he needs to do. Julian is possibly the most hungry at the moment, and is burning after his France fiasco.
Currently ranked 3rd in the world right now on the Jeep Leaderboard, Medina is an entirely different person to the young kid who stood on the stage with Julian and wept a few emotional tears at that prize giving. He has matured, his body and his style has changed, he is riding different boards with more foam and exquisite, tapered rails and he has even developed a sense of a sense of humour at the whole absurdity of the incredible place where he exists. It’s not that ghastly a place after all, is it? He also has the smell of blood in his nostrils after France and knows what to do to come in for the kill and smash this event to pieces.
As for Matty Wilko is sitting at number 5 on that Jeep Leaderboard, it seems like he doesn't have a care in the world right now. A carefree Wilko is a dangerous Wilko, and if he doesn't start stressing and applying pressure to himself from himself, he could easily surprise us all and wipe the smile off a few faces on the way to a solid win. He has the wherewithal to do it, and if he finds his rhythm and paddles out into his heats with a smile on his face, he will be a serious threat for the victory and a nice slide up the charts prior to Pipe.
Filipe Toledo has had a winningest year on tour so far, and has done some amazing stuff along the road with some ridiculous surfing in JBay in amongst the best runs of surf that venue has probably ever had for an event, as well as the Win at Trestles. He won the event at Supertubos in 2015 with such a radical array of incredible air combinations that were so bizarre and polished that he looked like the new messiah and that the sport of surfing was about to leap. At number 8 on the rankings he is underperforming and he knows this. If he finds his rhythm and gets his waves he will be the event dangerman.
The event waiting period starts on 20th and the event site is here
