How Can the Challenger Series Be Improved?

For the Americans and one Canadian under the neon flag of surf coach Matt Myers, this wasn’t quite the banner year they’d hoped for. Though not for lack of effort, Levi Slawson, Nolan Rapoza, Nat Young, Alyssa Spencer and Sanoa Olin gave it a shot but ultimately came up short in terms of CT qualification. 

Over the last seven months, Matt and filmmaker Brady Lawrence captured the season in full with their series Wet Shoulder League. It features plenty of laughs, behind-the-scenes insight and some serious ripping. The results got tight in Saquarema, the last event on the schedule, but Levi (20th) and Nolan (23rd) had their best CS years to date and were two heats away from CT qualification. And Matt never failed to bring the energy. “The outbursts aren’t planned,” he said. “It’s natural, but sometimes I end up screaming. These are emotional situations.”

While the men’s and women’s divisions are stocked with talent, there’s definitely room for improvement on the CS, specifically with the venues. 

“The lack of variety in the waves, and the lack of similarity to waves on the Championship Tour, is a big miss,” Matt said. “If you want to properly prepare these upcoming surfers to be ready for the CT, you want to have them in more similar types of conditions. More reef breaks, more heavy water waves.” 

Much of the action this year, largely from Huntington, Ballito and Saquarema, took place on wonky rights over sand. More than a handful of seasoned Brazilian surfers took advantage. Six of the top 10 male qualifiers flew the Brazilian flag. Five of those six (Miguel Pupo, Samuel Pupo, Alejo Muniz, Deivid Silva and Ian Gouveia) have logged multiple CT and CS seasons.  

With Snapper now moved to the CT for at least the next three years, the second-tier tour currently has just five events on the schedule for 2025. It’s possible the WSL will move a current Qualifying Series up a notch to put it on the CS, but has yet to happen. Is it too much to ask to get one event from Indonesia (Nias, anyone?) or Hawaii (Halewia is now a local QS event)?

Matt astutely pointed to the age spread from this year’s qualifiers. Alejo Muniz spent six years on the CT. Ian Gouveia is about to turn 32. But several guys in their early 20s (Jackson Bunch, George Pittar and Joel Vaughan) also got in the mix.

This leads to an important point for those seeking big-league glory.

“For the most part the first year of the Challenger Series is a learning year,” he said. “It’s rare for someone to jump straight to the CT these days. Even Erin Brooks didn’t do it last year. It takes time. You have to go through the motions of travel, learning the waves, learning the system and feeling those pressure moments. I think it’s important for everyone to go through the heartbreak of losing. I think if it was too easy and you qualified right away you wouldn’t be ready for the CT.

“Like Levi coming up short. Long term I think it’s a good thing for him. He doesn’t have to do the regional QS, so I want him to go to Fiji and Tahiti. He can get more comfortable in that stuff so when he does make the CT he’ll be more prepared.”