This past weekend surfing history was made in one of the unlikeliest places – Lemoore, CA – a small town 30 miles south of Fresno, and about 100 miles from the closest beach. Here at the World Surf League (WSL) Surf Ranch in the middle of Central California farmland, 25 of the best surfers in the world and more than 5000 spectators gathered to ride the best man-made wave in the world.
Held on May 5th and 6th, World Surf League’s Founders’ Cup of Surfing brought a revolution to the sport of surfing, while also celebrating the original Founders. The seven athletes recognized as Key Founders of Professional Surfing because they transformed the sport more than 40 years ago are Peter Townend, Shaun Tomson, Wayne Bartholomew, Mark Richards, Ian Cairns, Randy Rarick and Fred Hemmings.
Kelly Slater & WSL introduced the world to stadium surfing, and it was epic!
After 10 years of research and development, Kelly Slater and his team of engineers turned his vision into reality. Since 2007, Slater’s Kelly Slater Wave Company has collaborated with USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering research professor Adam Fincham on wave generation technology. With the help of other Viterbi School professors and students, the Kelly Slater Wave Company and Fincham have developed Slater’s groundbreaking ideas into pioneering technology. The result of their work is a perfect 6.5 foot wave, capable of lefts and rights, created with a system of hydrofoils on a 2,000 foot long, 500 foot wide man-made lake that was originally built for water skiing. Slater’s cutting edge efforts may very well herald a new chapter of surf culture and open the gates to a new realm of arenas and events in controlled conditions.
The surfing community hasn’t stopped debating about artificial waves ever since the first leaked video of the machine-generated wave back in 2015. But this weekend marked the very first time the Surf Ranch opened its gates to the public. And while we agree that you can never replace the challenge of ocean surfing, thesenwaves are definitely a great challenge for surfers and a perfect way to showcase their skills in equal conditions. With surfing making its Olympic debut, following decades of campaigning by the ISA, at the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics, many surfers believe the wave technology will one day be used in the Olympics to make the waves equal for competition.
The WSL Founders’ Cup of Surfing hosted the best surfers including our favorites: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Mick Fanning (AUS), Gabriel Medina (BRA), Filipe Toledo (BRA), Frankie Harrer (DEU) Kelly Slater (USA) John John Florence (USA), Kolohe Andino (USA), Carissa Moore (USA), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Kanoa Igarashi (JPN).
In addition to the surfing competition, the Founders’ Cup had a perfect festival vibe. While surfers were conquering the waves, a lineup of great bands was there to entertain. Benjamin Booker, DAVIE, Clean Spill, The Alive!, DJs Adam 12, Perry Farrel, Aric Christopher, Lola Langusta and HOFF were there to treat the crowd to some great tunes.
And last but not least, surprise entertainers – competing athletes also took to the stage. Stephanie Gilmore, who played with The Alive, and Carissa Moore and Kelly Slater, who played with Lilly Meola, were an absolute treat to watch.
We can’t wait to be back at the Surf Ranch in September for the 2018 World Surf League Championship Tour.
by Irina Liakh
Images courtesy of WSL
