Joe Surf: Kanoa takes another step

Things couldn’t be going much better for Kanoa Igarashi.

The Huntington Beach surfer is coming off one of the highlights of what already has been a breakthrough year for him, winning the Vans Pro in Virginia Beach, Va. 10 days ago, part of the World Surf League’s (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS).

It was good for a $16,000 payday, as well as 3,000 points, moving him up to No. 3 in the QS rankings, up from No. 9. It’s a big deal because the top 10 surfers in the QS rankings at the end of the year qualify for the highest level surf series in the world — the WSL’s World Championship Tour, starting next year.

Igarashi doesn’t turn 18 until Oct. 1, so he likely would be the youngest on the tour. This year, the youngest regular on tour is 20-year-old Filipe Toledo.

Winning the Vans Pro earned Igarashi more than the 3,000 points; he also earned a little time off. He skipped the following QS contests and took a vacation to Indonesia for some R&R and of course, more surfing.

“Surf, eat, sleep. That’s what we’ve been doing every day! Waves are amazing here,” Igarashi posted on his Instagram page .

Even though he’s having such a good year, the Vans Pro was the first contest he’s won in the QS (he also won two Junior Tour events). His best QS finishes before the Vans Pro were third-place finishes at the U.S. Open and the Murasaki Shonan Open in Japan.

“It’s crazy having such a good year,” Igarashi told worldsurfleague.com. “I haven’t been getting wins but a lot of good results, and I was just missing that win. I’m so stoked with how it’s all panned out and those 3,000 points are crucial for me — it’s my first QS win this year and goes into my top three results for points.

“It was my goal to get a result here that I could keep at the end of the year and I’m so thankful it worked out.”

There are a total of 38 QS contests throughout the year, with varying point totals attainable. Final rankings are calculated at the end of the year by totaling each surfer’s top five results.

Next up for Igarashi is the SATA Azores Pro in Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal, a critical QS10,000-point event and another opportunity for him to further entrench himself high in the QS rankings.

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TRESTLES UP NEXT

Speaking of the WSL’s World Championship Tour, there are only 11 WCT men’s events during the year, and most of them take place far, far away. Three contests are held in Australia and there is one each in Brazil, Fiji, South Africa, Tahiti, France, Portugal and Hawaii.

There is one in Southern California, and it’s coming soon — the Hurley Pro Sept. 9-20 at Lower Trestles in San Clemente. If you go to surfing contests for the surfing, this is one to attend, just make sure you prepare for the hike down the trail to the beach.

With four contests left in the WCT, the world championship is still up for grabs, as five surfers are separated by a mere 1,750 points. The current leader is Brazil’s Adriano De Souza, followed in order by Australia’s Mick Fanning, Australia’s Owen Wright, Australia’s Julian Wilson and Brazil’s Filipe Toledo.

The top U.S. surfer, lurking is sixth place, is 11-time world champ Kelly Slater, still ripping at age 43.

The women also will compete at Trestles Sept. 9-20 in the Swatch Women’s Pro. And like with the men, it will be a critical contest, as it is the seventh in the 10-contest tour.

Courtney Conlogue, a Santa Ana native who grew up surfing in Huntington, currently leads the world rankings in a quest for her first world championship. Hawaii’s Carissa Moore is a close second, trailing by just 400 points (43,400 to 43,000).

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SURF CITY CONTEST

The City of Huntington Beach and Huntington Surf & Sport will present the city’s “locals only” surf contest Sept. 19 and 20 on the south side of the HB Pier.

The 45th annual Summer Surf Contest is open only to those residing in the Huntington Beach Union High School District and is limited to a total of 175 surfers, and all the spots have already been filled.

JOE HAAKENSON is a Huntington Beach-based sports writer and editor. He may be reached at joe@juvecreative.com.