Live from the WSL Founders’ Cup
Pipeline. Cloudbreak. Lemoore?
Saturday marks the beginning of the WSL Founder’s Cup of Surfing, held at the Surf Ranch, a revolutionary wave pool created by 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, in Lemoore, Calif, about 35 miles outside of Fresno. While this is not the first professional contest in a wave pool, organizers are touting the event as historic. Slater’s wave, first shown to the public in December 2015, revolutionized what was considered possible in a wave pool, with its lengthy barrels.
Competition begins in the morning, and will pair teams of men and women split along national lines: Team Australia, Team Brazil, Team Europe, Team USA and Team World. The forecast? Perfect, just like it is everyday. Stay tuned.
Photos
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- Stephanie Gilmore, current world No. 1 and captain of Team Australia, got arguably the day’s best tubes.
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- WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said that the Founders’ Cup could greatly expand the audience for surfing.
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- Gabriel Medina hit one of the biggest airs of the practice round