HALEIWA, OAHU (Eagle News) – The COVID-19 pandemic forced the World Surf League’s (WSL) annual Vans Triple Crown competition to go digital.
From December 21, 2020, until January 15, 2021, contestants submitted the best two videos of their individual performances at Oahu’s North Shore beaches: Haleiwa, Sunset, and Pipeline.
Without the pressure of a beachside audience, time limit, or heat strategy, this format allowed some of the world’s top surfers to unleash their best work.
For Hawaii’s own Carissa Moore and John John Florence, the updated guidelines also provided an opportunity for them to catch the waves on multiple occasions while benefiting from some home-field advantage.
Moore, 28, spent almost every day driving from her home in Honolulu to the North Shore to put in the hours at some of the most challenging waves on the planet.
“What was great about the digital Vans Triple Crown was that it motivated all the women to get out to places like Pipe and give it a shot,” Moore told the WSL. “I think it can be a very intimidating lineup on the daily, just with the crowd and the wave itself, which is very powerful and challenging, breaking on a shallow reef.”
For her efforts, the four-time WSL World Tour Champion added another accolade by winning the women’s tournament of the Vans Triple Crown.
Despite having recently recovered from a knee injury, John John Florence started 2021 on a high note by winning his fourth Vans Triple Crown, adding to his 2016 and 2017 World Surf League titles. Florence had previously won the North Shore series in 2011, 2013 and 2016.
Like Moore, Florence also commuted to the beaches by simply crossing Kamehameha Highway from his North Shore home. But competing against other world-class surfers in a new format did not make things easy for the 28 year-old.
“You’re really putting it all out there, going for broke on every single wave,” the Haleiwa native described this year’s new, pandemic-driven sporting event. “It was like going on a free surf trip and trying to get the best clip, but it’s kind of like you’re in this somewhat of a competition format.”
Florence’s campaign got off to a hot start at Haleiwa. His 29-out-of-30 point ride was the highest wave score of the event.
“I went and I remember taking off and just thinking in my head that I just want to do a really big turn,” explained Florence. “When I went into it, I just was thinking about doing a big turn and the face was so clean and I was riding a smaller board. I just felt like I was going a million miles an hour on it. It just felt amazing.”
Carissa Moore and John John Florence, along with fellow professionals Kolohe Andino and Caroline Marks, will make up the inaugural surfing team representing the United States for the upcoming Olympic Games.
Since 1983, Oahu’s North Shore beaches have hosted the Vans Triple Crown, a series of professional surfing events during winter when wave heights can reach an average of 50 feet (15 meters).
(Eagle News Service)