On Thursday, the WSL announced that Bethany Hamilton would be granted the wildcard slot to compete against the world’s best women when the Championship Tour descends on Lemoore, California in September. A quick look at the video above reveals why.
Kelly Slater put Hamilton on blast late last month commenting on her frontside tube riding, saying: “Nobody gets barreled that early on the last section. Crazy on.” But it wasn’t the first time Slater’s gushed about Hamilton’s technique at the Surf Ranch.
When the crew at Kelly Slater Wave Co. shelled out special invites to a handful of surfers to try out their newly created left some time ago, they invited legendary goofy footers Gerry Lopez, Tom Carroll, and, you guessed it, Bethany Hamilton. Kelly called her backside tube riding ability “an athletic feat that nobody else is capable of.”
And her first trip (below) was no different than the second one (above) just that in her second she was three months postpartum.
“I’m so excited to be competing at the Surf Ranch Pro,” said Hamilton. “I love the idea of competing in a semi-controlled environment. It’s great to know what I’m getting with the waves and to be on the same playing field as everyone else. All of us girls are just going to be going to town, shredding it.”
I don’t know about you, but if I had to put money on this thing I’d go all in on Bethany.
