If you didn’t get a chance to watch the World Surf League’s Cuervo Surf Ranch Classic when it was first released, fret not. The event, which aired on Worldsurfleague.com on October 18, has been released on the internet, much like everything else these days. It was a spectacle, in a very good way. Three things that play well to the eye are the Surf Ranch, night surfing, and a good longboarder, all of which came together at the Cuervo Surf Ranch Classic. Longboarding has a long history — it’s steeped in surfing lore much more than the standard thruster — so to see the world’s best ply their trade in a wave created by cutting edge technology was an interesting dichotomy. The Surf Ranch has long been thought of as a place that will push surfing’s progression at a breakneck clip, but it’s clear that a perfect wave is still a perfect wave. And longboarding is, if you’re a fan, one of the best ways to show off surfing’s foundation. Riding a longboard is more about riding with the wave instead of riding on the wave.
The lineup for the event was good, to say the least. Joel Tudor, who has been called the godfather of modern longboarding, was there. Honolua Blomfield, two-time world champ, was too. Justin Quintal, 2019 world longboard champion, donned a jersey for the first time since last year. Soleil Errico, Kaniela Stewart, Avalon Gall, Kevin Skvarna, Kassia Meador, Lindsay Steinriede, Kai Sallas, Alex Knost, and Kelis Kaleopaa were all there, too. That is a solid representation of the best longboarders in the world right now. The coverage of the event was not what we’re used to. It was more of a production than usual, with narratives interspersed in the event coverage itself.
In the end, Justin Quintal and Soleil Errico went home with the winner’s trophies, and Quintal also won the longest nose ride contest. Although there were winners, the event didn’t feel as though winning was the focus. It might be a longboard thing, but simply riding the wave felt to be the important part — the trophy was just the icing on the cake.
