Getting a wave to yourself at Lowers is like holding a winning lottery ticket if you’re an Average Joe. Or maybe it’s more like playing Keno because sure, you might get a winner every several hundred times you buy in. Just don’t expect much more than that occasional charity win.
Such laws of probability don’t apply to a guy like Griffin Colapinto though. And his recent hot streak just happened to coincide with possibly Lowers’ best day of the season, where Colapinto had a sixth sense for some of the day’s best waves and he capitalized.
Ironically, these are the very sessions that bring so many people out to Lowers in the first place. He makes it look fun. He shows off how rippable the entire wave is. And then you get slapped with a reminder that Griff is currently sitting at number eight on the CT, which offers both a reality check and a little bit of intrigue to breaking down his recent session. With his current ranking just outside the Top 5, Colapinto is within striking distance of a spot in September’s Rip Curl WSL Finals. Not to mention, two of the athletes currently sitting in front of Colapinto include John John Florence and Jordy Smith are injured. Smith reportedly underwent knee surgery late last week, although there’s been no word of whether or not it would slow down his World Title campaign (sounds as if he hopes to just miss the Surf Ranch Pro). Meanwhile, Florence put things on pause back in May and underwent knee surgery himself, making it clear his priority in 2021 is competing in this summer’s Olympic games.
The point here is that the WSL’s Top 5 is completely up for grabs, and watching Griffin Colapinto catch fire at the wave where this year’s World Champion will be crowned certainly makes for some good entertainment.
