3 Reasons Why The WSL Founders' Cup Was A Huge Win For Women's Surfing

Photo: Lakey Peterson/World Surf League

The World Surf League Founder's Cup brought a crowd of 5,000 fans to the contest, and they weren't even by the beach. After revealing his man made wave in 2015, Kelly Slater hosted the first official contest at the Surf Ranch in May 2018. The event was historical for many reasons. Slater and the WSL also did the women justice. Here are three reasons why The Founders' Cup was a huge win for women's surfing.

1. The Surf Ranch levels the playing field.

Everyone was given the chance to ride the same wave quality, consistency, and conditions as the rest of the competitors, male or female.

Photo: Silvana Lima/World Surf League

2. Two of the captains were female

Five regional teams competed in The Founders' Cup: USA, Brazil, Australia, Europe and World Team. Of the five, two of them were led by female captains. Stephanie Gilmore was named Captain of Team Australia, while Johanne Defay led Team Europe. Each team consisted of three men and two women.

Photo: Instagram/@stephaniegilmore

3. The women received the same exposure as the men

Competing alongside each other allowed the women to have the same size crowd as the men. The Tour often has the men and women competing at different surf breaks at different times, and the crowds vary. The Surf Ranch held a great amount of fans at the venue with a front-row view of the action.

After the contest Carissa Moore posted on Instagram, "The crowd was amazing! Riding back on the ski and waving to all the fans after a run was a definite highlight. I could feel the love, excitement and positive energy❤️ Thank you."