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an hour ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Locals stoked with double Surfest shot as Anderson progresses on day one
Surfing a world-ranked event at your home break once a season is special enough. So, home-grown pair Jackson Baker and Ryan Callinan were clearly stoked at the announcement on Monday that Newcastle Surfest contests would bookend the World Surf League's (WSL) second-tier Challenger Series (CS). Baker, Callinan and fellow Merewether surfer Morgan Cibilic are attempting to requalify for the World Championship Tour through the seven-event CS, which began in Newcastle on Monday and returns as the last stop of the 2025-26 series next March. The CS previously comprised five events but the WSL announced on Monday, as Surfest was launched at Merewether, that events at Hawaii's Pipeline (January 28 to February 8, 2026) and in Newcastle (March 8-15, 2026) had been added for this season. The top-10 ranked male surfers and top-seven women, based on competitor's best-five results, earn a spot on the top-tier Championship Tour for 2026. "It's really exciting to finish here," Baker said on Monday. "Mentally, you're still preparing for a five-event series, so those extra two are a bonus. You kind of want to seal it up before Pipe and coming back here, but that's easier said than done. "But to finish here and be standing on the beach here in March and you've made the world tour at your local break would be a dream come true." The 28-year-old's name is etched into Surfest history as its first home-grown men's winner. Baker won the Newcastle title in 2022 when it was a third-tier Qualifying Series event. That year was his first year on the Championship Tour, a place he is determined to get back to. "It was a special day," Baker reflected of the 2022 victory. "Everyone has kind of been bringing it up in the last few weeks, but I'm just reminding myself that coming into this event it doesn't really mean anything now. "Refresh with the Challenger Series. The goal is still the same - to try to win it as a Challenger Series for the first time. "But that was a really special day. I got to share the final with Ryan, and we knew we had a 50 per cent chance that a local would finally win the thing. "It was a beautiful afternoon and the waves were really fun, really good Merewether, kind of similar today, really good conditions." Competition got underway with the men's round-of-80 surfers on Monday. Gold Coast surfer Julian Wilson, who now calls Newcastle home and won Surfest in 2020, won his opening-round heat on Monday. The 36-year-old, who is making a professional comeback after several years out of the competitive limelight, posted a two-wave score of 13.50 points to progress to the next round alongside second-placed Tenshi Iwami (11.27) from Japan. Baker, Cibilic and Callinan hit the water in the next round, likely to start on Wednesday or Thursday depending on conditions. Callinan comes back into the CS for the first time since 2022 after missing the CT's mid-season cut last week. The 33-year-old goofy-footer has had a mixed 2025, missing two of seven CT events, but recently celebrated the birth of his first child - four-week-old daughter Penelope. "It's a big adjustment but I'm loving every second of it. It's a new adventure," Callinan said on Monday. "It's been a bit of a bumpy year competitively for me, missing an event having an injury and then missing another event for the birth of Pene, which I wouldn't change for the world. "But just trying to find the flow and find my feet in the water and what better way to do it than here at home with waves that look so fun." Merewether's Philippa Anderson, who has her own named etched in history as the 2009 Surfest's women's winner, is an event wildcard and looked right at home as she progressed to the next round with a first-up heat win on Monday. The 33-year-old natural-footer took an early heat lead then sealed a winning score of 12.06 points with a 6.33-point ride in the final minutes. Peru's Arena Rodriguez was second (11.90) and also progressed. Newcastle-based South African Sarah Baum placed third (9.83) in the same heat and bowed out of the contest, along with fourth-placed Australian Oceania Rogers (8.36). "That was probably the least nervous I've ever been ... that felt really good. I guess just no pressure," Anderson said after her heat win on Monday afternoon. "For me, I was pretty devastated I didn't make the Challenger to represent our region this year but we had the trials yesterday and I said to a few of the local girls, 'Just how good is this opportunity. You have a one in 12 shot to make a Challenger'. "I kind of carried that into today, just how good is this opportunity. A bit of a different mindset for me this year." Destination NSW funding has helped secure Surfest events this year and next. Surfing a world-ranked event at your home break once a season is special enough. So, home-grown pair Jackson Baker and Ryan Callinan were clearly stoked at the announcement on Monday that Newcastle Surfest contests would bookend the World Surf League's (WSL) second-tier Challenger Series (CS). Baker, Callinan and fellow Merewether surfer Morgan Cibilic are attempting to requalify for the World Championship Tour through the seven-event CS, which began in Newcastle on Monday and returns as the last stop of the 2025-26 series next March. The CS previously comprised five events but the WSL announced on Monday, as Surfest was launched at Merewether, that events at Hawaii's Pipeline (January 28 to February 8, 2026) and in Newcastle (March 8-15, 2026) had been added for this season. The top-10 ranked male surfers and top-seven women, based on competitor's best-five results, earn a spot on the top-tier Championship Tour for 2026. "It's really exciting to finish here," Baker said on Monday. "Mentally, you're still preparing for a five-event series, so those extra two are a bonus. You kind of want to seal it up before Pipe and coming back here, but that's easier said than done. "But to finish here and be standing on the beach here in March and you've made the world tour at your local break would be a dream come true." The 28-year-old's name is etched into Surfest history as its first home-grown men's winner. Baker won the Newcastle title in 2022 when it was a third-tier Qualifying Series event. That year was his first year on the Championship Tour, a place he is determined to get back to. "It was a special day," Baker reflected of the 2022 victory. "Everyone has kind of been bringing it up in the last few weeks, but I'm just reminding myself that coming into this event it doesn't really mean anything now. "Refresh with the Challenger Series. The goal is still the same - to try to win it as a Challenger Series for the first time. "But that was a really special day. I got to share the final with Ryan, and we knew we had a 50 per cent chance that a local would finally win the thing. "It was a beautiful afternoon and the waves were really fun, really good Merewether, kind of similar today, really good conditions." Competition got underway with the men's round-of-80 surfers on Monday. Gold Coast surfer Julian Wilson, who now calls Newcastle home and won Surfest in 2020, won his opening-round heat on Monday. The 36-year-old, who is making a professional comeback after several years out of the competitive limelight, posted a two-wave score of 13.50 points to progress to the next round alongside second-placed Tenshi Iwami (11.27) from Japan. Baker, Cibilic and Callinan hit the water in the next round, likely to start on Wednesday or Thursday depending on conditions. Callinan comes back into the CS for the first time since 2022 after missing the CT's mid-season cut last week. The 33-year-old goofy-footer has had a mixed 2025, missing two of seven CT events, but recently celebrated the birth of his first child - four-week-old daughter Penelope. "It's a big adjustment but I'm loving every second of it. It's a new adventure," Callinan said on Monday. "It's been a bit of a bumpy year competitively for me, missing an event having an injury and then missing another event for the birth of Pene, which I wouldn't change for the world. "But just trying to find the flow and find my feet in the water and what better way to do it than here at home with waves that look so fun." Merewether's Philippa Anderson, who has her own named etched in history as the 2009 Surfest's women's winner, is an event wildcard and looked right at home as she progressed to the next round with a first-up heat win on Monday. The 33-year-old natural-footer took an early heat lead then sealed a winning score of 12.06 points with a 6.33-point ride in the final minutes. Peru's Arena Rodriguez was second (11.90) and also progressed. Newcastle-based South African Sarah Baum placed third (9.83) in the same heat and bowed out of the contest, along with fourth-placed Australian Oceania Rogers (8.36). "That was probably the least nervous I've ever been ... that felt really good. I guess just no pressure," Anderson said after her heat win on Monday afternoon. "For me, I was pretty devastated I didn't make the Challenger to represent our region this year but we had the trials yesterday and I said to a few of the local girls, 'Just how good is this opportunity. You have a one in 12 shot to make a Challenger'. "I kind of carried that into today, just how good is this opportunity. A bit of a different mindset for me this year." Destination NSW funding has helped secure Surfest events this year and next. Surfing a world-ranked event at your home break once a season is special enough. So, home-grown pair Jackson Baker and Ryan Callinan were clearly stoked at the announcement on Monday that Newcastle Surfest contests would bookend the World Surf League's (WSL) second-tier Challenger Series (CS). Baker, Callinan and fellow Merewether surfer Morgan Cibilic are attempting to requalify for the World Championship Tour through the seven-event CS, which began in Newcastle on Monday and returns as the last stop of the 2025-26 series next March. The CS previously comprised five events but the WSL announced on Monday, as Surfest was launched at Merewether, that events at Hawaii's Pipeline (January 28 to February 8, 2026) and in Newcastle (March 8-15, 2026) had been added for this season. The top-10 ranked male surfers and top-seven women, based on competitor's best-five results, earn a spot on the top-tier Championship Tour for 2026. "It's really exciting to finish here," Baker said on Monday. "Mentally, you're still preparing for a five-event series, so those extra two are a bonus. You kind of want to seal it up before Pipe and coming back here, but that's easier said than done. "But to finish here and be standing on the beach here in March and you've made the world tour at your local break would be a dream come true." The 28-year-old's name is etched into Surfest history as its first home-grown men's winner. Baker won the Newcastle title in 2022 when it was a third-tier Qualifying Series event. That year was his first year on the Championship Tour, a place he is determined to get back to. "It was a special day," Baker reflected of the 2022 victory. "Everyone has kind of been bringing it up in the last few weeks, but I'm just reminding myself that coming into this event it doesn't really mean anything now. "Refresh with the Challenger Series. The goal is still the same - to try to win it as a Challenger Series for the first time. "But that was a really special day. I got to share the final with Ryan, and we knew we had a 50 per cent chance that a local would finally win the thing. "It was a beautiful afternoon and the waves were really fun, really good Merewether, kind of similar today, really good conditions." Competition got underway with the men's round-of-80 surfers on Monday. Gold Coast surfer Julian Wilson, who now calls Newcastle home and won Surfest in 2020, won his opening-round heat on Monday. The 36-year-old, who is making a professional comeback after several years out of the competitive limelight, posted a two-wave score of 13.50 points to progress to the next round alongside second-placed Tenshi Iwami (11.27) from Japan. Baker, Cibilic and Callinan hit the water in the next round, likely to start on Wednesday or Thursday depending on conditions. Callinan comes back into the CS for the first time since 2022 after missing the CT's mid-season cut last week. The 33-year-old goofy-footer has had a mixed 2025, missing two of seven CT events, but recently celebrated the birth of his first child - four-week-old daughter Penelope. "It's a big adjustment but I'm loving every second of it. It's a new adventure," Callinan said on Monday. "It's been a bit of a bumpy year competitively for me, missing an event having an injury and then missing another event for the birth of Pene, which I wouldn't change for the world. "But just trying to find the flow and find my feet in the water and what better way to do it than here at home with waves that look so fun." Merewether's Philippa Anderson, who has her own named etched in history as the 2009 Surfest's women's winner, is an event wildcard and looked right at home as she progressed to the next round with a first-up heat win on Monday. The 33-year-old natural-footer took an early heat lead then sealed a winning score of 12.06 points with a 6.33-point ride in the final minutes. Peru's Arena Rodriguez was second (11.90) and also progressed. Newcastle-based South African Sarah Baum placed third (9.83) in the same heat and bowed out of the contest, along with fourth-placed Australian Oceania Rogers (8.36). "That was probably the least nervous I've ever been ... that felt really good. I guess just no pressure," Anderson said after her heat win on Monday afternoon. "For me, I was pretty devastated I didn't make the Challenger to represent our region this year but we had the trials yesterday and I said to a few of the local girls, 'Just how good is this opportunity. You have a one in 12 shot to make a Challenger'. "I kind of carried that into today, just how good is this opportunity. A bit of a different mindset for me this year." Destination NSW funding has helped secure Surfest events this year and next. Surfing a world-ranked event at your home break once a season is special enough. So, home-grown pair Jackson Baker and Ryan Callinan were clearly stoked at the announcement on Monday that Newcastle Surfest contests would bookend the World Surf League's (WSL) second-tier Challenger Series (CS). Baker, Callinan and fellow Merewether surfer Morgan Cibilic are attempting to requalify for the World Championship Tour through the seven-event CS, which began in Newcastle on Monday and returns as the last stop of the 2025-26 series next March. The CS previously comprised five events but the WSL announced on Monday, as Surfest was launched at Merewether, that events at Hawaii's Pipeline (January 28 to February 8, 2026) and in Newcastle (March 8-15, 2026) had been added for this season. The top-10 ranked male surfers and top-seven women, based on competitor's best-five results, earn a spot on the top-tier Championship Tour for 2026. "It's really exciting to finish here," Baker said on Monday. "Mentally, you're still preparing for a five-event series, so those extra two are a bonus. You kind of want to seal it up before Pipe and coming back here, but that's easier said than done. "But to finish here and be standing on the beach here in March and you've made the world tour at your local break would be a dream come true." The 28-year-old's name is etched into Surfest history as its first home-grown men's winner. Baker won the Newcastle title in 2022 when it was a third-tier Qualifying Series event. That year was his first year on the Championship Tour, a place he is determined to get back to. "It was a special day," Baker reflected of the 2022 victory. "Everyone has kind of been bringing it up in the last few weeks, but I'm just reminding myself that coming into this event it doesn't really mean anything now. "Refresh with the Challenger Series. The goal is still the same - to try to win it as a Challenger Series for the first time. "But that was a really special day. I got to share the final with Ryan, and we knew we had a 50 per cent chance that a local would finally win the thing. "It was a beautiful afternoon and the waves were really fun, really good Merewether, kind of similar today, really good conditions." Competition got underway with the men's round-of-80 surfers on Monday. Gold Coast surfer Julian Wilson, who now calls Newcastle home and won Surfest in 2020, won his opening-round heat on Monday. The 36-year-old, who is making a professional comeback after several years out of the competitive limelight, posted a two-wave score of 13.50 points to progress to the next round alongside second-placed Tenshi Iwami (11.27) from Japan. Baker, Cibilic and Callinan hit the water in the next round, likely to start on Wednesday or Thursday depending on conditions. Callinan comes back into the CS for the first time since 2022 after missing the CT's mid-season cut last week. The 33-year-old goofy-footer has had a mixed 2025, missing two of seven CT events, but recently celebrated the birth of his first child - four-week-old daughter Penelope. "It's a big adjustment but I'm loving every second of it. It's a new adventure," Callinan said on Monday. "It's been a bit of a bumpy year competitively for me, missing an event having an injury and then missing another event for the birth of Pene, which I wouldn't change for the world. "But just trying to find the flow and find my feet in the water and what better way to do it than here at home with waves that look so fun." Merewether's Philippa Anderson, who has her own named etched in history as the 2009 Surfest's women's winner, is an event wildcard and looked right at home as she progressed to the next round with a first-up heat win on Monday. The 33-year-old natural-footer took an early heat lead then sealed a winning score of 12.06 points with a 6.33-point ride in the final minutes. Peru's Arena Rodriguez was second (11.90) and also progressed. Newcastle-based South African Sarah Baum placed third (9.83) in the same heat and bowed out of the contest, along with fourth-placed Australian Oceania Rogers (8.36). "That was probably the least nervous I've ever been ... that felt really good. I guess just no pressure," Anderson said after her heat win on Monday afternoon. "For me, I was pretty devastated I didn't make the Challenger to represent our region this year but we had the trials yesterday and I said to a few of the local girls, 'Just how good is this opportunity. You have a one in 12 shot to make a Challenger'. "I kind of carried that into today, just how good is this opportunity. A bit of a different mindset for me this year." Destination NSW funding has helped secure Surfest events this year and next.
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
The Jackson drive: Baker cooking up a comeback story, starting at home
When COVID stopped professional surfing, Jackson Baker worked as a courier to make ends meet. The Merewether surfer had been inching towards the Championship Tour (CT) for several years, but when events were scrapped and travel was halted, so too was Baker's competitive progression. The time spent on the road making deliveries was the reality check Baker needed to throw everything at chasing his surfing dream. In early 2021, he made his CT debut as a one-off wildcard when Newcastle hosted the pandemic-impacted season, before landing a full-time spot for 2022 via his ranking in the second-tier Challenger Series (CS). But several years on, Baker is again chasing a spot in surfing's top tier. After falling off the CT in 2023, and failing to re-qualify via the Challenger Series in both that year and 2024, Baker approaches the opening contest of this year's CS, next week's Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest, desperate to get back to where he feels he belongs. So in added motivation, the 28-year-old recently spent some time on the tools. He took a page out of the Melbourne Storm playbook, where new players at the NRL club spend a fortnight labouring full-time, around their training commitments, to get a better idea of what life is like without professional sport. "I've helped a few mates out labouring and things like that to stay busy. Surfing doesn't pay like it once was," Baker said. "So it's kind of been, not a fall from grace, but I've gone from the highs of the sport to the lows in a few years. "But I was in this position a few years ago before I made the tour. So I know that my surfing is there, I know my belief is there. I know I made it there before, and I was probably half of the competitor that I am now, and the experience that I've had. "Yeah it would have been lovely to stay on tour after those few years, but when I do get back at the end of this year, the highs and lows of life and competing that I've gone through this past year and a half, have been very character building. "Probably before in my career I was a bit lackadaisical ... but I think now, it's a bit more hard work, that discipline ... and helping a few mates out labouring, and working, I definitely don't want to be doing that. "That can be a later in life thing, I still have a lot to achieve in my career. "I'm 28. You say in sports you're getting a little older, and I joke about it, but I'm still pretty youthful. "I've got a lot of energy and I'm a pretty knockabout, happy bloke, which I think the tour is missing at the moment, so I'd love to get back there and fill that void." In 2023, Baker fell off the CT after missing the mid-season cut and then narrowly missed re-qualifying for the following year, finishing 13th in CS. He lost a heat in the last round of the CS by a matter of points. Had he won, the door opened to a top-10 spot and CT return. Last year, Baker was behind from the outset, missing the opening two rounds of CS due to a fractured foot. It was a frustrating period. When he returned, he struggled to make an impact, ultimately finishing 36th in the rankings, well outside the top-10 and zone required to earn a spot in the following year's CT. But a semi-final and third-placed finish at the season-ending CS event in Brazil was a positive note to conclude the year on. "I thought about pulling the pin," Baker admitted of last year's CS campaign. "I was really battling mentally, just with the highs and the lows of surfing, of being a professional athlete. "I had battled with falling off the [CT] the year before, and then just missing out on [re]-qualifying ... to come into last year and break my foot and have that disrupt the year, it was a struggle. "But it's how you come back from them. I got third in Brazil, that was great. I had an extra motivator. I was surfing for a family friend here at home who was battling breast cancer. That was really special. I just needed to find an extra motivator to stick at it last year." Baker, who lost his mum to breast cancer in 2016 and is regularly involved in awareness and fund-raising campaigns - often using pink surfboards - has watched from afar as fellow Novocastrian Ryan Callinan has continued on the CT over the past two years. In recent months, he has also watched Merewether clubmate Morgan Cibilic enjoy time back on the CT, the 25-year-old reaching the semi-finals at Bells Beach as a wildcard and quarter-finals on the Gold Coast as a late replacement for Callinan, who skipped the event for the birth of his first child. Adopted Novocastrian Julian Wilson, who is making a professional comeback after a few years away from surfing's top tier, also made the Gold Coast final as a wildcard. "I'm all fired up," Baker, a former Surfest winner, said. "I've seen Julian and Morgan get opportunities that I would have got last year without my injury, which is really firing me up. "I'm like, OK - I don't want to be back there part-time, I don't want a wildcard, I want to be back there full-time. I know I deserve to be there. "It's been interesting to watch those events and not be a part of it, and not be there. People are like 'Why don't you go watch it?'. But I'm like, I don't really care. I'd rather be there [competing]. "I'm just focusing on here in Newcastle and the whole year. " Callinan, who has been Newcastle's sole representative on the CT the past two years, missed last week's mid-season cut, where only the top-22 ranked surfers continue for the remainder of the CT season. After missing two of the opening seven contests, he was ranked 34th. The 33-year-old will now join Baker, Cibilic and Wilson in the CS and at the opening event in Newcastle. All four will vie for a spot in the top 10 at the end of the CS season, to earn a place in next year's CT. There is a very real chance all four could re-qualify for the CT together. It's a dream outcome which has Baker, who won Surfest's main event in 2022, excited ahead of next week's series opener. "As much as it's an individual sport, to be able to be a little four-pack that does a lot of damage here at home and finishes the year strong, would be pretty cool," Baker said. "We've had myself, Morgs and Ryan in a six-month period [on the CT], but that was after Julian went off [for a break]. "Hopefully that's the final four, the semis ... that'd be sick." When COVID stopped professional surfing, Jackson Baker worked as a courier to make ends meet. The Merewether surfer had been inching towards the Championship Tour (CT) for several years, but when events were scrapped and travel was halted, so too was Baker's competitive progression. The time spent on the road making deliveries was the reality check Baker needed to throw everything at chasing his surfing dream. In early 2021, he made his CT debut as a one-off wildcard when Newcastle hosted the pandemic-impacted season, before landing a full-time spot for 2022 via his ranking in the second-tier Challenger Series (CS). But several years on, Baker is again chasing a spot in surfing's top tier. After falling off the CT in 2023, and failing to re-qualify via the Challenger Series in both that year and 2024, Baker approaches the opening contest of this year's CS, next week's Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest, desperate to get back to where he feels he belongs. So in added motivation, the 28-year-old recently spent some time on the tools. He took a page out of the Melbourne Storm playbook, where new players at the NRL club spend a fortnight labouring full-time, around their training commitments, to get a better idea of what life is like without professional sport. "I've helped a few mates out labouring and things like that to stay busy. Surfing doesn't pay like it once was," Baker said. "So it's kind of been, not a fall from grace, but I've gone from the highs of the sport to the lows in a few years. "But I was in this position a few years ago before I made the tour. So I know that my surfing is there, I know my belief is there. I know I made it there before, and I was probably half of the competitor that I am now, and the experience that I've had. "Yeah it would have been lovely to stay on tour after those few years, but when I do get back at the end of this year, the highs and lows of life and competing that I've gone through this past year and a half, have been very character building. "Probably before in my career I was a bit lackadaisical ... but I think now, it's a bit more hard work, that discipline ... and helping a few mates out labouring, and working, I definitely don't want to be doing that. "That can be a later in life thing, I still have a lot to achieve in my career. "I'm 28. You say in sports you're getting a little older, and I joke about it, but I'm still pretty youthful. "I've got a lot of energy and I'm a pretty knockabout, happy bloke, which I think the tour is missing at the moment, so I'd love to get back there and fill that void." In 2023, Baker fell off the CT after missing the mid-season cut and then narrowly missed re-qualifying for the following year, finishing 13th in CS. He lost a heat in the last round of the CS by a matter of points. Had he won, the door opened to a top-10 spot and CT return. Last year, Baker was behind from the outset, missing the opening two rounds of CS due to a fractured foot. It was a frustrating period. When he returned, he struggled to make an impact, ultimately finishing 36th in the rankings, well outside the top-10 and zone required to earn a spot in the following year's CT. But a semi-final and third-placed finish at the season-ending CS event in Brazil was a positive note to conclude the year on. "I thought about pulling the pin," Baker admitted of last year's CS campaign. "I was really battling mentally, just with the highs and the lows of surfing, of being a professional athlete. "I had battled with falling off the [CT] the year before, and then just missing out on [re]-qualifying ... to come into last year and break my foot and have that disrupt the year, it was a struggle. "But it's how you come back from them. I got third in Brazil, that was great. I had an extra motivator. I was surfing for a family friend here at home who was battling breast cancer. That was really special. I just needed to find an extra motivator to stick at it last year." Baker, who lost his mum to breast cancer in 2016 and is regularly involved in awareness and fund-raising campaigns - often using pink surfboards - has watched from afar as fellow Novocastrian Ryan Callinan has continued on the CT over the past two years. In recent months, he has also watched Merewether clubmate Morgan Cibilic enjoy time back on the CT, the 25-year-old reaching the semi-finals at Bells Beach as a wildcard and quarter-finals on the Gold Coast as a late replacement for Callinan, who skipped the event for the birth of his first child. Adopted Novocastrian Julian Wilson, who is making a professional comeback after a few years away from surfing's top tier, also made the Gold Coast final as a wildcard. "I'm all fired up," Baker, a former Surfest winner, said. "I've seen Julian and Morgan get opportunities that I would have got last year without my injury, which is really firing me up. "I'm like, OK - I don't want to be back there part-time, I don't want a wildcard, I want to be back there full-time. I know I deserve to be there. "It's been interesting to watch those events and not be a part of it, and not be there. People are like 'Why don't you go watch it?'. But I'm like, I don't really care. I'd rather be there [competing]. "I'm just focusing on here in Newcastle and the whole year. " Callinan, who has been Newcastle's sole representative on the CT the past two years, missed last week's mid-season cut, where only the top-22 ranked surfers continue for the remainder of the CT season. After missing two of the opening seven contests, he was ranked 34th. The 33-year-old will now join Baker, Cibilic and Wilson in the CS and at the opening event in Newcastle. All four will vie for a spot in the top 10 at the end of the CS season, to earn a place in next year's CT. There is a very real chance all four could re-qualify for the CT together. It's a dream outcome which has Baker, who won Surfest's main event in 2022, excited ahead of next week's series opener. "As much as it's an individual sport, to be able to be a little four-pack that does a lot of damage here at home and finishes the year strong, would be pretty cool," Baker said. "We've had myself, Morgs and Ryan in a six-month period [on the CT], but that was after Julian went off [for a break]. "Hopefully that's the final four, the semis ... that'd be sick." When COVID stopped professional surfing, Jackson Baker worked as a courier to make ends meet. The Merewether surfer had been inching towards the Championship Tour (CT) for several years, but when events were scrapped and travel was halted, so too was Baker's competitive progression. The time spent on the road making deliveries was the reality check Baker needed to throw everything at chasing his surfing dream. In early 2021, he made his CT debut as a one-off wildcard when Newcastle hosted the pandemic-impacted season, before landing a full-time spot for 2022 via his ranking in the second-tier Challenger Series (CS). But several years on, Baker is again chasing a spot in surfing's top tier. After falling off the CT in 2023, and failing to re-qualify via the Challenger Series in both that year and 2024, Baker approaches the opening contest of this year's CS, next week's Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest, desperate to get back to where he feels he belongs. So in added motivation, the 28-year-old recently spent some time on the tools. He took a page out of the Melbourne Storm playbook, where new players at the NRL club spend a fortnight labouring full-time, around their training commitments, to get a better idea of what life is like without professional sport. "I've helped a few mates out labouring and things like that to stay busy. Surfing doesn't pay like it once was," Baker said. "So it's kind of been, not a fall from grace, but I've gone from the highs of the sport to the lows in a few years. "But I was in this position a few years ago before I made the tour. So I know that my surfing is there, I know my belief is there. I know I made it there before, and I was probably half of the competitor that I am now, and the experience that I've had. "Yeah it would have been lovely to stay on tour after those few years, but when I do get back at the end of this year, the highs and lows of life and competing that I've gone through this past year and a half, have been very character building. "Probably before in my career I was a bit lackadaisical ... but I think now, it's a bit more hard work, that discipline ... and helping a few mates out labouring, and working, I definitely don't want to be doing that. "That can be a later in life thing, I still have a lot to achieve in my career. "I'm 28. You say in sports you're getting a little older, and I joke about it, but I'm still pretty youthful. "I've got a lot of energy and I'm a pretty knockabout, happy bloke, which I think the tour is missing at the moment, so I'd love to get back there and fill that void." In 2023, Baker fell off the CT after missing the mid-season cut and then narrowly missed re-qualifying for the following year, finishing 13th in CS. He lost a heat in the last round of the CS by a matter of points. Had he won, the door opened to a top-10 spot and CT return. Last year, Baker was behind from the outset, missing the opening two rounds of CS due to a fractured foot. It was a frustrating period. When he returned, he struggled to make an impact, ultimately finishing 36th in the rankings, well outside the top-10 and zone required to earn a spot in the following year's CT. But a semi-final and third-placed finish at the season-ending CS event in Brazil was a positive note to conclude the year on. "I thought about pulling the pin," Baker admitted of last year's CS campaign. "I was really battling mentally, just with the highs and the lows of surfing, of being a professional athlete. "I had battled with falling off the [CT] the year before, and then just missing out on [re]-qualifying ... to come into last year and break my foot and have that disrupt the year, it was a struggle. "But it's how you come back from them. I got third in Brazil, that was great. I had an extra motivator. I was surfing for a family friend here at home who was battling breast cancer. That was really special. I just needed to find an extra motivator to stick at it last year." Baker, who lost his mum to breast cancer in 2016 and is regularly involved in awareness and fund-raising campaigns - often using pink surfboards - has watched from afar as fellow Novocastrian Ryan Callinan has continued on the CT over the past two years. In recent months, he has also watched Merewether clubmate Morgan Cibilic enjoy time back on the CT, the 25-year-old reaching the semi-finals at Bells Beach as a wildcard and quarter-finals on the Gold Coast as a late replacement for Callinan, who skipped the event for the birth of his first child. Adopted Novocastrian Julian Wilson, who is making a professional comeback after a few years away from surfing's top tier, also made the Gold Coast final as a wildcard. "I'm all fired up," Baker, a former Surfest winner, said. "I've seen Julian and Morgan get opportunities that I would have got last year without my injury, which is really firing me up. "I'm like, OK - I don't want to be back there part-time, I don't want a wildcard, I want to be back there full-time. I know I deserve to be there. "It's been interesting to watch those events and not be a part of it, and not be there. People are like 'Why don't you go watch it?'. But I'm like, I don't really care. I'd rather be there [competing]. "I'm just focusing on here in Newcastle and the whole year. " Callinan, who has been Newcastle's sole representative on the CT the past two years, missed last week's mid-season cut, where only the top-22 ranked surfers continue for the remainder of the CT season. After missing two of the opening seven contests, he was ranked 34th. The 33-year-old will now join Baker, Cibilic and Wilson in the CS and at the opening event in Newcastle. All four will vie for a spot in the top 10 at the end of the CS season, to earn a place in next year's CT. There is a very real chance all four could re-qualify for the CT together. It's a dream outcome which has Baker, who won Surfest's main event in 2022, excited ahead of next week's series opener. "As much as it's an individual sport, to be able to be a little four-pack that does a lot of damage here at home and finishes the year strong, would be pretty cool," Baker said. "We've had myself, Morgs and Ryan in a six-month period [on the CT], but that was after Julian went off [for a break]. "Hopefully that's the final four, the semis ... that'd be sick." When COVID stopped professional surfing, Jackson Baker worked as a courier to make ends meet. The Merewether surfer had been inching towards the Championship Tour (CT) for several years, but when events were scrapped and travel was halted, so too was Baker's competitive progression. The time spent on the road making deliveries was the reality check Baker needed to throw everything at chasing his surfing dream. In early 2021, he made his CT debut as a one-off wildcard when Newcastle hosted the pandemic-impacted season, before landing a full-time spot for 2022 via his ranking in the second-tier Challenger Series (CS). But several years on, Baker is again chasing a spot in surfing's top tier. After falling off the CT in 2023, and failing to re-qualify via the Challenger Series in both that year and 2024, Baker approaches the opening contest of this year's CS, next week's Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest, desperate to get back to where he feels he belongs. So in added motivation, the 28-year-old recently spent some time on the tools. He took a page out of the Melbourne Storm playbook, where new players at the NRL club spend a fortnight labouring full-time, around their training commitments, to get a better idea of what life is like without professional sport. "I've helped a few mates out labouring and things like that to stay busy. Surfing doesn't pay like it once was," Baker said. "So it's kind of been, not a fall from grace, but I've gone from the highs of the sport to the lows in a few years. "But I was in this position a few years ago before I made the tour. So I know that my surfing is there, I know my belief is there. I know I made it there before, and I was probably half of the competitor that I am now, and the experience that I've had. "Yeah it would have been lovely to stay on tour after those few years, but when I do get back at the end of this year, the highs and lows of life and competing that I've gone through this past year and a half, have been very character building. "Probably before in my career I was a bit lackadaisical ... but I think now, it's a bit more hard work, that discipline ... and helping a few mates out labouring, and working, I definitely don't want to be doing that. "That can be a later in life thing, I still have a lot to achieve in my career. "I'm 28. You say in sports you're getting a little older, and I joke about it, but I'm still pretty youthful. "I've got a lot of energy and I'm a pretty knockabout, happy bloke, which I think the tour is missing at the moment, so I'd love to get back there and fill that void." In 2023, Baker fell off the CT after missing the mid-season cut and then narrowly missed re-qualifying for the following year, finishing 13th in CS. He lost a heat in the last round of the CS by a matter of points. Had he won, the door opened to a top-10 spot and CT return. Last year, Baker was behind from the outset, missing the opening two rounds of CS due to a fractured foot. It was a frustrating period. When he returned, he struggled to make an impact, ultimately finishing 36th in the rankings, well outside the top-10 and zone required to earn a spot in the following year's CT. But a semi-final and third-placed finish at the season-ending CS event in Brazil was a positive note to conclude the year on. "I thought about pulling the pin," Baker admitted of last year's CS campaign. "I was really battling mentally, just with the highs and the lows of surfing, of being a professional athlete. "I had battled with falling off the [CT] the year before, and then just missing out on [re]-qualifying ... to come into last year and break my foot and have that disrupt the year, it was a struggle. "But it's how you come back from them. I got third in Brazil, that was great. I had an extra motivator. I was surfing for a family friend here at home who was battling breast cancer. That was really special. I just needed to find an extra motivator to stick at it last year." Baker, who lost his mum to breast cancer in 2016 and is regularly involved in awareness and fund-raising campaigns - often using pink surfboards - has watched from afar as fellow Novocastrian Ryan Callinan has continued on the CT over the past two years. In recent months, he has also watched Merewether clubmate Morgan Cibilic enjoy time back on the CT, the 25-year-old reaching the semi-finals at Bells Beach as a wildcard and quarter-finals on the Gold Coast as a late replacement for Callinan, who skipped the event for the birth of his first child. Adopted Novocastrian Julian Wilson, who is making a professional comeback after a few years away from surfing's top tier, also made the Gold Coast final as a wildcard. "I'm all fired up," Baker, a former Surfest winner, said. "I've seen Julian and Morgan get opportunities that I would have got last year without my injury, which is really firing me up. "I'm like, OK - I don't want to be back there part-time, I don't want a wildcard, I want to be back there full-time. I know I deserve to be there. "It's been interesting to watch those events and not be a part of it, and not be there. People are like 'Why don't you go watch it?'. But I'm like, I don't really care. I'd rather be there [competing]. "I'm just focusing on here in Newcastle and the whole year. " Callinan, who has been Newcastle's sole representative on the CT the past two years, missed last week's mid-season cut, where only the top-22 ranked surfers continue for the remainder of the CT season. After missing two of the opening seven contests, he was ranked 34th. The 33-year-old will now join Baker, Cibilic and Wilson in the CS and at the opening event in Newcastle. All four will vie for a spot in the top 10 at the end of the CS season, to earn a place in next year's CT. There is a very real chance all four could re-qualify for the CT together. It's a dream outcome which has Baker, who won Surfest's main event in 2022, excited ahead of next week's series opener. "As much as it's an individual sport, to be able to be a little four-pack that does a lot of damage here at home and finishes the year strong, would be pretty cool," Baker said. "We've had myself, Morgs and Ryan in a six-month period [on the CT], but that was after Julian went off [for a break]. "Hopefully that's the final four, the semis ... that'd be sick."
The South African
6 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
World no. 1 Jordy Smith powers to VICTORY in Australia
World no. 1 Jordy Smith showed all the class and experience of 18-years on the Championship Tour to secure his second event victory in 2025. The prize on finals day in Margaret River, Western Australia, would be immense if world no. 1 Jordy Smith could hit his marks early … Solidifying no. 1 in the world, and a brand-new GWM Tank SUV for securing the 'Aussie Treble.' First, the 37-year-old Durbanite had to dispatch Crosby Colapinto in his semi-final heat. Something he did with astute surfing in dropping swell on Australia's west coast. Rather than wait for inconsistent set waves disrupted by strong off-shore winds, world no. 1 Jordy Smith set to work on the inside. He caught multiple waves to build up a winning heat total, while his competitor sat rooted out the back, only surfing one scoring wave. Smith sets to work on a larger set wave at Margaret River, Western Australia in the final against Griffin Colapinto. Image: World Surf League Then it was onto the final with another San Clemente phenom, Griffin Colapinto. Arguably the form surfer of the competition – scoring a perfect 10 in the quarterfinals – Colapinto would be no pushover in a man-on-man heat. However, world no. 1 Jordy Smith clicked into high gear and dominated the exchanges (watch the highlights below). There is no denying that world no. 1 Jordy Smith is surfing the best he ever has in his long career. He is able to combine shrewd heat IQ with his signature power surfing that always looks controlled and elegant, no matter the conditions. Video: World Surf League on YouTube Victory for world no. 1 Jordy Smith cements his position atop the WSL Championship Tour rankings. He currently sits on 36 130 points, with the next best surfer, Brazil's Italo Ferreira, on 31 290. Rather shrewdly, Smith opted not to surf in the leader's yellow jersey today. But he almost certainly will wear it in Lower Trestles, California, next month. The rest of the 2025 WSL Championship Tour sees four stops that will suit the powerful surfing of world no. 1 Jordy Smith. The top five competitors on the ranking will battle it out in Fiji for the world title. The remaining stops are: June 9-17 – Trestles Pro (USA) June 21-29 – Vivo Rio Pro (Brazil) July 11-20 – J-Bay Open (SA) August 7-16 – Tahiti Pro (Tahiti) August 27-September 4 – WSL Finals Fiji (Fiji) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Hawaiian goes back to back at Margaret River Pro
With Margaret River Pro record-holder Carissa Moore in her corner, Gabriela Bryan has followed in the footsteps of her fellow Hawaiian by winning successive titles in the west. Five-time world champion Moore won three times at Margaret River, including going back to back in 2013-2014 before adding a third in 2023 before her retirement. Bryan became the second woman to achieve two consecutive titles in the Championship Tour era, claiming her first last year and then defending in style with a commanding win in the final over Caitlin Simmers on Tuesday. The victory kept the yellow rankings leader jersey out of the hands of the Californian teenager. However it wasn't enough to stop Australian Isabella Nichols taking out the Aussie Treble - awarded to the best surfer over the three-stop Australian swing, including Bells and Burleigh Heads. Bryan revealed before the final that Moore, who became a mother earlier this year, had texted her almost daily with words of encouragement and advice. They resonated with the 23-year-old who blasted into the final with her power surfing earning a massive score of 9.50, which was her best since making her CT debut in 2019. Simmers also opened with a strong 7.17 but Bryan was able to top that, giving her a winning total of 17.33 to 12.84. It's Bryan's second title of the year after also winning in El Salvador. "I'm honestly speechless, I don't know what to think," said a beaming Bryan. "That 9.50 - I turned around and that thing came right at me so I stuck that in. "I've just been surfing how I want to surf and I just can't believe it." Earlier Bryan eliminated local hope Bronte Macaulay in the semi-finals, with the veteran coming out of retirement to take a wildcard for the event. With Margaret River Pro record-holder Carissa Moore in her corner, Gabriela Bryan has followed in the footsteps of her fellow Hawaiian by winning successive titles in the west. Five-time world champion Moore won three times at Margaret River, including going back to back in 2013-2014 before adding a third in 2023 before her retirement. Bryan became the second woman to achieve two consecutive titles in the Championship Tour era, claiming her first last year and then defending in style with a commanding win in the final over Caitlin Simmers on Tuesday. The victory kept the yellow rankings leader jersey out of the hands of the Californian teenager. However it wasn't enough to stop Australian Isabella Nichols taking out the Aussie Treble - awarded to the best surfer over the three-stop Australian swing, including Bells and Burleigh Heads. Bryan revealed before the final that Moore, who became a mother earlier this year, had texted her almost daily with words of encouragement and advice. They resonated with the 23-year-old who blasted into the final with her power surfing earning a massive score of 9.50, which was her best since making her CT debut in 2019. Simmers also opened with a strong 7.17 but Bryan was able to top that, giving her a winning total of 17.33 to 12.84. It's Bryan's second title of the year after also winning in El Salvador. "I'm honestly speechless, I don't know what to think," said a beaming Bryan. "That 9.50 - I turned around and that thing came right at me so I stuck that in. "I've just been surfing how I want to surf and I just can't believe it." Earlier Bryan eliminated local hope Bronte Macaulay in the semi-finals, with the veteran coming out of retirement to take a wildcard for the event. With Margaret River Pro record-holder Carissa Moore in her corner, Gabriela Bryan has followed in the footsteps of her fellow Hawaiian by winning successive titles in the west. Five-time world champion Moore won three times at Margaret River, including going back to back in 2013-2014 before adding a third in 2023 before her retirement. Bryan became the second woman to achieve two consecutive titles in the Championship Tour era, claiming her first last year and then defending in style with a commanding win in the final over Caitlin Simmers on Tuesday. The victory kept the yellow rankings leader jersey out of the hands of the Californian teenager. However it wasn't enough to stop Australian Isabella Nichols taking out the Aussie Treble - awarded to the best surfer over the three-stop Australian swing, including Bells and Burleigh Heads. Bryan revealed before the final that Moore, who became a mother earlier this year, had texted her almost daily with words of encouragement and advice. They resonated with the 23-year-old who blasted into the final with her power surfing earning a massive score of 9.50, which was her best since making her CT debut in 2019. Simmers also opened with a strong 7.17 but Bryan was able to top that, giving her a winning total of 17.33 to 12.84. It's Bryan's second title of the year after also winning in El Salvador. "I'm honestly speechless, I don't know what to think," said a beaming Bryan. "That 9.50 - I turned around and that thing came right at me so I stuck that in. "I've just been surfing how I want to surf and I just can't believe it." Earlier Bryan eliminated local hope Bronte Macaulay in the semi-finals, with the veteran coming out of retirement to take a wildcard for the event.
West Australian
6 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Hawaiian goes back to back at Margaret River Pro
With Margaret River Pro record-holder Carissa Moore in her corner, Gabriela Bryan has followed in the footsteps of her fellow Hawaiian by winning successive titles in the west. Five-time world champion Moore won three times at Margaret River, including going back to back in 2013-2014 before adding a third in 2023 before her retirement. Bryan became the second woman to achieve two consecutive titles in the Championship Tour era, claiming her first last year and then defending in style with a commanding win in the final over Caitlin Simmers on Tuesday. The victory kept the yellow rankings leader jersey out of the hands of the Californian teenager. However it wasn't enough to stop Australian Isabella Nichols taking out the Aussie Treble - awarded to the best surfer over the three-stop Australian swing, including Bells and Burleigh Heads. Bryan revealed before the final that Moore, who became a mother earlier this year, had texted her almost daily with words of encouragement and advice. They resonated with the 23-year-old who blasted into the final with her power surfing earning a massive score of 9.50, which was her best since making her CT debut in 2019. Simmers also opened with a strong 7.17 but Bryan was able to top that, giving her a winning total of 17.33 to 12.84. It's Bryan's second title of the year after also winning in El Salvador. "I'm honestly speechless, I don't know what to think," said a beaming Bryan. "That 9.50 - I turned around and that thing came right at me so I stuck that in. "I've just been surfing how I want to surf and I just can't believe it." Earlier Bryan eliminated local hope Bronte Macaulay in the semi-finals, with the veteran coming out of retirement to take a wildcard for the event.
