The Pipe Challenger Just Got a CT Takeover—But Is It Fair?
elsewhere // Feb 7, 2026
By Holden Trnka
Reading Time: 3 minutes
If you thought yesterday’s Pipe was a spectacle with its endless 9-point rides (check it out here: https://stabmag.com/news/pipe-was-really-really-good-today/), today’s conditions were a stark contrast—a meteorological letdown, to say the least. Just four exceptional waves were ridden all day, leaving competitors and spectators alike in a sea of waiting. Most heats barely scraped together a 10-point total, and with 75% of the Challenger Series surfers already packing their bags yesterday, the beach felt eerily quiet. But here’s where it gets controversial: Was this a missed opportunity for non-CT surfers to shine, or just another day of the CT elite dominating the lineup?
Early standouts included familiar names like Bettylou Sakura Johnson, Isabella Nichols, Gabriela Bryan, Molly Picklum, Erin Brooks, and Caity Simmers—all CT surfers. And this is the part most people miss: The only non-CT surfer to score an 8-point wave was Tya Zebrowski, who’s already locked in for next year’s CT. Israeli surfer Anat Lelior was the lone non-CT competitor in the final, held in what can only be described as windblown chaos. Gabriela Bryan’s precision and power secured her the trophy, but the bigger story? The CT surfers walked away with the lion’s share of Challenger points.
Instead of dissecting the less-than-stellar conditions, let’s dive into the rankings—because that’s where the real drama lies. On the women’s side, there was minimal movement above the qualification cutline. The top five remained unchanged, but Alyssa Spencer’s leap from 11th to 6th is a game-changer for her CT comeback. Here’s a bold question: With three of the top seven women (Nadia, Sally, and Alyssa) having CT experience, and five of them hailing from Europe—a region with zero current CT representation—is this the year Europe finally breaks through?
Anette Gonzalez Extabarri might be the least familiar name in the mix, but don’t sleep on her. Alyssa, Francisca Veselko, and Tya Zebrowski all made semifinals, proving they’re forces to be reckoned with. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Brazilian Laura Raupp sits just 600 points below the cutline, with Anat Lelior trailing closely behind. But here’s the kicker: Last year’s seventh-place finisher on the CS averaged 3,435 points per event, which translates to around 24,045 points this year. That means anyone below Francisca Veselko should be sweating bullets heading into Newcastle.
Realistically, even someone like Ewe Wong, who jumped from 19th to 15th today, could still clinch a tour spot with an event win. So, here’s the question for you: Is the CT’s dominance in the Challenger Series a testament to their skill, or does it highlight a deeper imbalance in the system? Let us know in the comments—we’re all ears.
