The surfer that does the best in the final three events of the WSL season in Hawaii — Haleiwa, Sunset and Pipeline — wins the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. In 2017, that surfer was 19-year-old Monster team rider Griffin Colapinto.
What's most impressive about Griffin's feat isn't his age (although he's certainly among its youngest champions), nor his birthplace (he's the first Californian to win the title), but the fact that he won the prestigious series by polishing only two of the three jewels in the Crown — Haleiwa and Sunset, where he finished second and fourth, respectively. You see, the system is flawed in that only CT surfers have a fair shake at the Triple Crown, since they can also compete in Pipeline, which is at the CT level.
And while Griffin qualified for the CT for 2018, he couldn't compete at Pipeline this year. Still, his stellar performances at Haleiwa and Sunset were enough to earn him the title and put him in the company of surfers like Kelly Slater, Sunny Garcia and Andy Irons. What a year it's been for the young Californian, and we have to believe it is only the beginning.
Congrats on an incredible run, Griff!
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