Joe Surf: Igarashi to represent Surf City on World Championship Tour

It’s official.

The World Surfing League announced its lineup for the 2016 World Championship Tour, and Huntington Beach lost a spot on the list but gained another.

Brett Simpson, H.B.’s only representative on the WCT since first qualifying in 2010, failed to retain his status by finishing 29th in the world after the 11-contest season this year.

To make the tour, surfers needed to finish in the top 22 of the WCT or in the top 10 of the Qualifying Series. Two wild cards also are selected, but the league chose South Africa’s Jordy Smith and Australia’s Matt Banting, both of whom missed most of the season because of injuries.

“I applied for the injury wild card and it didn’t go my way,” Simpson said. “I felt like I had a decent chance, but they (Smith and Banting) obviously missed more events. But I feel severity of injury, mine (a back injury) was as bad if not worse. In a way, I feel like they kind of milked their injuries to get the wild card, and I wanted to be there at all costs and I paid the price.

“Overall, though, I’m pretty relieved and at peace now with the way things ended to the season and the way I trucked along. It was a nice six long years, and I’m not finished with trying to get back on there yet. I’m going to have a good dig in the QS next year and see what I can muster up. Having a great relationship with Hurley and their support makes it possible, and I still feel like I got more in the tank.”

Surf City, though, will be represented on the tour by 18-year-old Kanoa Igarashi, who had a breakout season and finished No. 6 in the Qualifying Series. He won two QS contests — the Vans Pro in Virginia Beach and the Mahalo Surf Eco Festival in Brazil — surfing consistently well throughout the season in varying conditions all over the world.

Igarashi will be one of five rookies on the tour next year, joining Santa Barbara’s Conner Coffin and Australia’s Jack Freestone, Davey Cathels and Ryan Callinan.

“I’m very happy for Kanoa,” Simpson said. “The kid is obviously dedicated to working hard. I’m pretty sure this opportunity has happened quicker than he’s expected, but he’s matured a ton and will have to do so more on the big show. He puts good people in his corner, and that’s a big part of succeeding at the world tour level. I’m excited to watch and cheer him along his new journey, and hopefully I will be back there in 2017.”

Igarashi will be the youngest surfer on the WCT, contrasting with Kelly Slater, who finished the season No. 9 in the world and will be 44 years old when the season kicks off in March.

Igarashi also will be one of three Californians on the tour, joining San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino and Santa Cruz’s Nat Young.

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Women’s world tour

The WSL women’s World Championship Tour for 2016 also was announced, and three Californians qualified.

Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue, who finished second in the world this season after a tight battle with Hawaii’s Carissa Moore, will be joined by Santa Barbara’s Lakey Peterson and Ojai’s Sage Erickson.

Only 17 surfers qualify for the women’s tour, compared with 34 for the men.

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And the winner is …

After a wild and exciting WCT finale at the Pipeline Masters on the North Shore of Oahu, the WSL crowned Brazil’s Adriano de Souza as the 2015 world champion.

De Souza began the contest ranked No. 2 behind Australia’s Mick Fanning and was one of six surfers who had a mathematical chance to win the world title as the contest began.

By the semifinals, only de Souza and Fanning had a chance to win the crown. But when Brazil’s Gabriel Medina outscored Fanning in one semifinal and de Souza beat Hawaii’s Mason Ho in the other, de Souza clinched the championship.

De Souza beat Medina in the final heat for good measure, becoming the first Brazilian to win the Pipeline Masters and the second to win a world title, joining Medina, who won it last year.

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Fanning’s plight

Fanning had an emotional season before finishing No. 2 in the world.

In July, Fanning was in the final heat of the J-Bay Open in South Africa when he was attacked by a shark. He escaped uninjured and the final heat was called off, with Fanning and fellow Aussie Julian Wilson declared co-winners of the contest and splitting the prize money.

Then, a week ago during the contest at Pipeline, Fanning learned that his older brother Peter had passed away in his sleep.

Fanning released the following statement on Instagram:

“I am so grateful for the incredible love and well wishes that have come my way since learning of my eldest brother’s passing this morning. Like all my big brothers, Peter will always be a hero to me. I have so many great memories of the good times we have all spent together, and they will be with me forever. We recently caught up and he told me how proud he was of me and how much he loves watching me compete.”

JOE HAAKENSON is a Huntington Beach-based sports writer and editor. He may be reached at joe@juvecreative.com.