Carlsbad’s Alyssa Spencer and Jake Marshall of Encinitas qualified for the 2024 World Surf League Championship Tour, one of the biggest surfing competitions in the world, earlier this week at the Corona Saquarema Pro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Spencer came into the competition on a hot streak after taking home two trophies in the last month — the Nissan Super Girl Pro in Oceanside and the EDP Vissla Ericeira Pro in Ericeira, Portugal.
“It’s just taken so much hard work to get here,” Spencer said after defeating Australian Isabela Nichols to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour. “Lots of amazing moments, too, but lots of heartbreak. It’s been really hard the last three years to be so close and not make it, so to finally be here feels amazing.”
Spencer was ranked 20th in 2021 and 2022, just a few spots away from making the cut. She finished the Round of 16 heat with a score of 15.33, beating Nichols by 6.83 points.
Spencer said she had no idea her qualification would come down to the heat against Nichols, but when she saw her crew cheering on the beach after her win, she started to get hopeful.
“I think it was maybe a good thing that I didn’t know that before going out,” Spencer said.
Marshall finished second to stand on the podium with Spencer at the EDP Vissla Ericeira Pro, watching her qualify at the Corona Saquarema Pro.
“It was one of the coolest moments just to see her,” Marshall said. “She’s worked so hard to get here, and that was super fun.”
Marshall was eliminated in the Round of 32 in Rio, but his performance was enough to secure him a spot in the lineup for the WSL Championship Tour. In 2022, Marshall ranked 18th worldwide and made the tour roster after a long journey, but did not qualify for last year’s tour.
“It’s been a pretty up-and-down journey for me, so to make it back feels amazing,” Marshall said.
Spencer and Marshall join the company of legendary Encinitas surfer Rob Machado, who spent nine years on the WSL Championship Tour, formerly known as the ASP World Tour.
Coveted spots on the WSL Championship Tour are given out based on rankings. Surfers earn points throughout the year from their performances in qualifying events.
The top 10 women in the rankings automatically qualify for the following year’s tour. Five surfers qualify through the Challenger Series, and two qualify through WSL wildcards. The Corona Saquarema Pro is part of the Challenger Series.
For men, the top 22 surfers automatically qualify, 10 surfers qualify through the Challenger Series, and two spots go to wildcards.
The WSL Championship Tour starts in January and continues through September, finishing with the finals at Lower Trestles in San Clemente. If the local surfers make it to that stage, they could compete within 30 miles of the waves they grew up surfing.
