RIP CURL is stoked Bells Beach will resume hosting the Rip Curl Pro, and chief brand and marketing officer Neil Ridgway says \u201cringing the bell\u201d is as important to surfers now as it has ever been.<\/p>\n
In its 59th year of competition in 2022, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach – to run from April 10-20 – will open the Australian leg of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) for the first time in more than two decades.<\/p>\n
The WSL cancelled the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but WSL, Rip Curl and the Victorian Government signed an agreement earlier in 2021 to lock in the event at Bells Beach for at least the next three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great thing for the town,\u201d Mr Ridgway said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019ll be a real injection of fun and life back into the place, to having something we can all enjoy, to have the world\u2019s best come again, get out there to the bowl, hopefully have a really good swell and everybody cheering – it\u2019ll be a real panacea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Ridgway said Rip Curl did not want the event moved away from Bells Beach in 2021, but the resulting \u201cAussie quaddie\u201d of a four-stop CT leg was a good outcome for the sport and for Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat they did in terms of world sport, to run four events without any COVID impact, was amazing, but it doesn\u2019t compare to Bells for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the Rip Curl Pro\u2019s running here, it\u2019s really what we love, it\u2019s one of the things we love the most, it\u2019s about the only sacred cow we\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else can change, but we\u2019re not walking away from Bells and we\u2019re really happy it\u2019s going to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s CT season will also feature a mid-year cut for the first time.<\/p>\n
Starting with 36 men and 18 women, the field will be reduced to reduced to 22 men and 10 women after the Margaret River event on April 24-May 4 (which is the next stop after the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach).<\/p>\n
The top-ranked surfers will continue to the second half of the tour (plus two men\u2019s and two women\u2019s wildcards) and automatically requalify for the 2023 CT.<\/p>\n
Mr Ridgway said the events before the mid-season cut should not be regarded as qualifiers for the \u201cmain game” as smart surfers would be trying their hardest to win at Bells Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you win the Rip Curl Pro, in a form guide sense, it\u2019s \u2018Oh, this guy or girl, they\u2019re on their way\u2019. It\u2019s a really clear marker.<\/p>\n
\u201cNotwithstanding the trophy itself; surfers love the bell. If you get a bell, it\u2019s a pretty special thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Surf Coast Shire mayor Libby Stapleton said Bells Beach at Easter was like the AFL Grand Final in September or Test cricket on Boxing Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more than just a sporting event, it\u2019s part of our identity, and while the cancellation was understandable and necessary, we are very glad to welcome the Rip Curl Pro back home for 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RIP CURL is stoked Bells Beach will resume hosting the Rip Curl Pro, and chief brand and marketing officer Neil Ridgway says \u201cringing the bell\u201d is as important to surfers now as it has ever been. In its 59th year of competition in 2022, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach – to run from April […]<\/p>\n