
The World Surf League (WSL) is an organization that governs and manages the professional surfing circuit. Each year, the top surfers (34 men, 17 women) on the planet compete in surfing competitions around the globe to decide which surfer will be crowned champion. The 2016 WSL Champion is a local surfer, born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu, John Florence. Locally known as "John John", Florence fulfilled his destiny into surfing history with a World Title.
Each surfing event on the WSL tour is scored by a panel of judges. The surfer who gets through the most heats, earns the most points and thus has a chance to win that particular event. The World Title is awarded to the surfer who earns the most points at each of the ten (sometimes eleven) surfing events held all over the world. John John Florence did so well in the first ten events of the 2016 surf season, that he was able to clinch the World Title on October 25, 2016 (most world champs require all the year's surfing events to earn enough points to win the title). This is an amazing accomplishment in the Surfing World!
Growing up on the North Shore of Oahu and having access to some of the best, world-class waves on earth was a huge advantage for Florence. However, John John possesses a gift that few surfers in the world have......he has raw, god-given talent and a connection with the ocean that few have seen. Often referred to as "The Prodigy" or "One of the most dominant Pipe surfers of his era.", this year's World Title was a culmination of a lifetime of dedication to his craft.
2016 was John John's year in the Surf Industry. Not only did he win the WSL World Championship, Florence also competed and won two other major surfing competitions.
Florence was the first local surfer from Hawaii to claim the WSL World Title since 2004. So in 2016, John John has proven to the best in and out of the water. Surfers today, are some of the most elite athletes on the planet. Nevertheless, John's constant humility and respect (despite his new levels of celebrity) are attributes that every athlete/role model should strive for. This is truly Hawaiian.