URBIZTONDO BEACH, San Juan, La Union, Philippines (Friday, January 23, 2026) – Today, Cash Hoover (USA) and Ben Skinner (GBR) won the World Surf League (WSL) La Union International Pro World Longboard Tour qualifier, rising to the top of a field that included 120 of the world’s best longboarders. The first-of-its-kind event granted 2026 Longboard Tour (LT) Wildcards to the winners and runners-up, seeing Hoover and Skinner both secure their places on this season’s LT with their wins. Also earning LT qualification were women’s runner-up Natsumi Taoka (JPN) and men’s third-place finisher Jomarie Ebueza (PHL), after Rogelio Jr Esquievel (PHL), the current World No. 8, finished runner-up in the men’s Final.
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La Union’s famed Monaliza Point provided the long rights it is known for, with three-to-four-foot of swell setting the scene for the men’s Quarterfinals to start the day, before moving through women’s and men’s Semifinals and the two Finals.
Hoover Earns Longboard Tour Qualification With Career-Defining Victory
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One of the pre-eminent up-and-coming names in longboarding, Cash Hoover (USA), solidified her status on the international stage with today’s victory. Though Hoover has experienced success in many different events around the world, including her first LQS win at the Coastal Edge Steel Pier Classic in 2025, none carry as much significance as the one that saw her chaired up the beach at Monaliza Point. The 16-year-old was a standout throughout the event, posting the equal highest total of the women’s division in her very first heat as she delivered smooth style with her solid nose-riding and classic carves. The first surfer to claim a wildcard onto the 2026 Longboard Tour out of the new format, Hoover could not have been more excited.
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“I’m so incredibly happy, I don’t think I’ve been this happy in so long,” Hoover said. “I cried tears of joy coming out of the water. I’ve worked so hard for this, and this event has been so stressful, and to be able to just feel that I’ve officially made my spot on tour for this year is the best feeling in the world. I don’t have to go to any more QS’s and grind it out. I’m just so thankful for all my sponsors and for all my friends like Shae [Bradley] and Alana [Johnson] and Malia [Ilagan] for chairing me up the beach and especially for my parents for bringing me all the way here.”
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Hoover controlled the Final from the start, earning a 6.33 in an opening exchange that saw her fellow competitors earn lesser scores. Adding a 6.50 at the half-way mark, Hoover improved her lead over Longboard Tour veterans Natsumi Taoka (JPN) and Ophelie Ah-Kouen (FRA), and local 14-year-old Mara Lopez (PHL). Ah-Kouen was soon able to add a 5.23 to a 4.87 and move into second place ahead of Taoka, who had been holding the second place position with a pair of 5’s. With seven minutes remaining however, Taoka linked a long wave with critical nose-rides and carving turns to post a 7.17, the highest number of the heat, but it was not enough to puncture Hoover’s early lead.
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“I’m so incredibly grateful for everyone in the community for welcoming us and I’m just so thankful for my parents and I’m so excited to qualify for tour,” Hoover continued. “This was a really big goal of mine for the year. I didn’t even know it’s possible to cry for tears of joy but I’m just so happy and I’m so grateful to get the opportunity to do this and compete against all the wonderful girls. I’m just so thankful.”
The Asia regional champion for years running, Taoka reclaimed her place on the tour that she has been a mainstay on for over a decade. Her runner-up finish matches her 2025 result, having also won the event in its first iteration in 2023. After experiencing one of her best seasons on the LT in 2024, Taoka narrowly missed requalification in 2025, but has now guaranteed her place for 2026.
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“I’m so happy to be back on tour,” Taoka said. “I always enjoy competing here at La Union, the locals are so nice. Everyone gives me nice energy, good vibes all the time. I’m so happy to be back here and get the work done.”
Skinner Ends Long Drought With Dramatic and Emotional Win
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A member of the Longboard Tour for over two decades, Ben Skinner (GBR) has adapted and thrived as the landscape around him has shifted, proving himself a threat in the water no matter who he comes up against. Despite all of his history and success, including placing runner-up in at least eight events in-between, Skinner hadn’t tasted a major WSL victory in nearly 15 years. Today, the 41-year-old father of four returned to the top of the podium with an emotional win that secured his place on the LT for another year. This week also marked a personal milestone, as Skinner competed alongside his son, Lukas Skinner (GBR), for the first time at a WSL Longboard event. Not just a surfer, Skinner has also thrived as a shaper, providing boards for many of the world’s best, and claimed the victory on one of his own designs. The only competitor in the men’s field to consistently match the performances of the local Filipino contingent throughout the event, Skinner sealed the win in dramatic fashion, delivering a buzzer-beater that stood as the highest score of the day.
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“I don’t know what to say, I just can’t,” Skinner said. “I just want to thank you all for this event, La Union, you’ve been so special to us. The local community, the waves, the weather. Honestly, we cannot thank you enough from the bottom of our hearts.”
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Though Skinner led for much of the Final, late exchanges saw constant shifts. When the final hooter sounded, Jomarie Ebueza (PHL) and Rogelio Jr Esquievel (PHL) had equal heat totals, with the nod going to Ebueza who held the higher single score. At that point, however, all four surfers had just ridden waves and were waiting on scores, including Tony Silvagni (USA) in fourth place. A near-total flip in rankings came after Esquievel matched Ebueza’s high point of a 7.10 to take the lead, before Skinner’s number came in at an 8.17 — the only excellent score of the day — leapfrogging him to first, ahead of Esquievel in second, and Ebueza third. With all four on the beach unsure of the outcome, Silvagni’s final number came up short, leaving Skinner as victor, and an elated Ebueza claiming the remaining 2026 LT Wildcard.
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“These guys and girls from the Philippines are raising the level of longboarding globally, not just here in the Philippines,” Skinner continued. “Honestly, these guys are some of my favorite surfers in the world right now, so to beat them was epic. I’m back, baby!”
The La Union locals, Esquievel and Ebueza, once again rose to the top of a field filled with their closest friends that also included their younger brothers, June Esquivel (PHL) and Justin Ebueza (PHL), who both bowed out in the Quarterfinals after strong showings. Eqsuievel narrowly survived an all-Filipino Semifinal, eliminating last year’s runner-up Perry Ventura (PHL) with a buzzer-beater. The three-time, undefeated La Union International Pro winner, Esquievel placed runner-up in an LQS for the first time, having won every other event he has entered at that level. The final result was a major relief for Ebueza, who now returns to the LT for a second season after his rookie experience in 2025.
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“I’m super happy and I’m super stoked,” Ebueza said. “Thank you so much to all the supporters and to my family. Let’s go. Let’s go back to work too. Let’s do it again.”
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The La Union International Pro was held at Monaliza Point at Urbiztondo Beach, San Juan, La Union, Philippines, from January 20-24, 2026.
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The La Union International Pro is presented by The Philippines Sports Commission is proudly supported by PAGCOR, Alima, LUSC, Kudosurf, The Province of La Union, DOT Region 1, the Municipality of San Juan, and San Miguel Corporation.