Carissa Moore's champion run gets all surfers to embrace in harmony!
Yesterday right around noon Derek Rielly and I stumbled into the Lost surfboard factory just in time to see Coco Ho take down Courtney Conlogue and hand the world title to a very excited Carissa Moore. Matt Biolos, the world’s best surfboard shaper/Republican presidential candidate was as proud as a parent and the rest of the factory too. Mike Reola was smiling.
And why not? Her surfing is so spectacular, so fully formed that it would be a gift to watch her compete, regularly, against the men. She is smooth, powerful, imaginative and graceful. I have never heard one bad thing, in fact, about her abilities. Surfing magazine’s famed Jimmy “Jimmicane” Wilson wrote, later in the day, “Carissa Moore is my favorite surfer.”
Which got me to thinking. Over on the men’s side it is a minefield of potential frustrations for the fan. I’ve heard grumbles that if Adriano de Souza wins then professional competitive surfing, as we know it, will be forced to destroy itself. Bull roar, I say. I love the little man and his tireless work ethic and his blue collar approach but many many don’t. If Mick wins, some say, it will only be proof of the World Surf League’s ridiculously conservative approach to judging. If Filipe wins without getting very barreled in very big Pipe then many will put an asterisk behind his name reading *is afraid of big waves.
Etc. The only non-polarizing champs could be, maybe, late runs by Julian Wilson or Owen Wright but even then Brazil would, probably, be rightly angered. Such a mess!
But Carissa, oh Carissa. She is a champ, a pure champ, embraced by all. Hawaii, the United States, Australia and Brazil can each appreciate her mastery. So can Lost co-founder Mike Reola who was in the surfboard factory too. He has a beatific smile and it shown when Ms. Moore ran down Honolua’s path to hug her parents.
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Boooorrrrrrriiinnnnnngggggggggg
There is an element of class the women’s tour has, gone missing on the men’s side. All the claiming (and the tactical petulance of our current champion) is petty and hard to watch.
There’s a lot to like about the women’s tour; it’s a shame they don’t get to surf quality waves more than one or two contests a year. Carissa was on fire, but Courtney looked as comfortable pulling in as I’ve ever seen on the women’s side. Sally was underscored in that final as well, but it didn’t really matter since the day belonged to Ms. Moore.
Carrissa famously donated her first ever WSL winners cheque to the tune of $15,000 to the Waitara Bar Boardriders after a win here in NZ.
Dead set legend…
i hope mr negatron backed that generosity up with his own winner’s cheque of $1.92 from his jelly wrestling world title defense.
I am pretty sure that whatever you two thought you saw, Reola wasn’t smiling.
Carissa is fantastic.
Honolua was amazing yesterday, and Carissa was ripping. Better than most contests I watched this year.
“I love the little man and his tireless work ethic and his blue collar approach but many many don’t.” I think it’s ADS’s poostance that people don’t like!
His back is bent from toiling under the hot sun!
it’s ADS nationality that people don’t like.
Well speaking for myself it’s his “style” that I don’t like, it isn’t exactly easy on the eye!
I like Mineirinho’s moxy, but it’s the way the abbreviation of his name makes me think “AIDS” that gets me every time.