Imagine if the tour ratings reflected average heat totals not heat wins…
Have you ever wondered what the tour ratings would look like if it was adjusted for a surfer’s average heat total? After all, isn’t that the ultimate measure of a surfer’s entertainment value, his ability to dazzle with consistent high scores, as opposed to his ability to wring heat wins with low totals?
Of course, for all that, you would presume that a surfer’s average heat total would roughly equate to his standing on the ratings. That Matt Wilkinson would be top three-ish, that John John Florence would be well out of the top ten.
A little pen on paper, a few clicks hither and yon, and we discover the wildly divergent nature of average heat totals versus actual heat wins. Mick Fanning rockets from seventeenth to first, Filipe from eighteenth to second.
Sure, there’s the complexity of Filipe having only surfed one contest and Mick only two, but ignore that for a moment and note that John John Florence (third) is almost a full point ahead of current yellow jersey owner Matt Wilkinson (equal thirteenth with Julian Wilson), Gabriel leaves his eighteenth place ghetto for the more salubrious seventh position and Jeremy Flores shoots up 13 places, 23rd to tenth.
Meaningless? A little rainy day mathematic fun? Maybe.
But look at the HTA Top 10 and tell me that ain’t a measure of whose heats you want to watch…
WSL Ratings, adjusted for heat score totals
1. Mick Fanning 15.50
2. Filipe Toledo 15.15
3. John John Florence 14.90
4. Joel Parkinson 14.76
5. Jordy Smith 14.69
6. Sebastian Zietz 14.59
7. Gabriel Medina 14.39
Equal eighth: Kolohe Andino and Nat Young 14.19
10. Jeremy Flores 14.18
Equal eleventh. Wiggoly Dantas and Italo Ferriera 14.16
Equal thirteenth: Matt Wilkinson and Julian Wilson 13.96
14: Adriano De Souza: 13.76
15. Taj Burrow 13.73
16. Conner Coffin 13.58
Equal seventeenth: Ace Buchan and Michel Bourez 13.37
19. Stu Kennedy 13.04
20. Dusty Payne 12.72
21. Caio Ibelli 12.69
22. Adam Melling 12.67
23. Kai Otton 12.36
24. Jadson Andre 12.34
25. Kelly Slater 12.25
26. Matt Banting 12.04
27. Josh Kerr 11.86
28. Davey Cathels 11.81
29. Keanu Asing 11.78
30. Ryan Callinan 11.70
31. Kanoa Igarashi 11.69
32. Miguel Pupo 10.99
Actual WSL ratings
1. Matt Wilkinson
2. Sebastian Zietz
3. Italo Ferreira
4. Kolohe Andino
5. Joel Parkinson
6. Caio Ibelli
Equal seventh: Julian Wilson and Jordy Smith
9. Nat Young
10. Ace Buchan
11. Conner Coffin
12. Stuart Kennedy
Equal thirteenth: Adriano De Souza, Michel Bourez and John John Florence
17. Mick Fanning
Equal eighteenth: Gabriel Medina, Filipe Toledo and Kanoa Igarashi
21. Leonardo Fioravanti
22. Davey Cathels
Equal twenty-third: Jeremy Flores, Davey Cathels, Taj Burrow, Miguel Pupo and Josh Kerr
Equal twenty-eighth: Kelly Slater, Kai Otton, Matt Banting, Jadson Andre, Alejo Muniz, Ryan Callinan, Adam Melling.
35. Dusty Payne
37. Keanu Asing
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Seems like this system has the bottom 5 or 6 guys pretty much spot on..
To answer the question – no.
I haven’t done the maths but I bet Ricardo Christie would’ve been sold on this ranking system come re-qualification last year.
i typically only go back watch highest scoring waves any way with the heats on demand.
Honest I really liked watching Wilko at JBay last year and Im not trying to belittle his technique. His style is no better than De Souza’s so maybe judging criteria has shifted? Wilk’O! Go do what Taj could not..
Godamnit wiggoly one more three pump cut back and you would have cracked the top ten!
You have definitely touched on a valid point, albeit with a few holes. The bullshit “scaling” that goes on heat to heat probably invalidates the whole thing.
The scoring this year has been totally fucked. Italo has been screwed twice now in semi finals because of Wilko and Seabass being bizarrely overscored. Julian Wilson should retire by taking footage of his 8.67 from the Margs final, alongside the 9.10 they gave Seabass and ramming it down Richie Porta’s fucking throat.
It’s amazing how much you can care about the scoring when you’re losing money.
Loooooovely
Very interesting but still doesn’t take into account all those massive overscores and lully heats (I remember a couple of guys who had 1 excellent high score and ended up losing heats…)
With that system freaking Fioravanti would also be up there with his flat mid-wave half turns!
…nearly threw Leo into the mix (13.91, 14th) but figured, if he ain’t doin’ the year, the point is probably moot…