The numbers are in! According to FCS' own logic, Futures is the superior fin system!
John John takes the championship early. Makes Pipe a bit of an anti-climax. Always great when the title comes down to the last few heats of the year. So exciting!
But the blonde kid won it, fair and square. Certain South Americans are losing their shit about it online, but we can all agree they’re crazy. Not their fault, Brazilian Portuguese doesn’t have a word for “good sportsmanship.” (I may have made that joke earlier this year. If so, I apologize for recycling my garbage.)
It all brings to mind a bit of advertorial that ran on another outlet last year. Something about how all the events of 2015 were won on FCS2.
I don’t buy the line that your fin box really affects your surfing. Maybe it does when you’re good enough to earn a living riding waves. But for us normal humans, from the dudes stink-bug-stance trimming out on the shoulder to the hard off-the-bottom-blast-the-lip types, it really comes down to personal preference.
Some of us like solid fin boxes that almost never break and use a single screw to hold in each fin. Others dig using a hammer for removal and enjoy spending a ton of money when the newest version isn’t backwards compatible with all the sets they already own. Bonus points, I guess, if the boxes are prone to breakage and contain a hunk of titanium that makes replacement a nightmare.
Based on FCStitch logic, let’s look at this year’s numbers.
Futures work so good they helped John John Florence sew up the title after only ten events.
Despite the fact that Futures team riders only make up 22% of the top 32:
40% of the contests in 2016 were won by guys on Futures.
45% percent of surfers in WCT finals in 2016 were riding Futures.
Futures team riders account for two of the top three surfers in the world right now.
How is this instance of fawning over a fin system brand better than what StabStitch did last year?
Well, we don’t own Futures. They don’t even pay us. But they should. Or at least send me some t-shirts. Don’t need any fins, already own more sets than I can possibly use.
Never actually seen a broken Futures fin so I don’t anticipate needing a new set anytime in the near or distant future.
John John Florence Signature Techflex from Futures Fins on Vimeo.