Two whole events to maybe hit floor along with some surfers!
Nick Carroll is a great pleasure to read. Oh of course his comments here sparkle but I forgot what the man can do longer form. His connected insider knowledge mingling with a wry “but-none-of-this-really-matters…” wink is exactly right. I daresay it is the near perfect for surf journalism.
Speaking of surf journalists who is your favorite? Who writes the best straight reportage in the space?
I used to think that anyone could do it and do it well, if this emptiness is really what they wanted for their lives, but have been around long enough to see embarrassing failures. Men who so obviously wanted to be loved, respected and included in the club but failed to garner even a passing glance much less an invitation. Like… the ex-ASL editor Wayne Garvey or… that one guy who wrote for Water.
But back to Nick. My goodness gracious. He has quite basically crafted the game in his image and today’s piece in CoastalWatch is brimming with information but the bit that thrilled me most was this…
One source spelled it out pretty clearly. “I think you can expect some real reductions on the CT next year (in 2018). It’s funny, because surfing itself is growing right now, but (pro) surfing might actually be gonna shrink.”
The source foreshadowed a move to a reduced CT event list of perhaps eight events, with a reduced surfer roster and a two-day format, tuned to social media rather than onsite crowds. “No more big crowd events. Maybe Bells will make it as a legacy event, but others, Rio, maybe the Hurley Pro, will go.”
You might expect the surfers to kick back at a reduction in CT numbers. But what are their options? They don’t own this show any more. Only one surfer sits on the WSL board, and only one surf industry rep, Pat O’Connell. The need to cut back won’t be coming as a surprise to them.
And if this is true then we all might have two victories in one year! First, Paul Speaker gets rode out on a rail and now this! Events that actually finish in one swell window! Can your mind even fathom?
In truth, I have no idea why this didn’t happen during the ASP to WSL rebrand but if it is indeed happening now it is a good thing. A great thing even.
Also, which events would you cut off tour if you had the keys?
Get this circus back to G-Land!
Have to agree the writings on the wall, you don’t make corporate changes like that unless a significant change is going to happen, my take is as per article, a shorter window to fit it into tv programming, less surfers for the grand slams, less events for 2018 but will start to increase again once the new model gets traction and to make it all acceptable Kelly will take ove r the CEO role from Ziff so the haters will have no one to hate at least for a couple of years.
OK, top 16 surfers only , 1 day event , only 8 events max , gravy train WSL finished , speaker sacked , Ziffy now looking at what to do with wave pool , resorts in China/Korea , hoping that the Olympics will raise level of Surf as a brand , but surf branded clothing is dead , Hardwear good , end of ……????
What about if they all went Wilko?
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
handing out injury wildcards to unfit surfers. Should be a pre season tryout for the injury wildcards vs injury replacement. best get in.
Hey Chas you’re right Jordy looks like a balding Zorro – so so good!!!!
i don’t care to see them cut down on events or locations, but i would like to see fewer surfers — way too many guys who are basically indistinguishable from one another.
even more important, the format shouldn’t always be the same — nick carroll might be right in that everything has been tried, but the basic question that surf contests should answer is this: who’s the top dog of the day? when the waves are pumping at the best spots, who is the man?
how do you answer that question? NOT with 20 minute heats, heat after heat, for days in a row, with only two or three guys out at a time. the way to answer the question is by picking the best day, sending guys out in bunches, maybe 8 or more at a time, just like on a non-contest day, and see who kicks ass.
This was tried extensively during pro surfing’s first decade of existence in Hawaii. From 1970 to 1980, events were held on standby for two weeks and had a permit to run for just one day in that time. The events were six-person heats all the way to a final. Typically the event took seven hours to complete. Thing was, back then there was about 60 surfers on the entire rankings. When the numbers began to move and the formats shifted in the early 1980s, events grew and grew.
lots changed since then, obvs. production/visuals now in a different dimension to back then – orders of magnitude more global exposure/popularity. i say its worth trying it again.
but i wasn’t there — just remember seeing a few clips on wide world of sports or something when i was a kid and thought dane kealoha was the greatest surfer in the world. (still kind of think that)
so what were those events like to watch live? exciting or nah?
Super super exciting. Way less programmed than today’s events. Very few people had heat rhythm dialed in and there was no priority rule so there was a free-for-all aspect that was most appealing. Many many more waves were ridden. if not many very well. And the wipeouts! Oh god the wipeouts.
Yes, a bit more action is needed. currently in 3.5 days of competition the only excitement is due to controversy and the occasional exceptional heat. UFC style rules should be brought in along with an occasional Shark appearance.
And of course….. Chas calling – remember France!
that’s what i’m talkin’ bout!!
Man, I totally disagree with few surfers. 32 It´s already nuts! Cut to what, only 16 Surfers!? So like 5 enter through the QS? A lot of great guys would never be able to get to the tour, let alone keep their spot, don’t matter how great they are. Every sport you have lesser atlhetes. Not all games can be Cavs x GSW or Real Madrid x Barcelona. And honestly they pretty much all rip. Sure, JJF or Medina are in another level than say Jaddy or Keanu Asing but they are the underdogs and thats nice. Sometimes they surprise. We need the freaks and the underdogs in my opinion. I guess a lot of times the shitty performances are more due to wave quility than talent.
Surely there is a rational approach to this? Run events with the largest number of viewers? My suspicions if this is followed through: kill the WNBA borefest.
The women’s tour is kind of like the paralympics. “We’ve got the stadium already, so we may as well give the chaps with wheelchairs a go. Who knows, we may get the viewers if we give Pistoroius a gun and a girlfriend.”
the fact that kainoa igarishi is in the wct is justified enough to cut the roster. hell , alejo was on the tour for years. the world is ending
I could do without the European and Brazilian events. I would also be fine with only 1 or 2 Australian events.
I like the smaller amount of competitors that the ladies tour has, the men’s tour has more than I care to keep up with.
I’m cool with double heats as long as it remains 2 people in a heat.
Change could be good. ( I never thought that I would say that )
Why am I not surprised.
Well we are all missing the real news
http://www.surfersvillage.c…
1/. Looks like Gabby set this up so he could get a gig performing at the opening.
2/. Charlie Medina’s Smiling Coach has earnt his money.
The phrase “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic” comes to mind
New, non-dumb thinking is needed by the WSL, leading to better competitive formats
Wayne Garvey.
If viewer interest is even a consideration over revenue:
Snapper
Bells (but make it mobile)
Fiji
Teahupo’o
Trestles
France or Portugal (Gotta have one Euro event)
Pipe
16 entrants. 14 seeds with one QS and one wildcard in each event
One day, two max
I really hate to be the bearer of bad news but your application was just rejected by my wonderful friends Chris Binns and Taylor Paul. I’ve emailed with Robert August’s son before but he has nothing to do with this. Sorry Wayne.
Yeah…. I’m sure the WSL is going to cut the event in San Clemente….
Garbage.
“pro surfing might actually be gonna shrink”.
Gonna be mo betta
I had mine revoked once and it was awful so I totally get where you are coming from…
By Bells being a “Legacy Event” do they mean sending guys like Potts, Carroll, Richards, Anderson, etc., out and actually broadcasting it? If so the WSL is on to a great new and organic substitute for Ambien.
Just move it to Winki. Get rid of Snapper.
I think what my source meant was that Bells has been around so long it can’t be killed.
Thanks Nick! I know the WSL will sometimes run “Legacy Heats” where they’ll throw some legends out there as kind of a nostalgic exhibition before the final. That was the reasoning behind the question.
Legacy event as in it has lots of history and if it wasn’t for that history that burger of a wave would never be a tour stop in the 21st century.