Kelly shows political candor!
Slater lost in heat one of round three in pumping Main Break conditions. He proceeded to paddle to a nearby wave, still donning his red number twelve, to try and wash off the disappointment. Classic Slater move.
An hourish later he returned to the beach and met Barton Lynch for a post-post-post-heat interview. After detailing the myriad of mistakes from his heat (psyching too hard on the surf, looking for massive pits rather than reasonably scoring waves, losing competitive focus), Kelly was passed this query from Barton.
“Tell us about the importance of this event to the World Tour — Margaret River, big waves.”
Crickets….
After an awkward pause kelly went full politician, avoiding the direct question and pandering about how beautiful the region is etc. Finally he dropped this bomb.
“We’ll see what happens with [the Drug Aware Pro]. It may not be on Tour next year, it may be on Tour, I don’t know. Coming here surfing my first heat was kinda said, like aw man, we’ve grown pretty accustomed to this place… We’ll see what happens.”
This comes just days after STAB’s double feature on the topic, one which states that Slater dislikes Main Break, and the other that implies the Drug Aware Pro could be replaced with a wave pool event, both of which would explain Slater’s reluctance to answer.
Of course this is still just conjecture, but I’m conflicted by the news. On one hand I’ve always hated watching Main Break. On the other hand, it’s actually been fucking incredible today. A true pleasure to watch. But long term, losing Margies would probably be for the better.
That said, the idea of a wave pool comp still troubles me. It might be fun to watch, it might not, but either way I don’t know if pool surfing should be part of our elite tour. It seems too fake, gimmicky, whatever. I’m pretty sure none of the old boys look back fondly on the Pennsylvania event. Granted Slater’s pool is a little different.
Thoughts?
I guess this means Slater is not retiring. Slater reads this place so he should know he blew it. Shitty board..I don’t like epoxy boards in heavy surf. For me they chatter and slates boards looked like that..keep Margies and dump the Goldie for a wave pool. Besides, the Aussie government pays for these comps why cancel that when you could cancel jbay or trestles. Also, cut the guys down to 22 total, and let the girls do their own tour and the wave quality and surfing quality will get better.
Everyone who has solid overhead+ waves on the regular at home likes this contest because it shows the pros getting worked like your average joe. Best WSL spectator experience is watching the pros ditch boards and get washed in like every other mortal in their first session of big surf at a newish break.
I think Margs main break is the sort of wave that fit an idea of surfing that’s kind of been passed by in a lot of ways. To surf it in the classic style you want a board with a bit less rocker and a bit more foam than most of the pros tote around. The early 90s pros were right in the sweet spot for it, surfing in an advanced manner on that type of equipment. That said JJF blew the fucken back off it on a nice simple little board with a beautiful rocker line, it seemed to me that he left most others in the shade because he trusts that rocker line and stays relaxed and loose where other people tighten up. He’d have destroyed almost any surfer from any era with that performance, AI excepted. So no I don’t reckon surfing has gone backward in these sorts of waves, more like very few hotshots of this era could be fucked figuring out how, and only the naturals, i.e. Johnny and maybe Parko, are doing it.
Disagree with the AI exception-JJF was beyond even the mythical AI out there that day.
exactly……pretending WSL has any say in this is bizarre. If WA pulls the funding it’s kaput.
The only thing that I thinking yesterday was
“Imagine the two TC’s, Occy, Kong, Shaun, Potz… in that conditions…”
The guys yesterday simply can’t carving in a single way!
Was a festival off double, triple carves and bumps and kicks…
Only JJF will joined the guys above…
All boards were so wrong… they’re soft, volumes, thickness, edges, bottoms…
That boards can’t carve, is simple!
Just because Kelly is shit at main break and JJF is amazing doesn’t necessarily apply to the rest of the events. I guess we’ll also see if Bourez and Wilson are going to amaze us for the rest of the year…
make it a tow in tow at event already
Affirmation was at its best yesterday.
How bad were the boards they were riding.Owen probably the worst could not get a rail in the water.Concave between the fins instead of V maybe.Boards to light & small.
JJF is tall, Kelly is not. JJF is humble, Kelly is not. JJF has young legs, Kelly has old legs. JJF has hair, Kelly does not. JJF has his equipment dialed in, Kelly does not.
Kelly’s equipment just looks wrong!
Watching smelly “i have an excuse for everything and I’m an insecure tosser” hater lose to freestone was one of the best things I’ve seen all year. Dude has to go. And a wave pool event instead of margies? What a fucking joke
He looked much more comfortable than anyone else today.
Comfortable? He was light years ahead of everyone else today
I was trying to be polite to his competition.
I’m not trolling JH. There were other surfers who looked comfortable in the conditions. But John just put the pedal to the metal and was surfing several levels above every other pro surfer. He lifted the bar
I didn’t think you were. And I completely agree…he looked unreal…miles above anyone else. I’m still somewhat awe struck at just how well he surfed. Let’s see how he does from here but my money is on him.
I have a confession to make. I like watching Margs. And Sunset.
Is this wrong? Guide me!
You have taste for groundswell. You’re on the the money. It’s just a WSL thing
Phew.
Nothing like pitting yourself against the might of the ocean, right? At least that’s what I told myself this morning while dodging branches and plastic bags in 20 knots of Biscay wind slop.
Fuck history and tradition. Drop Bells, leave Margs and turn on the chlorine filter…
Surfer-plumbers of the world, unite!
Surfing will change as we know it once it goes chlorine based. I may watch a pool event, after that it could push me into total surf hermit mode. I could be wrong artificial turf made football faster. I don’t watch football often but love seeing them play in weather conditions. Im not a huge fan of Tony Hawk, but he seems to have migrated away from the spot light. Time for Kelly grab a standing ovation and pass the torch..
Cars suck, horses are so much better
Nah, I’m with you. Pool events can get fucked
The offshore waves were amazing, and the surfing piss weak again, bar JJF all day.
Adrian Buchan should be kicked off tour for tube avoidance on that one gaping barrel, the live camera was staring straight into it, you could have fit a bus in there.
Slaters excuses for shit surfing are fucking lame. When I have a shit surf I blame myself and call myself a fucking kook. Kelly cries about his back, the waves, the location, the time of day, the moon phase.. have a glass of cement and Harden The Fuck Up!! Take some ownership.
Has he ever been gracious in defeat? “The better surfer won on the day…”, if he wants to play the blame game he should blame that shit looking board he was on!
No shit. Its actually sad seeing the goat suck so badly!! Please john just lend slats a pyzel sled so he can bury a fucking rail!!
Isn’t the definition of insanity something like doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result – has the GOAT lost his marbles….
Ace’s surfing is bland. Would actually rather brush my teeth of shave than watch him in a heat. Great technique but no personality. Shame.
Aside from Italio I thought his backhand surfing was the best at Snapper! Then again I had him on my team so I might have been a little biased!
Ace was still having a gutsy dig(courage matters) ,unlike a shameful barrel side-step from pupo
Yeah pupo didnt wanna be there- not that i can blame him!
Thoughts: There’s three CT events in Australia, one more than is considered appropriate by the WSL. All three are well supported by government entities; Bells and Snapper also by non-government naming rights sponsors who rather like their contests the way they are. Bells is a legacy event strongly associated with the surf industry, Snapper a classic tour opening event which has proven very popular with viewers, onsite spectators, media and the pros themselves. MR adds a financial and logistic stretch to a tour that’s already stretched. It grew out of QS10,000 status and could step back to that without too much heartache.
But it IS a better event than bells especially if they surf northies and box… so really legacy or no legacy they should just ditch bells. I mean everything about surfing has changed since the 70s. The reason people hate margs mainbreak is exactly the same reason ppl hate bells (burgers) but at least margs has 2 great backup venues. Bells just generally sux.