Sophie Goldschmidt takes the reins of our favorite performance lifestyle!
And look who was really sleeping on the job. Me! No sooner had I pressed publish on a story chastising the World Surf League for being slow than I was informed the League had just announced their new CEO and I had missed it.
Those who live in houses with large sliding glass doors, I suppose, and forgive my own retardation but let’s hurry and meet Sophie Goldschmidt!
The press release announcing her reads:
Relocating from London, Goldschmidt joins WSL from CSM Sport and Entertainment where she served as Group Managing Director and was responsible for developing and driving new business initiatives and commercial growth across the company’s global operations, in addition to managing the group’s brand development and marketing. Passionate about surfing, she has strong relationships and international experience working across global markets in both sports management and marketing and communications having held executive roles in the Rugby Football Union, National Basketball Association (NBA), Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), and Adidas.
And this sounds like she’s got something for everyone especially Bobby Martinez!
But what does she say?
First and foremost, I am committed to protecting the interests of our extraordinary athletes and ensuring that our various athlete development programs are further enhanced. A key mission will also be to further build out global recognition and appreciation for the skill and technical rigor of the League’s elite athletes. I hold a true passion for surfing and as a fan of the sport, I will also be focused on bringing this passion to new consumers.
Then a few paragraphs later…
Surfing sits at the intersection between performance sport and lifestyle more than ever before and we can mobilize younger generations to be a part of a culture we have been enhancing for 40 plus years.
Now that is well put. Don’t you think? Even if you are a crusty bastard you have to agree that “surfing sitting at the intersection between performance sport and lifestyle…” is inspired. Performance lifestyle is how I will describe surfing from now on and I am not joking.
Well, I am thrilled at this new leaf anyhow. The WSL got its shit together and quick!
They listen to us. They really really listen to us.
Read Sophie’s complete statement here!
When there’s a will, there’s always a way
My brother once spent some time with a girl named Sophie. Never trusted her. I hope this works out but hiring a non-surfing corporate robot from London most likely equals trouble. I thought they were close to bringing Wardo in to run the show….
Surfing is dead! Long live surfing.
I think we are looking at what happened during the 70’s. Corpo America took over surfing’s image in the 60’s and it damn near killed it. Surfers enjoyed the less crowded, lack of wannabe’s, and open mindedness. But the true surfers like Chandler, Vince, and Rick were not able to stop the Lance Burkhart’s from highjacking it again in the mid – late 80’s. From then it has been one huge beach blanket bingo party with the stock market calling the shots. Let it die, help it die. For the sake of a few wave for your self.
Stop buying quik/bong/rip/oneil/volcom/hurley. Don’t let your family and friends even walk into a Hollister. Don’t worry about looking like a surfer or acting like a surfer. Just go surfing. Without a gopro. To get stoked watch independent surf films made by and for the love of surfing. Drink whatever beer you want instead of the sponsoring brand of the comps. If surfing sucks it’s surfers who are to blame. Nike can’t win unless we buy in. Oh yeah I almost forgot. Don’t watch surfing in the Olympics. It will just in courage them. One more thing. I hope the internet dies too. Mostly the inertia.
suck that corporate dick
Hey, I thought BeachGrit was for kooks?
I am disappointed. I was hoping to see Chas as a newly appointed CEO. Maybe next time.
No mention of surfing in her linkedin bio (apart from the new job obvs) but rejoice, she is a “A former professional tennis player” Bobby will be so happy
If mick fanning can’t be bothered to compete I can’t be bothered to watch.
Ah, Sophie.. can’t recall how many times she called me off at 10 foot Sunset over on the north peak
Ho about ” I will also be focused on bringing this passion to new consumers.”
Consumers?!!!
Even molesting him
yup, in the form of reversed-sexism and gender bias.
50 “hardcore ” years. Chas. Never heard Performance Lifestyle anywhere
She’s a pretty Jewess, Derek will lose his shit!
I christen Sophie Goldschmidt, Chlorine Lady
I’m starting a surf company called Chlorine. Should I crowd fund it?
I’m in for 💯
Sweet! With my 100 bitcoins, your 100 superworm stem cells and whatever loose change we gather from our collective couches, we can put in a bid for SurfStitch, enslave their middle management for a work force and triumphantly declare SurfStitch chlorinated. Rename it Chlorine and we’ll be in Targets and Walmarts in 6 months.
But how do we enslave the enslaved?
They’re boxing t-shirts and surf trunks made from pool cleaning nets that have washed up on the shores of NLand Surf Parks.They’ll think they’re working for Kelly Jung Un Slater. If they try anything, we’ll tell ’em snitches get surfstitches. And a freezer full of otter pops in the break room should adequately placate them.
Snitches get surfstitches hahahaaaaa
Sophie Goldmember https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
“Wow is that chlorine in your hair, or your natural color?”
But how would the ego feel afterwards?
And that my friend is just the kind of talk that will get Pete Mel fired from the commentary booth.
She would laugh at pete mel. SHe was hanging out with a bunch of rugby stallions. Little man pete will need to bulk up if he wants to impress. ooo maybe thats how we will be able to tell who’s taking a liking to Ms Goldmember
Fuck this: “…build out global recognition and appreciation of the technical skill and rigor of the League’s elite athletes”.
The general public don’t ‘get’ surfing unless there is a fucking shark playing slalom in the lineup. They’re not able to relate to something that the wsl pros make look so easy. Because they don’t know what it takes to surf. It’s not like tennis or golf that Joe Public can play, ‘experience’, and therefore have some connection to, an appreciation of the ‘skill and rigor’ of.
The surfing general public don’t get the ‘skill and rigor’ of pro surfing because the current system is inherently flawed by its very nature, let alone subjectivity. It isn’t a level playing field in the same heat, let alone between the variation in back and frontside surfing. Stretching the competition over four days of actual surfing exacerbates that problem. 24 heats/12 hours to eliminate 12 surfers is not efficient at anything other than airtime. (Seriously, start with the Top 22 plus 2 wildcards). And by the way, what’s the eyeball count?
In my neck of the woods, surfing is going backwards. The grass roots, (and by that I mean kids going to the beach to surf by choice), is less than 5% of their population. The local boardriders club can hold their monthly comp in 4 hours and that’s 3 separate divisions. But none of that surfing population could give a rats arse about who wins in Fiji, and not one could tell you who won in Rio. (How many of us vested interests could name the Rio winner without recourse to the great Google God?)
The last couple of mornings have had a small swell with some occasional two foot sets giving up some nice peaks. It’s been fun, because the summer crowd has fucked off and it’s only the committed surfers out there. If Ms. Goldschmidt can make that the norm, my wsl experience will be fucking enhanced.
This is why we need wave pools, push em out there like lemmings to get hammered thus providing an appreciation for skill required.
I’m hoping they fail like concrete hangliders and future post nuclear surfers will come across the deserted shells to jury rig some way of making them work. Then, when it comes to repopulating the planet, all the girls will only be interested in the healthy surfing menfolk.
Wait, is this Penthouse Forum?
Yeah, but nahhhhhhh. I’ve lived this already in Abu Dhabi.
“Oh cool, you guys going to the wave pool. Can I come?”
“Can you surf?”
“Yeah, I go to the beach all the time back home.”
At the wavepool, rather than taking turns, flounders over the falls, injures self and others…
My thinking was that Ziff is troubled by surfing’s contestable conditions as a near intolerable feast or famine variable that has such drastic force and effect upon product presentation. The WSL can’t control it and when a business can’t control the quality of their product presentation for mass consumption, they will shutter their doors or impose their will upon the present business model if there is ability to do so. What I envision is wave pools near and around contest venues presently on the tour. If the surf forecast looks shitty, there will be regs in place for the commish to make the call to move it to the wave pool. Couple that with 1-2 wave pool contests on tour and there is the possibility for a champ to be crowned for more adept talent in a pool than in the ocean. The WSL has already stated pretty much that there will be a wave pool event on the tour. What’s the end game? Create discussion for wave pool vs. ocean blood feud? Or gradually transition to an environment with controllable variables?
I think what you have stated is inevitable. However, the ocean will still exist. I think a core brand or supportive sponsor will create events based solely in the ocean, with no pools in the mix at all. One day events, 12 elite surfers, prime conditions, real waves. This will appeal to core surfers who are still the only interested party in pro surfing anyway. Competitive surfing in the ocean will go on. It’s a huge opportunity for someone. It will be like the split in vert and street skating. Can’t imagine Rip Curl changing “The Search” into “The Pool At The Shopping Centre” any time soon.
I agree with your assessment. The changes we see in the next three years as we approach the 2020 Olympics should be interesting to watch. There will probably be decisions made that make sense, and decisions made that thoroughly dumbfound us. It will present tough decisions for pros who will be torn between making a good living by following the money, and remaining loyal to what brought them to surfing in the first place, a love for all things ocean.
Yep, but money follows cool. And pools ain’t cool, I ain’t no fool, you can’t teach cool in Sunday school. Word.
Ha!
other than the guy that writes children’s books, they’ll follow the $
who writes children’s books? inquiring minds want to know.
Ace, no?
I don’t remember hearing about it. I looked it up though. Shit, that was 2010. “Macka’s Barrel”. Good on him. I wonder if good sales inspired him to pen another. Hope so!
fuck, i’m old
Right there with ya brother!
Ha ha
“Ensuring all stakeholders have a voice”
“We’ve identified a number of areas to enhance our operational capabilities, drive process improvement and gain greater efficiencies. We remain steadfast in driving and building our brand while shifting our operational focus to become more return-on-investment and cost of capital centric, institutionalizing discipline to deliver more consistent, long-term shareholder value,” Under Armour Chairman and CEO Kevin Plank said in a press release.
I hope The Commissioner is already drafting Section 3676, Sub Clause 1.3.6 of the WSL rule book: “WSL CEO must report any menstruation, impending menstruation or any conditions that may encourage menstruation to The Commissioner before entering the water at any WSL sanctioned event.” Just to protect the interests of the extraordinary athletes and shit.
The other day I was wondering why the girls do not compete at J-Bay… I just had a revelation while reading your post. Good Laird, please save our line-ups from discharges of blood and mucosal tissues!
Not sure this rule should apply to our beloved CEO, though. She doesn’t look like the typical menstruator…