An interview with back-to-back US Open winner Brett Simpson on the Toledo-Igarashi interference…
When Brett Simpson opined on the WSL’s Instagram that its rule book needed refreshment after another interference hit on Filipe, well, I had to call.
Brett, who is thirty two years old, a back-to-back winner of the US Open and who lives a short drive north of HB pier, invites the WSL to re-examine its “fucking 1970 rulebook.”
“As a surfer,” says Brett, “the goal is to be as deep as you can to maximise the ride, whether it’s a ride or a left. I look at that wage, I surf there a bunch. I know the conditions and the left was going to fucking die out into a trenchcoat. It was going trenchcoat. The right was the only wave. Filipe got a seven something on the wave even after the collision. I understand that the rule book simplifies it for the judges. But even then, one guy gave it a double, another guy gave it to red (Filipe). It wasn’t conclusive.
“I’m sure Rich told ’em, ‘This is what the rule book states’ and it obviously makes it easy for him. The call was right as in the sense of what the fucking 1970 rulebook says. But as it’s 2017 I feel like, we’re looking at waves and we know which one is better, which wave has more of a score. That’s the most irritating part. Kanoa’s a smart competitive surfer, he’s my friend, and I’m not saying he’s wrong, but I look at the wave and Kanoa goes left and even if he did a huge air in the shorey he gets a five. Kanoa was up against the best surfer in the fucking world right now and probably the only way he was going to win was to get an interference.
“The waves are shitty, the one wave that was going to break was the right. The time has come for the rule book to say, look at this wave, well he was going from the deepest spot and was going to get the bigger score. But he gets the interference! Obviously Filipe will tell you one thing but in his gut he probably knew it was a remix of fricken Brazil.”
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I’m beginning to believe in Noa Deane as some kind of servant. His Fuck the WSL call is kind of becoming relevant. At the time I was like ,”whoa noz, ease up there babe.” But now with The judging panel being made up of a skeleton who have no idea, and lead by an even bigger fossil, perhaps the only way to go is NOA…..
I’m lazy sometimes and this is one of those times. I copy and pasted a response of mine in the comments regarding a proposed change. The new CEO should be open to something like a challenge system. What say ye all?
“We convince the WSL to put in place a new regulation wherein each surfer has one score challenge per heat. The challenge can either be a challenge to a score of their own wave or a challenge of an opponent’s wave. If they challenge a score the matter immediately proceeds to final decision by an off-site WSL appointed ruling body or replay challenge Judge who will have three options: 1.) overturn one of the panel judge’s score and replace it with a binding score of their own thus affecting the average; 2.) overturn the entire panel of judges and replace it with their own score; or 3.) determine that the score as first determined stands.”
You know, I’d like to think that in a kinder, mo betta world, the two of them would have smiled and held hands while sharing the wave, sharing the stoke, sharing the aloha.
Am I a crazy misguided fool?
Regardless of whether the right was better or not, whoever was closest to the peak, where the wave really broke, and in the direction and direction it turned out, was the Kanoa. As a Brazilian I analyze this normally. Changing the rules at the WSL book’s defining points is to make surfing even more subjective than it already is. This comment from Brent is more media than really important. In a wave like JBay or Teahupoo, for example, the situation of multiple peaks is unnecessary. Facts like this, reading a wave, an athlete should understand since his adolescence, imagine a WSL top !!!
One to two feet waves. Filipe’s hopes were at an all time high
i’m a third generation southern california native – born in the same long beach hospital as my dad and grandpa and i’ve never heard the phrase “going trenchcoat”. can someone please translate and explain the origin of this term? i assume it means the wave will hit a trench and back off/die but wtf? damn millenials.
“I look at that wage”
Simpo is still drawing a wage? Thats good news for modern man.
The quality of a community can be judged best by the way in which it cares for those less fortunate. Cue Brett Simpson’s surfing.
beach grit seems to need to change whoever is doing their editing, the words, right and wave, will thank you kindly. and you think this is a professional site….
And you start this observation by omitting a capital letter at the beginning of your first sentence? And your last sentence … Or are you being ironic?
And the award for best use of irony or using a derivative of the word ‘irony’ in a sentence goes to …….
Ni …..
ce one, andy ec, for “and you think this is a professional site….”
not using proper capitalization or what not in a comment section post is quite different than and doesn’t negate the fact that someone who is being paid to produce supposed professional content for an online magazine should probably be more on point with their grammar game, at least if they want to appear as professional as possible(which maybe that’s not the case, but then why produce beach grit at all….
I’d say it’s not so much the 1970s rules that the problem, but more what happened to the brains of several of the judges in the 70s.
don’t worry, you’ll all have forgotten this by next Saturday, when K and F will be picking each other’s teeth out of the reef at Teahupoo.
Why would they bother searching for each others teeth? They are now mortal enemies, their hatred forged in two foot wind slop. Be fucked if I’d be looking for my mortal enemy’s teeth.
ah well you obviously are’t aware of the ancient Hawaiian ritual of lining your toilet bowl with the teeth of your enemies.
No, but thankfully I am now. Such creativity born from spite!
Beautiful. For eternity*, you and your progeny can laugh at a mortal enemy eating shit on a regular basis.
*or however long porcelain lasts.
YOUR shit mind you.
Of course, it’s a nightmare for the servants to clean. But that’s why you have them. Am I right?
just totally snorted coffee, thanks 😀
YOU are a funny man Mr Carroll 🙂 Cracked me you did … again.
Well, that’s basically the only way an american can beat a brazzo nowadays…
Heat results actually show that your comment is wildly misguided. But hey, let’s not let the truth get in the way. Why would you start now?
Opinions couched as fact! How different this world would be if facts were revered and not the opinions of some dolt.
We can also drink the water out of our taps, not step in human shit in our alley ways, and have a reliable communication system. We essentially beat you at all aspects of life, including surfing. I feel bad for you Jim. One day you will realize everything you cling to is an illusion and you’re just another gutter rat at an Internet cafe.
Poor Brazzo got beat by his own tactics, again. You can thank Brazzos for teaching Americans how to surf contests the Brazzo way. All the Americans used to have was the Slater move (you da man Shane B)
Wonder what Simpo and Kanoa will talk about in the line up next week.
Their left from their right?
Or maybe Kanoa asking if Brett really thought he wouldn’t have a chance in hell to win.
Kanoa will prob just smile and ask Brett how life is off tour… analysing footage of kooks surfing and trying to teach chicks airs.
So let’s throw up another rule where judges have to make yet another subjective judgement about which side of the peak has the best scoring potential. They already have the worst criteria of any sport to work with. Let’s fuck em over with another rule!
Can someone please explain for me what “trench coat” means in this context?
It refers to a “trench”, which is a deep and hollow ditch, where the wave doesn’t catch on and break. Similar to your brain. Deep in your skull but hollow in catching on.
I’m going to use that with the missus next time I lose interest mid-coitus. “IT’S GOING ALL TRENCHCOAT!!!”
(Scurries off to check BG)
It’s a term used by knob ends to describe a deep gutter into which a peeling wave backs off before closing out into the shore break. If I read this term again, I may fucking neck myself.
Sounds quite sinister and covert, doesn’t it.
It means “I’m no longer on tour”.
Mr Toledo ripped off again.
What was funny was Kanoa’s victory speech of “”about time!”; strangely believing for some reason he deserved to win this comp. What a boring surfer, in terms of his surfing & his personality. Felipe lights up the sport. Mr Personality.
You mean his “hey, look at me; I’m so whimsical PG-13 fun; so small and cuddly, and look, I love Jesus and I have a new child!” personality. To each their own. Well, I guess you’re right; compared to everyone else, any personality is a personality.
Compared to the other surfers I mean.
meh, he’s a pretty nice, humble guy.
Beats Paul Fisher, the guy who somehow became a pro surfer because of his personality and irritating as fuck laugh. Glad that clown has fucked off and became a dj.
Kanoa’s one of those gangsters who wears their chains outside of their contest rashies. With that being said I still feel like Felipe would beat the shit out of him.
We needed a second article to tell us that Toledo ain’t going past rnd 2 at chopes?
Quarters or better! Just wait!
Is this the longest running bet on BG?
Ouch!
Toledo always looked lost at J-Bay to me. This year, he matured by 500%. Last year, maybe got the only 10 at Pipe; Backdoor; brilliantly surfed, on edge. The kid is crazy. Was in the Maldives before J-Bay. I wonder where else he went? Maybe wife & child hinders Indo. Lets see what he does at Chopes.
The kid clearly rips – no doubt. But if he really really wants to be the champ then he needs to put in some serious time at left hand reefs, I only see a deer in the headlights when it gets scary.
500%??
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Stop complaining about rules and have contests at decent waves. H.B. is an utter shitshow.
really painful to watch