The mainstream media reacts!
If you have been watching or reading the news during this past year it is assured you have heard the word “optics” related to the way an event or situation appears. The “optics” of politicians dating teenaged girls, for example, is not great even though dating teenaged girls is not necessarily illegal. The “optics” of meeting with lots of Russians during a presidential campaign even though Russians are wonderfully interesting and not banned, per se, are not the best.
You get it.
And the “optics” of Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch replacing Lower Trestles on the upcoming World Surf League tour is not, I would imagine, how the powers wanted their exciting announcement to play in the public but that’s exactly how it is playing. Let’s read the Orange County Register!
Hurley Pro at Trestles removed from world tour, replaced by Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch.
The world’s best surfers won’t be battling at the cobblestone beach south of San Clemente, with the Hurley Pro and Swatch Women’s Pro at Lower Trestles replaced with a stop at Kelly Slater’s new man-made wave hundreds of miles away from the coast.
The Hurley Pro has long been a popular surf contest for local surf fans, who can get an up-close, front-row seat to the world’s best surfers.
Etc. Etc.
Surf Ranch replacing Lowers. An artificial wave replacing a real one. Man replacing God. Etc. Etc. And I don’t think this is exactly the case. I went off half-cocked the other day, writing that the WSL should be blamed for Lowers’ demise and, it should be, but my hurt obscured all the hardboiled surf journalism I did that day. Through hundreds of calls, emails, texts with tens of sources I baked it down to this.
The Hurley Pro was cut.
The Surf Ranch was added.
And they were two, unconnected, separate decisions based almost entirely on economics. And back to “optics”… would it not have played better to first add the Surf Ranch stop then a few weeks later cut Lowers?
Or would that have been dishonest?
What, do you think, was the asking price for title sponsorship of Lowers? I would have liked the World Surf League to hold a public auction. I know my partner Derek Rielly is not the biggest fan but I would have gone, raised my paddle and swapped my integrity if it could be saved and called the Hurley Pro brought to you by BeachGrit.
We would have had lots and lots of fun.
i definitely need wetsuits. Also boards, because I’m totally not good at making things.
Wimps! Who needs wetsuits, who needs boards? This will sort the men from the boys, or the women from the girls as the case may be.
I’ve just gotta say that the continued collapse of all profit based entities associated with surfing is the best thing that’s happened to surfing since about 1968.
What Surf Ranch, Lebore, needs is an impartial, experienced, a legend in the surf community, surfer, to tests the quality and throw finally the right words about that wave.
Let’s all hope that Kelly, The Bald, invites Jo, El Jitson, to be that man.
Lebore deserves a critical, impartial, but most of all, from the depth of his heart, passionate analysis!
the ‘narrative’ is bad optics. another word that can go away.
I think there’s a real opportunity for Beachgrit to sponsor a whole rebel wave pool tour.
1 event every two weeks at the wave ranch. Beachgrit can diversify… in partnership with Kelly and build a small “Surfcity” surrounding the Surfranch to accommodate the complete and comfortable existence of the athletes and multitudes of frothing disciples that will flock to this surfing mecca to be amazed by the aerial gymnastics performances of their idols, The Beachgrit bars,cafe’s and wellness centers providing the punters with shelter from the harsh desert sun between heats and events.
Not optics, Vision.
Been in Hawaii and then work for 11 days can someone give me a summary of what I missed in 10 lines 50 words max?
Same old same old. I’ll keep those other seven words for something else if you don’t mind.
First 4 words would have been sweet – thanks for the effort greatly appreciated.
I’m hoping that the recent influx of international pros who now make San Clemente home will sell and move north to the new surf Mecca of Lemorre. Just think of the acreage you can pick up for next to nothing.Mr Toledo can buy everyone in his large extended family a nice trailer on 2 acres. Mr Smith can open a truck stop/night club with multiple themes. Oh the possibilities in the northern surf valley. Who needs the inferior ocean when you have the machine pool!!
Have you considered that we could also move the Board building business up to L’amour , the land of surf love and the next generation of incredibly designed surfboards , for poolies?
I do wonder if every event has the same sponsorship fees? Or does Lowers get more than say Fiji?
With pretty low frequency of waves and a full contingent of men’s and women’s competitors, how does the pre-comp go at the ranch? At a beach, anyone can practise as much or as little as they want but, in this case, who dictates time slots? Who gets the invite to surf it alone and get it dialled a few weeks early. Will a wild card get the same pre-comp practise time or favourable time slots as front runners? Seems ripe for conspiracy theorists.
more importantly , will a surfers be able to take his shaper to the wave pool and improve the design of their boards , as there are so many more variables in making boards for a pool that will have less flotation for a start , so who gets what times and when?
Exactly. doesn’t seem like it will be able to offer the even playing field it’s been sold as
I think you already know the answer to that question. The FireWire will sing!
HAHAHAHA pure comedy!
Pretty small window if you decide to use Webber as your shaper I reckon
Shouldn’t there be a set of board specifications? After each heat, competitors have to go to park firme to get the board weighed and measured to make sure nobody is cheating the system. You know, like F1, given that all the other variables are being eliminated.
If the WSL has already refused to regulate the Technical side of surfboards , ( most importantly they would not adopt a sustainable surfboard program, in regulating surfboard production from the 60 year old toxic technology , to a more sustainable one!) , I doubt whether they are capable of coming up with a surfboard formula for pools , as they would not realize there could be a big chance to green up the worlds mot archaic toxic sports equipment !
Fake news fake tits fake waves merican dream
Isn’t it possible, or more likely with the surf industry failing; Nike might dissolve Hurley, or sell it off anyway? Isn’t there already rumors of that happening?
WSL would have to find another sponsor asp! how long does it take to organize a pro contest of that type? I’m sure there are contracts already in place to prevent that from happening, but Nike can afford to pay legal problems off, with no financial damage to themselves, if they think it will save them money?
how come Hurley isn’t up in arms about having a major source of marketing taken away from them? is the Surf Ranch sponsored by Hurley or WSL?
This may possibly be happening behind the scenes; it would be safe for the WSL to plan for that type of contingency. Maybe not this year but shortly in the future.
I think the most likely is the WSL just wants to see a return on their investment. Bringing surfing to the non surfer masses. I think The WSL would rather have a broader mass appeal than to the core surf community.
Hurley has to radically cut expenses , as Mr Nike is not happy with its underperforming Surf Brand , and add that Hurley/ Nike were not happy with the $1m they were paying for naming rights , and that there wasn’t enough return for them, so perfect they are out , and still a lot more cost cutting which means less sponsorship , less team members …
When you add that Rip Curl are for sale , as is Volcom , and Billabong being bought out by Oaktree ,, and Quik already done/sold , there is little chance the current industry can finance to WSL tour so Yeah Zifffy is investing money into a big long term picture , but to try and appeal to a broader market will be their undoing , as surfing only really interests surfers , as the WSL have already proved !
Agreed! As much as the WSL thinks they have a golden goose with that pool; i think they will come to realize that pool will not be all that profitable; Besides having pros surf it for contests, or for photo shoots( which doesn’t have the same feel when it’s in the ocean).
I think it will be to costly to surf it for the everyman. $100.00 dollars a wave? i can’t afford it, nor do i want to at that price! i would rather travel! Now I am not going to lie and say i don’t want to surf it becouse damn it does look fun. but i don’t have that type of money that i’m sure Kelly’s pool will be asking for! and if i did i would just travel and surf all the places i have dreamt of surfing.
Ah but if you book into the WSL hotel and take the WSL Entertainment package of Hotel/Restaurant/clubs/pubs , live music and get discount on the waves down to $20 per wave ( but you have already paid $1000 the WSL weekend package……which will pay for the discounted waves) , a beautiful urban surf experience which is what we all need , yes?
Yes but what about my soul? My poor lost soul! Oh well if you’re going to dance with the devil you’re going to get burned.
does your soul have a price , and is it for sale?
Maybe there could be the soulless poolies vs the Soulful surfies?
I already sold my soul! I’m kelly’s right foot damn it!
Is a WSL Entertainment package the same as an RSL Entertainment package?
It’s just about money. Always money.
At this point, I would not mind if all the Wsl events were in wavepools all around the world…let’s for one second step aside the fact that we all like to watch 80% of the events…(not hungtinton beach or brazil, for sure). Does it create any beneficial effect in the sea? the planet? the earth? ups…I should post this comment in the Inertia?
But think how much less crowded Lowers is going to be now that the WSL is gone!!!
Without the pros and the media soon people will forget and Trestles will go back to lonely, exotic secret spot it was in the 1990’s.
The Wave Ranch, on the other hand, is gonna become a fucking kook fucking infested fucking zoo. Will never again be like the bucolic mid-2016’s, sad …
It seems Outer known may have been destined to fail.
Or was it predestined ???….
Have a beach grit sponsored event at lowers. And unlike the Kelly’s kitty pool, it’ll only be mainland surfers invited.
*bitchgreat
Once upon a time wanted to win a million world titles, so he proposed to give more points to waves of consequence and even menaced to implement a paralell tour. Now, being old and tired, changed the priority to just making money. Blame outerknown failor, blame time, blame greed. Truth is surfing is moving backwards. Thanks Kelly, thanks Sophie Anybody and WSL LLC.
You know, Chas…they would have wanted actual money for the sponsorship. Free fashion advice (or mocking) nor free rides in the better half’s Panamera would have been enough to git ‘er done.
You sure?
Yes.
But on this Black Friday I’m sure the sponsorship can be yours for less than 60-inch flat screen door buster at Target (in deference to Brother and Carissa, of course).
On the subject of cost, who issues permits for events at Lowers and what’s the price? It’s in San Diego County ….
Maybe it already exists, but surfing could use an event like the Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom,: a low budget, feel-good event for no money, to which top pros and Curren-esque legends show up. It’s cool to rip down that ancient volcanic ditch like way back in the day before built park features. It’s rootsy and relaxed, some do it on throwback gear, it’s been won ridden switch. Globe-trotting pros and ripping underground locals have beers and relax and catch up with one another. It’s remarkable who turns up way out in the upper-left corner of next to nowhere to get silly and feel connected to the roots of the thing.
What about a Trestles contest with the same vibe, only twins and single fins allowed, a competitive festival of beautiful surfing? Hold it a week before Lemore so many WSL surfers are likely to be around, and at minimum want to take the opportunity to fluff their humanity-image for their sponsored, at best want to rest their heads and be in love with surfing for a weekend. Cut in the San Clemente mafia to grow some sponsorships and encourage happy compliance. Tag it to a local charity. Invite the anti-contest Instagram style monkeys. Do a Costco-run bbq. Make the judging criteria simply “most beautifully radical, most radically beautiful.” Hire the Rockin’ Fig to beach announce. Have a legends heat, have a journalist heat and ask the pros to live snark-Tweet about it. Pull Nuuhiwa and Lis out of mothballs for a cage fight on the cobbles.
Nail some things to some boards as trophies.
I don’t think you could pull it off alone – sorting this sort of thing resides in the magical province of middle-age white women. So step one: meet some middle-age white women.
This is what surf / skate contests are supposed to be. The evil pull of corporate big money ruined the vibe a loooooong time ago.
The quiet revolution of roots events calls once more.
What’s stopping BH (or anyone) getting 200 Californian surf shops/ shapers to all chip in for the permit, and all get their name on a sign for the “Support Your Local Surfshop /Shaper” comp at Lowers…?
200 names on a sign?! Mos def room for more I reckon. Signs are big these days.
because they too are in the grips of the current surf recession and would be lucky to sponsor a Barbie Q , even if they had free vegie burgers !
Trestles is a state park. I understand the parks fee for the Lowers CT is in the order of $125,000. Maybe just go down there and surf for free.
Yikes Nick Carroll that’s waaaay more than I imagined! Thought maybe 10k. How does the NSSA afford to exist?!
Oh I doubt the NSSA’s fee is that big. Professional surfing contests are a different ball game. Every CT is like an economic event all its own. This is why tourism offices back them. I’ll break one down next season so everyone can get a clearer picture of the machinery at work here.
That sounds like a really interesting article, great idea! It must take a lot of money time.and people.
I for one would love to see a detailed work up of how much greenhouse gas the planet-loving WSL, and/or average planet loving WSL surfer, and/or Kelly Slater generates compared to the average human (must be thousands of times?). The carbon from air miles per person alone must be staggering. The helicopters. Flying jet skis around the world. The 40 boards a year. The constant “strike missions.” The wave pool. If I had to speculate, the recycling of contest banners into the outer layer board bags probably compensates for less than half. The whole enterprise must be massively filthy for the planet!
It would be a ballsy article or even crossover to.the mainstream book, making its author no friends in the surf industry probably. And yet this ripe hypocrisy just dsngles there, totally unaddressed by the surf media – Laird for instance loves the planet so much he never shuts off his jet ski. By contrast Fergal Smith couldn’t live with burning up the planet chasing storm. Compelling stuff …
The WSL demanded that, in honor of Chas’ valiant stand on behalf of the People, that Trestles be forever called Serf Contest. Fucking WSL overlord!
The Beachgrit “White Devil” Trunks waist size 30 Lowers Pro. Has a nice ring to it.
I’m pretty sure there needs to be a Jew reference in there to make it truly authentic.
The Smith Grind n’ Grit Jew Jitsu Masking Tape Pro
Joel Tudor is looking to Kick. Your. Ass. As we speak. You don’t have to run fast…just faster than Kelly Slater.
Really? If this is true, why is he trying to find me? I know where he is. We can fight! I’m down!
the bitchgreat hindsight pro… replace porta’s scoring minions by a bunch of regular bg commenters telling what competitors coulda/shoulda/woulda do …