And we have a 2017 World Champion!
God is an ever-present figure in sports, from
the National Football League all the way to the World Surf League.
He helps teams win, players score and surfers title. Yesterday,
after winning his heat, Brazil’s Gabriel Medina was supremely
confident that God was firmly cheering for a Gabriel Media
championship, telling South Africa’s Rose Hodge, “I feel great, I
feel good, I feel God is on my side. Now is just to trust, believe
and go for it.”
Well, things started a little dicey for Medina during his Round
Four heat against Jeremy Flores and someone else. Jeremy jumped
into a quick lead while someone else paddled around the lineup
lost. Gabriel sat, waiting, before pouncing on a backdoor tube that
looked ok and was judged a stellar 8 +. J-Flo was furious, kicking
the water, screaming French obscenities, not because Gabriel caught
a wave but because Gabriel had effectively blocked him on the three
best waves of the day. Interference was not called and “WSL is
playing favorites again…” would have become the refrain except
Jeremy snagged a little runner at the end of the heat and was
rewarded an even more stellar 8 +.
Off went Gabriel to Round Five where he faced the World’s
Greatest Surfer and ’88 Pipeline Master Kelly Slater.
(Just kidding about the ’88 Pipeline Master. That was Barton
Lynch.)
Kelly Slater is, I think, agnostic at best. Maybe he believes in
a “higher power” but definitely not God. Would God push Gab
through?
It started looking good. Kelly paddled for the first wave of the
heat, a gorgeous Backdoor thing, and inexplicably couldn’t get to
his feet. Or maybe explicably? Maybe the Corner Man Upstairs? Yes,
I don’t think it could be argued any other wave, because a turtle
swam though the lineup and knocked Kelly Slater off his board.
Kelly locked into another sneaky one but then here comes God!
Gabriel got a small one which turned into an 8.9 then another weird
one that turned into a 9.07! God sitting in the judges booth,
locking in scores! God proving Gabriel Medina right.
Kelly took off on another bomb but God positioned Gabriel just
so and he dropped in on Kelly’s head, destroying the wave’s
“scoring potential” as they say. Barton Lynch won the 1988 Pipeline
Masters.
And then he won. Gabriel Medina and God. But won the heat, not
the Title or not yet.
And let us fast forward through John John and Julian’s
quarterfinal heat wherein John John won handily.
And let us fast forward through Gabriel Medina and Julian
Wilson’s quarterfinal heat wherein Medina was crushed by the
Frenchman.
John John wins the World Championship Trophy! The day’s true
chosen one!