The tour is in Australia (still) with an almost all-Australian judging panel!
Are you caught in the rapture of this third event on tour, the Margaret River Pro, with its baffling fails and swamps of mediocrity? Is your favorite surfer still swinging for the fences with a chance to take it all home or is your favorite surfer an American and possibly being ruled against by the judges based solely on his nationality?
Oh I’m not suggesting or even hinting that there is bias in the judging tower but it was brought to my attention that the only American judge on the this leg either had to go home from Western Australia or was never there in the first place leaving only Australian judges with a sprinkle of Brazilian judge too.
Now, I believe that these fine men check their flags at the door and only see shades of 7.8 and 6.3 once seated in their cubicles but did Australia’s Connor O’Leary really beat America’s Patrick Gudauskas in Round 2 Heat 10?
Patrick was looking very fierce on this forehand while Connor shucked and jived backside. Sometimes, I believe, picking between a solid front hand and a decent back hand is like picking between apples and oranges and maybe the judges had this problem too but how did Connor shake out as the winner? I’ve watched the heat now three full times and I don’t see it. Patrick looks slightly better each and every time. He looks like the better professional surfer.
Is this my own bias showing through? Oh I hope not. I think of myself as a man of the world, an inspiration to peoples from Cairo to Coolangatta, but maybe… maybe there’s a touch of jingoistic pride buried in there? A blind spot?
Maybe.
But look at Patrick Gudauskas. Watch him surf and watch Australian Connor O’Leary surf and tell me who won. Of course Connor O’Leary won but tell me who won won.
What about the sun making pro surfers look like 20 years older than they are. Pat looks like he is 48, Tati weston is like 17 and she looks 40. No one talks about it. Benjamin button style shit
It also could be just an anti Gudauskases or is it Gudauskas’ or Patrick Gudauskaii (?) thing. If it was Dane R, Dane would get a win / judged more justly (than Gudauskaii incident) and move up in ranking, but eventually be exposed to corruption and down voted from winning the whole thing.
Or wait maybe an ANTI Chanel Islands (Channel Islands) or Anti Burton thing since Kelly Slater owns the wave pools and Firewire surfboards. And Firewire surfboards are pretty much aren’t being used in professional surfing, the ones that are, are more like pu/pe team glassing with firewire labels and faux-carbon strips / white stripes to cover the stringers .
Kelly well never forget all the people that said he won world championships under CI, but got nerfed by Firewire and can’t win 12th due to focusing on making SD look good instead of surfing with his heart on his sleeve like 11th time and prior did. https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
And all wavepool WSL people will be forced to use Firewire-ish boards (but put their labels / faux wooden stringers) to make it look like real boards, since standard ocean boards don’t go well as the firewire light tech ones do.
To add, WSL is building extra wave pools next to the original one to boost competitive cycles.
Also due to the Aussie heavy judging panel, they remember that one post in Surfermag about OZ shapers not leading in new surfboard technology releases but the Amerikans are etc . . . so punishing the biggest Murican World Police Surfboard builder . . . seems appropo .
Im going Pat.
QS level surfing from PG. He needs to realise that he’s not as good as he thinks he is. Always crying and playing the hard done by victim card. Nope, you’re just not that good.
Aussie Connor smacked the lip thrice with quite a vertical trajectory on one wave, solid. I thought Patty Gee looked like MikeFeb. Then MikeFeb looked more like PaddyG in his heat. Like Face Off without Nick Cage or John Travolta.
The other Conner, the Connor Coffin, has an amazing bottom turn top turn act, even in those crappy conditions. Zeke lost because of nursing his bottom turns. Fake power.
He would be better off using that dim wit and solid physique to shift the volcanic rocks in my backyard. $10 an hour.
Coco Ho is not the most powerful lady but, today, did her 1st turns with perfect precision; beautiful arcs in the pocket; then back into the foam. These Coco 4/4 turns were better than Pat’s 1/4 turn snaps. Last year, we were brainwashed to believe John John’s huge full 6/4 rail arcs were the best thing since the invention of the I-Phone but now were are expected to believe Pat beat O Leary doing those lame 1/4 snaps for his 1st turn? There is no conspiracy guys. Pat lost because of softcock 3rd rate surfing.
sad but true.
throw him down the well.
Steph just smashed a wave (8.60). Similar snaps to Pat but a lot better. Steph would have beat Pat objectively.
my exact thoughts watching that heat with Steph.
He shoulda’ve Won what? Why the fuck did you make me watch this?
Pottz is the ’89 world champ
They should all surf in identical gimp masks and have large day-glo foam numbers stapled to their foreheads.
Anonymity until the podium.
Sophie? You there?
I’ll send you my bank account details for the creative fee.
Pushing bullshit controversy again Chas. Pat’s jittery set up and mid-face out on the shoulder snaps are ugly and lame. He seems incapable of engaging with the critical part of the wave.
Yep I think Pat should of won that. The judges seemed to have over scored Conner on his vertical backhand reos many which were mis-timed in my view. And I’m Australian.
Seems to me the judges are looking for big turns out the back. Unfortunately, Pat didn’t get any waves that would allow that, nor does he look capable of putting his board on rail… The guy is going sliding laybacks for christ sake. What is this 1991?.. That flat style of surfing isn’t going to get you anywhere, either put it on rail or put your self on the critical part of the wave… Don’t get me started on that air, contrary to what Pete Mel thinks, holding on to your rail for an extra 3 seconds after landing is not a display of control
sound analysis
Yep. 1991 although I have seen better surfing from 1979.
I featured your comment, but still reckon Patty won that heat by a sparrows fart…
Honestly, I would not have been surprised if Pat had gotten the score. Total garbage heat, surfing sucked, waves were worse.. In those situations I think you have to take a look at how Connor and Pat approached the entire heat. Pat just seemed to surf really safe, taking minimal risks, while Conor was extending his bottom turn to put himself on the most critical part of the wave. In those types of heats, I think the guy taking bigger risks should get the nod.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Tough one. Of course, judging is not about the nicest whole ride. It is more about the major manoeuvres and forget the rest. In their top 2 rides, you could say Connor did 3 majors and Pat did 2.
Patrick, no doubt.
Connor was winning because at MR vertical surfing wil beat lateral surfing every time. Pat should have won though beacause the last wave provided the right combination of turns, I’m guess they scored it down due to size of wave.
If the judging were anti Brazilian then I’m ok with it.
To reconcile aussies and americans, why don’t you just ask Jeremy Flores about bias in WSL judging?
Id rather listen to Joe Turpel doing the weather report than watch that heat.
Couldnt watch it live or dead.
isn’t judge bashing just deflecting from the fact that the WSL is american-centric anyway?
didn’t watch the heat, didn’t watch the replay, but my instinct tells me Conner squiggled and jazz handed a bit less than captain good vibes.
There was only one. Never to be another.
Kindly desist, or face the consequences
That should read “jizz handed” tftfy