The longest sustained run of good heats and excellent surfing the WSL has put on this year.
Y’cut off a slice of that action today? Blew it, if not. Best day of the year for WSL heats. The first non-weird day of high-performance surfing in sick waves.
Actually there was one thing weird. V. much so. Have you noticed, in the booth, the face of ’89 World Champ Martin Potter? Smooth as a baby’s bum, right. Not a wrinkle, not a line to be seen.
What’s the scoop Pottz? Few little sneaky botox injections during those long, lingering afternoons after the trades get up? You wouldn’t be the first. No, not me. My mate who loves the happy endings. Terrible business.
Kaipo cornered Ross for a quick interview and it was one of the most painful broadcast moments in world sport. Ross stumbling and mumbling platitudes that fall from his mouth like wet ashes. Platitudes that he has obviously stopped believing in but there is nowhere else to go.
Is there anything sadder than watching John Florence surfing this year? Yes… watching Ross Williams watch John write another chapter in his 2018 novella Anatomy of a Bad Heat. Kaipo cornered Ross for a quick interview and it was one of the most painful broadcast moments in world sport. Ross stumbling and mumbling platitudes that fall from his mouth like wet ashes. Platitudes that he has obviously stopped believing in but there is nowhere else to go.
In this chapter, John started weakly with a desultory opening ride, then a non-make. A couple of clean makes in perfect head-high surf saw him sitting on a heat score of 11.97. Jesse Mendes needing a a five-something with three minutes holding priority. The wave came, he launched a lofted tail-high backside rotation and nailed the score. John head down looked as emasculated as a sterilised lion. His head is a mess. Ross, get your man out and claim an injury wildcard for next year. Get him out by any means necessary.
What followed was the longest sustained run of good heats and excellent surfing the WSL has put on this year. No distractions, no comparisons to epic surf elsewhere. Clean air finally for an organisation and CEO that must this year be wondering who is sticking the needles into the voodoo doll.
Bourez ripped the tops of waves off and sent star trails into the heavens. Zeke came back and took the lead and Bourez took it back, emphatically. Every wave was a showcase.
Owen and Cardoso was a minor letdown by comparison with Cardoso finishing just on top.
Wilko went ballistic mk2. No delay, no bobble off the bottom turn. Every top turn perfectly sculpted and framed. Judges low-balled his second wave by a point-and-half at least, then highballed the next one to compensate.
Colapinto stayed in the heat but looked slightly outclassed and over-powered despite a bigger hi-fi game. It was the best heat of the year. Griff needed something big and found a loft, lots of loft in a tail-high, no-grab reverse. The landing was trick, the recovery insane and clean. Judges had to pay it big and they did. Griff spent the rest of the heat camped on Wilko with an annoying smirk on his dial. That would have been painful.
The big heats rolled on. Mikey v Julian. Each winning heat from Mikey looks the same: a big opening wave exerting maximum pressure and a strong follow up. Each losing heat likewise shares a certain symmetry. This was one was different. It was Julian who skipped out to an early lead and Mikey who was quiet and then under pressure.
The heat turned as Mikey sold J-Dub on two dud waves to get priority. A long flat spell ensued. Julian paddled right up the reef. Why? A simple strategic error. Wouldn’t you sit on your man and induce maximum pressure with each decision? Make him think. With space Mikey needed a 5.23 and surfed a minor set into oblivion for the score. There was No claim. Julian fell on a heat-winning ride behind. In Kaipo’s presser shown after the comp ended, Julian again seemed not to have an understanding on why he lost, how he lost. You can’t win a world title losing a heat at perfect head-high Keramas.
That lanky, no-power style of February’s is just not going to cut it on the CT. Which means go hi-fi or go home. There is literally no other option. He’s not the only surfer in that boat.
There were some obvious mismatches and these went to the “house”, as expected. Medina/February was the most brutal mismatch. Medina laid on a vulgar display of power, taking the Wilko no bobble backside line and adding extra power and aggression to it. It was insane, a rare example of what pro surfing can be. Despite not finishing a wave properly Medina did not get a glove laid on him by February. That lanky, no-power style is just not going to cut it on the CT. Which means go hi-fi or go home. There is literally no other option. He’s not the only surfer in that boat.
Remember the old Modern Collective days, when Jordy and Dane were going to save us all from the mind-numbing threat of conservative surfing and deliver us a rivalry bigger and better than AI/Slater?
Except it never happened.
Jordy/Filipe Final in head-high Keramas has the potential to be the best surfing the WSL has ever seen.
Jordy retreated into safety surfing and here we are a decade later wondering when the fuck Jordy was going to bring the noise. He got half the band back together today. His half, but playing the Mod Coll bangers. The endless turn angles and repertoire, the violent direction changes and silky transitions. All there. Good as ever. Jordy/Filipe Final in head-high Keramas has the potential to be the best surfing the WSL has ever seen.
Will we get it?
Italo/Hermes was another mismatch with Italo blasting and just falling on a bunch of aerial interpretations, shuv-its and super-whipped rotations among them. It was superlative entertainment.
De Souza reminded of that cartoon character, Yosemite Sam: running around crazy firing at will on anything. Too much energy, too much zest and variety and spark for Parko, who pushed too hard off the bottom and lacked pop on a day when above-the-lip surfing, even if not made, was a requirement to progress.
That led to the final heat of the day and the most monumental mismatch. Toledo v Asing. Filipe’s opening ride was nutty, almost incomprehensible. His next three waves were under-scored. Airs, a clean club sandwich. A couple of huge attempts not quite greased. A light onshore crumble made it almost perfect for an advanced attack.
Strider spent the heat telling us about Asing’s legendary huge heart and spirit. Which made me ask: fine, but where is the strategy? Throwing threes and fours in the most rippable head-high reef on the planet is guaranteed to be a losing game. Why not swing? Save the neat little combos for another day. Throw something up there and see what happens. But alas, my entreaties went unanswered and the plucky little fighter will not live to fight on.
There seems to be a knowledge gap at the highest level of Pro Surfing, some failure to understand that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is a form of madness.
Never mind. Great day. Twelve heats. About as much as a gal can stand. Someone out of Medina, Italo and Toledo will be world champ this year.
Book it.
Corona Bali Protected Men’s Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Jesse Mendes (BRA) 13.34 def. John John Florence (HAW) 11.37
Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.17 def. Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 12.97
Heat 3: Willian Cardoso (BRA) 12.00 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 10.37
Heat 4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.40 def. Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 8.83
Heat 5: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 15.84 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 15.40
Heat 6: Mikey Wright (AUS) 12.27 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.83
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.70 def. Michael February (ZAF) 9.44
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.04 def. Frederico Morais (PRT) 13.50
Heat 9: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.36 def. Conner Coffin (USA) 9.00
Heat 10: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 14.30 def. Tomas Hermes (BRA) 10.10
Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.13 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.46
Heat 12: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.43 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 8.43
Corona Bali Protected Men’s Round 4 Matchups:
Heat 1: Jesse Mendes (BRA) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Willian Cardoso (BRA)
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Griffin Colapinto (USA) vs. Mikey Wright (AUS)
Heat 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Heat 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Sick shit LT, as always. In other news, has anyone noticed how hard the WSL is getting roasted in the comments section of their Facebook exclusivity announcement? Fucking hell 299/300 comments are negative. And the WSL will plug their ears and continue forward hell-bent on self destruction.
http://www.worldsurfleague….
Don’t agree with your Brazil title prediction
why not?
hi can i just complain again about the women’s scoring? because it’s still bad.
Glued to the telecast then glued to this. A great day for surf. and glue!
I wanna play bass in Jordy’s band, get under his skin all subterranean like. God I love his good surfing.
You could do some investigative reporting on the WSL heat analyzer. Find out how in the fuck they got heats 1, 2 and 5 up but couldn’t manage to get heats 3, and 4 up.
analyze the analyzer?
Heat 3 had far too many Kaipo from the beach cut aways for the techs to organize such a behemoth of an edit. But wait, isn’t it just a heat replay with bookmarks?
Unless someone says something interesting, then they have to edit it out on the fly.
anal eyes
Hiding the Willian and Ross Williams interviews?
Also, Wilko looks like total shit, how is everyone not seeing this?
Conspiracy!!! Willian/Owen heat missing. But, if you let it play through from the end of Bourez/Lau when the skirmish between Willian and Owen happens, Strider literally says “watch this” and it instantly cuts to one of those dead space “we will be right back” shots. Then when it returns, it jumps to 12:30 left in the Buchan/Rodrigues heat. THEY ARE HIDING THINGS FROM US THAT DON’T FIT THE NARRATIVE.
WSL, Facebook, Censorship, this thing is going down in flames!
Sorry, blacked out there for a second.
we can’t get Jordy vs Filipe in the final. Weird pairings plus early losses for Julian and JJF means someone between Jesse, Willian, Michel, Ace, Griffin and Mikey will make it to the final (and also finish above at least two world title contenders)
Looks like Michel’s to lose on that side of things
Anyone have any sort of view on Charlie’s side burns? Longtom? They got me sort of excited.
I was too busy trying to figure out why he was wearing red trainers, fierce toe rot and a high appreciation for the comfort of others is the only close to logical thing I could come up with.
Medina was looney!!!
boring
incorrect.
im not bored?
Correct
Wouldn’t be surprised to see more than 20 CT surfers at the 1st 10000 QS event in Ballito ?On a lighter note did they wait till jadson was off the tour to start scoring airs again ?
ThX LT
Is it true the Bali blah blah protected pro is part sponsored by tyre company bfgoodrich?
OH DEAR
cum again?
Sometimes one just cannot.
These times birth marathon roots
well, picking up plastic is a bit silly when you are sponsored by a tyre company right? I saw a mention that bfgoordrich is sponsoring but was not sure if this mention was accurate of not. I thought you may know and if it was true a poke in their ribs would be worthwhile. You are the inimitable LT, after all!
Tyre companies and pro surfing is so 80s ? With our new starwars inspired surf cars and hover boards we no longer need them ?Tyres that is ?
Steph looked good yesterday
Today proved that many top level professional surfers are incapable of LEARNING the game. It’s what made Kelly great. Not taking to the sky at Keramas is like not getting barrelled at Pipe.
That Squiffy Clappy-pin-toes is a cheeky little sausage is he not? He should be careful of all that leaping about, as it might damage his vital essences.
And no way Julie shoulda lost that heat. Mikey Wright looked so boring. I know, I know: is / ought.
Oh and Flippy is ruling it. Where the hell does all that speed come from?
The chap must rub bacon grease on the runners of his sled, wot?
Cocaine comes from South America but speed is usually home made by people who love motorbikes and hell ?
Rockin the chicks got thier arses out yesterday , except that owen chick shes got a arse like a surfboat.
All hail LT.
nah mate, that’s just meat and potatoes sports writing. Derek has me on a tight leash, no more philosophical meanderings until J-Bay.
I mean, thanks.
Speaking of meat. Perhaps 2 johns needs to eat a t-bane and take advantage of some groupies. All this vegannism and professional focus is just not working. Give me John losing cos he is going hard than losing cos he is trying to play the game.
has he gone vegan?
Don’t sell yourself short. Comparing DeSouza to Yosemite Sam in that heat may have been one of the funniest things ever written about professional surfing.
I totally enjoyed that bit. Straight-up sports writing is an artform of its own. And this is good.
That part was super funny, and I liked how he described Strider’s commentary the other day: something like Strider came out charging like a wild bull, haha, so accurate.
Derek’s put you in a Gentle Combo.
A cupping of the suspended dual-chambered sack of skin and smooth muscle, nothing more…
Gone Gone Florence, what’s goin’ on brother fox? Wanna talk about it?
He is probably over it, already won the thing twice, what makes you need a 3rd? New yacht at home waiting to sail off and surf better waves without the tour circus. Who could blame him for leaving?
I know the feeling! https://beachgrit.com/2018/…
I’m totally jealous of his life and none of it has to do with competitive surfing! He looked depressed and uninterested at the wave pool. I think he sees the future and is already wishing it not so. Maybe already cursed by an outlook beyond his years.
He’d be crazy not to sail off into the sunset. By many accounts its what he loves and he’ll still get paid big money for a few years to shoot video. He’s got the house, the boat, he’s good. Get out while you can!
I got howled down when I said that JJohn was mentally fucked at Bells. I’m no psychologist but I stand by it.
The young fella had an incredible run for two years with so many heats with waves that allowed him to score 9s that when the ocean dried up on him you were possibly the prophet who realized that jj wasn’t mentally tough enough to be a grinder like the goat 🐐 ?
As the prophecy foretold. I also predict the rise and fall of Travis Ferre in the West, the volume of surfboards rising and a great, Brazilian tide to wash over the WQS. Be warned.
Pottz and botox is my take home.
Medina’s turns were fuqn brutal! Missed Filipe’s heat, and Heat Analyzer not updated yet :-/ Cheered for Wilko for the first time ever.
Great report, LT.
In 2015 Rio pro John John(round 2 v Melling ) got a 9 for a rodeo flip landed on the shoulder and stamped on his board twice to regain forward momentum . In 2018 Wilko gets a 7.47 does a rodeo lands on the roof rides out and completes the wave with 2 soft turns and blows the tail on the finish ?
Thanks. I don’t have a facebook account.
Oh, and by the way, a sterilised lion shouldn’t feel emasculated.
You fucking people.
Read it again.
Life’s not over: http://www.worldsurfleague….
yet
I think, even allowing for anthropomorphism we can allow for an emotional reality for mammals.
OK, but then again, emasculated? He won’t have to worry about paternity after all.
Even the kings of the jungle get the blues. https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
what did he lack again? Heart?
I think he had too much rocker.