Is Strider Wasilewski our leader?
Yesterday was, in my opinion, BeachGrit’s best day. Jen See and Longtom combined to paint a complete and utterly truthful picture of professional surfing circa May 5, 2018. Honest, nuanced, hope mingling with despair. I wonder if the World Surf League powers read and enjoyed? Or if they were too busy being very excited about what they had wrought?
Flipping through Instagram at the end of it all, it seemed that most of the people there were thrilled by the spectacle. Post after post after post praising Kelly and toasting the future. It made me wonder if it is something one must see live. To get all caught up in the Michelob Ultra buzz.
Michelob Ultra, speaking of, had very nice placement on the step-and-repeat in front of the pool. It is the only branding I can recall seeing during the few moments I watched. I didn’t see any surfers brazenly breaking the new WSL law that no posts should be sent into the social medias implying a product is associated with Surf Ranch. A selection from a leaked WSL email reads:
A useful rule of thumb is that if you look at a potential post and see a product in association with Surf Ranch imagery, or if you see a post at Surf Ranch and assume it is a paid advertisement or contractual commitment with a brand, it is likely to have crossed the line.
But I did see Strider Wasilewski go out of his way to place a water bottle featuring his wonderful skincare company Shade’s logo in a frame. I wonder if this was a dog whistle, as pundits like to call subtle nods to possibly darker factions. I wonder if Strider is quietly beginning the rebellion?
I would follow him. I would post all sorts of implied Surf Ranch endorsed products everywhere. Like Surf Ranch endorsed Cheetos and Surf Ranch endorsed Stella Artois in a can and Surf Ranch endorsed political positions (probably the inalienable human right to keep and bear arms).
I would follow Strider to the gates of hell/Lemoore with a face smeared in Shade.
What was Strider actually doing there??
Does anyone at beach grit have an inside scoop on what eating Strider? The water camera angle is getting eliminated at almost every event and the Wasilewski is getting beached!
Get ready for the announcement from Tokyo that the Olympic committee has decided to keep surfing in the ocean for the 2020 games!
When will someone do some real reporting here? Find out how much money one of these waves costs to generate! Until then, this whole wave pool discussion is a F**king joke!
the private equity guys funding all of this don’t get to learn that number. you know what that would do to Kelly’s carbon footprint trackers?
in an ideal world the wsl would pay the wct surfers a flat rate wage and have control over blanket sponsorship , that way annoying things like having athletes wearing competing logos in shot can be done away with and you can sell the lot as a package alot easier
worked so good for UFC/Reebok, all the fighters are rich now
I didn’t watch not a single second, but just reading the write ups confirms what I figured. I believe they should add rails along the path of the wave. Kelly grinding to air revo dismount could be cool, I guess. I might tune in at that point to hopefully see someone rack their balls.
How the fuck is there no Ronnie Blakey yet we still must suffer through Strider in the water? He has nothing interesting to add regarding real waves, what do they think he will come up with about mechanical, identical waves in a pool? Who is in charge of ‘casting’ the commentary team?
Did I just hear Peter Mel and Chris Cote say MVP. Yes I did. Fuck this is not NFL.
yup, this is nascar…
Danes post for the win
Reynolds?
god i hope Kealoha doesn’t do social media, talk about nothing to believe in anymore
I’m not an instagrammer so please post here if poss.
Is Strider a lesbian? I’m cool with that. It would be good to have a lesbian as our leader I think. I’m just concerned Strider is not angry enough. I’m very angry but I’m not a lesbian.
Fuck it all makes sense now. You just opened my eyes to the fact that he is actually a man-woman with Barbie parts. I am going to order my new Subaru wagon now and start wearing comfortable shoes….
It seems like the equivalent of stealing pens and notepads from the office for personal use I reckon. Fair game.
I just tuned in. weird stuff.
there was a long shot of the pond, a wave runner with the bonnet up, and for some reason they decide to run a sound track of a real ocean over the top.
is the WSL signalling surrender?
Tuned in to watch the first wave yesterday but caught some of the pre-show. Cut to Strider in the channel, sharing his ‘thoughts’ whilst brazenly holding his stickered up Lost surfboard out of the water at a very odd angle, but perfectly positioned to observe all those who support Che Raspberry’s globe trotting lifestyle.
…tell me what to do.
Joel Parkinson last left 5.87 14 year old Tiana Hinckel last left 5.67.
you can’t script it.
I can’t help thinking that strider would be much happier if he was doing his water reporting from a tractor tyre tube. perhaps with an umbrella. giving a man a board telling him to stand in the whitewater and watch is a bit of a cunt act. any wonder he looks so downtrodden.
I’m just thankful Strider had his leash tightly attached to his persons. God, could you imagine if that unwaxed board broke free? Mass fatalities.
Perhaps Strider has been covert-ops all along and now he’s ready to tear down the empire formerly known as the ASP from within. History tells us of Raspberry’s apparent disdain for the ASP WCT contests, anyone who has seen the classic …lost film On The Road With Spike should know what I am talking about
Bingo. One way or another, Strider is the shaker here with more than one …Lost classic strengthening these predictions.
On another note, I’ll drink Team Brazil’s collective urine before ever touching a Michelob after this corporate assault.
I think that those might be the same thing.
If a buddy ever ordered a Mich Ultra in my presence I’d give em a roofie and drop them off in Tijuana naked except for socks….
Of course along with Beach Grit, Todd Richards has also proven to be a muck racker journalist through this all.
who is Todd Richards?
Ex pro snowboarder, turned commentator. Does a lot of NBC olympic snowboarding and action sports commentating.
V. much enjoying the Founders spruiking their books today.
Rabbit and Shaun signed my copy of Bustin’ Down The Door. Strangely, Eddie Rothman failed to return my calls.
Todd Richards edit of Strider walking out of the pool was absolutely the best thing I saw yesterday🤙🏼😂🤣
the Vince Guaraldi / Charlie Brown one, yes!
agree.