Is the World Surf League striving for diversity in an ethical way?
Professional surf is one of the roughest games in town and nobody not nobody from any other sport’s league or union or association would dare disagree with me. There is the agony of paddling out in the best conditions mother nature/K. Perrow can muster against one, or sometimes two, other professional surfers. There is giving it your best shot, your honest to goodness best shot, in front of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of professional surf fans dotting the globe. There is the arbitrary nature of judging even when you are giving it your honest to goodness best shot.
There is Instagram where your legacy can be laid to ruins by a few choice comments.
And a heat at just wrapped Uluwatu, home of the Margaret River Pro, featuring two professional surfers in their prime is catching more heat than any other. Maybe you watched it. Maybe you watched Julian Wilson vs. Kolohe Andino bash each other’s tenderloins in that heat. Longtom described thusly:
Kolohe got absolutely cooked by this phenomenon (the overcooking of Julian’s scores). He was clearly the better surfer, on the better waves doing the better surfing against Julian in semi one. It seemed that at some sub-conscious level they were going to pay whatever Julian did with big scores. Kolohe’s presser was meek. He had nothing to say, no fire to let out, as Joe would put it. Even Strider was shocked at both the call and Brother’s obsequiousness to it.
Matt Biolos agreed with Longtom, commenenting on disposable fin FCSs Instagram page, “Sorry. Blatant rip off.”
But do you agree? Was it blatant? And a rip off?
(And do you think Julian Wilson’s fan page Instagram account feat. two lines of loudly crying face emoji is directed at Mayhem or indicates the proprietor’s sadness?)
Watch for yourself.
And now let’s chat some more. You know that I have been pushing for a Julian Wilson championship for many, many years but is the World Surf League nefariously pushing now too? Do they want the current number one, chased very heatedly by no less than four Brazilians, to stay world number one no matter the cost or ethics? For diversity’s sake etc.?
Is this professional surfing’s separate but equal moment? It’s Plessy v. Ferguson?
Something to ponder.
Nah, not blatant. KA was underscored on his long left with the tube IMO and JDub was rewarded for variety and flow on his last wave. JDub looked a little sleepier, but unforced and powered, KA still whips outta the lip like teenager.
I reckon you guys are tripping ballsay. The heat was close and I gave it to Jules. I gotta wonder folks who can actually surf think about this. I feel like it’s mostly always kooks complaining anonymously on the internet..
Completely neutral here, I like both Andino and Wilson. Andino had more down time on the waves with just pumping for speed, Wilson had more power and more flow, Andino looked a bit untidy between. I think the Judges got it spot on in this heat.
Think there are more boards out there.. https://instagram.com/p/BG_…
No way he beat Jordy either.
https://youtu.be/DbMUNT-JpzI
as in most close heats, both shaper’s felt their guy won.
but julians shaper’s guy just surfed a bit better.
overall a nice journeymen’s heat to watch.
Is this really dAVid CarSoN? if so, your comment would have been best set in dingbats. Yew! boom tish!
You don’t really think that’s Julian commenting do ya Chas?
Just got this handed to me by postal-creature:
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
and the first thing you do is bump a couple of lines off it?
did the post deliver that too?
#couplalines
Is it my imagination, or did they all look like they were surfing gingerly?
Is it just the particular wave shape which forces this style? Kinda hard to describe, but all the heats I’ve now watched, all the riders appeared almost as they were scared. Weird.
Even the freak Medina said “ It was hard to do turns “ in a post heat interview .
Interesting!
Hi Channel , just wondering if you’ve started reading Cocaine and Surfing ?
Julian got a lot of help getting passed Jordy as well.
I’m biased because I hate Kolohe.
Anyone listen to that Stab podcast with him? CCRRRRIIIINNNNGGGGGGGE…
Yes unfortunately I did. Kolohe is sooooo into himself. Fucken wanker..
Does he refer to himself in the third person, and by name?
Yes. It’s really bad.
Julian completed more major manoeuvres. He earned the win.
A simple answer that explains why Andino hasn’t won a CT event.
I agree, Visually Andino had the best waves. But breaking the heat down into who did the single best maneuvers. Julian had it by a Country mile.
In response to esteemed surf muckraker, Chas Smith’s, question concerning their comment regarding Biolos’s Instawhine, The Julian Wilson Football Club issued a press release, stating, “As the official Football Organisation (or bloody soccer to you, ya fucken Yankee kooks) concerned with all things Julian Wilson, we were disheartened to read Mr. Mayhem’s comment regarding the heat involving his team rider, Mr. Andino, and our club’s namesake and Saviour, Julian Wilson. Rather than ignore the comment, management decided to respond to Mr. Mayhem’s incendiary comment with humour (cry laugh emojis) that indicated we both recognise and accept his delusions as being real to him. While we respect his opinion, we agree with the decision of the venerable judges who rightfully awarded Our Precious Jules with the win.”
Upvote for correct spelling of “humour”.
It’s the only way!
lol its called soccer
Julian’s scores against against the Panda were akin to Brazilian inflation!
For me it’s clear that Kolohe’s face is much easier to hate than Jules’. It could be that simple.
I was impressed by the performance of kolohe. He was pumping to pass through adjusting to the sections of the waves more lively and his manouvers looked improvised. On the other hand I saw other surfers on the backhand pushing harder on the back foot to climb up the face of the wave just to add as much hacks on the lip as they could. The judges in my opinion put more points on single manouvers than in progression and flow (as they call it) you could see it in Cardoso: he was compressed, low center of gravity, adding spray and all that….but he was doing the same manouver every single fu..* wave….dissapointing….
Cardoso surfed very smart; such as using priority against Felipe. If there were more consistent waves; Cardoso would not have won. He picked the best waves and surfed them to his best.
Kolohe was faster, more confident, powerful and precise but chose weaker waves, Julian seemed shaky, out of pace and behind, but picked better waves…go figure who should have won.
I loved the two good waves that Kolohe got – the waves, more than the surfing – but this comment on the same FCS insta thread rings a bell, and highlights what James Bickerton was saying:
“therealgorkin@mayhemb3_mattbiolos didn’t see the heat but that close out turn looks pretty nuts and in my opinion kolohe is like taj too tech not enough raw in his surfing because their boards are to small”
I really like seeing pros on boards with decent volume. It’s just so much more satisfying to watch.
I was taking a grumpy and totally missed the call on this heat, thankfully Potz stepped in and saved the day.
WSL plans after JJ meltdown:
Julian Wilson = next JJF
Mike Wright = next Dane Reynolds
And fuck the ethics
Willian = next Keanu ?
lmao
I dig the panda and am very happy to see him win . In all these years I’ve been following pro surfing I still can’t understand why people would think the governing body of the sport would really want to push athletes from a country of 23 million inhabitants . Imagine turning up to a board meeting an explain we are going to prioritize this piddling market of Australia over the 300 million + in the US and the other 300+million in Brazil . Capitalism is growth , so how much can it grow in such a ridiculously small market.
Me too, very happy for him. Same when Keanu won.
A couple of wins for the underdogs who were better on the day.
Surfing needs that.
But, meat n potatoes surfing at best.
Perhaps a more important subject for an article is how Willian and Keanu have a win a piece and Kolohe has reached 5 finals in his 7 years on tour and still no win ?
Willian and Keanu has something in common: they earned their places on tour fighting years in the QS. Not like our new Dane Reynolds.
True . A very lucky year for Mikey starting with the battle of the boardriders,multiple wildcards , the walk through at Uluwatu ,a waveless heat v Mr Medina and a plethora of buzzer beaters. Your a smart student of the game . What type of business would push Australian surfers over North Americans , South Americans or Europeans ? And if so ,what could be the possible gains ?
Yes, i do.
Sorry I edited my reply . So I assume that the Yes I do means your writing for Moist . I saw the cheeky vid with Taj , Kerrzy and Ando . Very funny . Stay Moist .
Yes, i write for Moist. Is the best surfing website in Brazil right now.
I am always interested to see surfing from different cultural perspectives . I grew up on tracks and surfing world in Australia then moved to France for 20 years and was obliged to read American Surfer and Surfing and French Surf Session and perusing magazines from Spain and Portugal . Good luck with Moist .
Alors, tu parle français? C’est pas mauvais du tout, mon pote.
Oui j’ai eu la chance d’aller à la Université de Bordeaux pour 3ans et j’étais champion de France universitaire de Surf à Lacanau en 96 et 97 . Bonne continuation mon pote .
Tu es un oeuf.
Ok , I am not sure if being called an egg is a compliment or an insult but I do know I started as one and am very happy to have been spat out of my first Fallopian Tube .
yeah, thats what disqus needs more, james bs encouragement…
#fyjbs next fuck you jamesbs…
There is a lovely scene in the American Musical South Pacific where the Young Lieutenant tries to explain to the French Plantation owner why the girl from Little Rock cannot be with him because his children from another marriage are not 100% white . The song goes along these lines
« You got to be taught before it’s too late
Before you are 6 or 7 or 8
To hate all the people your relatives hate
You got be taught , taught well ………. »