Were you here just three days ago when we
discussed the ticket prices for the upcoming Lemoore Pro hosted by
Surf Ranch and Michelob Ultra Gold? You’d be forgiven for missing.
World Cup soccer was in full swing and a large balloon that looks
like an infant Donald Trump was getting much attention.
Quickly, the World Surf League released the ticket
prices. $499 for a three-day VIP pass, $199 for a
one-day VIP pass, $99 for hot sun and $7 Michelob Ultra Golds. Very
very much more expensive than the region’s other entertainment
options (if we stretch “the region” to include southern
California’s Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, etc.).
I was still wondering, “Who on earth would want to pay for this?
Am I missing some facet of professional surfing fandom that loves
bleeding money for subpar experiences? Are professional surfing
fans ultra-rich?” when the famous surf photographer Jack English
sent over the World Surf League’s just revealed VIP ticket pricing
for the upcoming US Open in Huntington Beach, California. And let
us read.
VIP passes are available on a full event ($2,499 per person,
July 28 – August 5) or daily ($299 per person) basis, and they
include:
Access to the exclusive, shaded WSL VIP deck with great
views of the action in the water, from 7 AM – 5 PM each
day Free catered breakfast, lunch and beverage Exclusive event gift bag 30-minute behind-the-scenes tour of the event VIP parking pass For more details or to reserve your VIP passes today, email
[email protected]. You can also purchases VIP passes
during the event at the Welcome Center (first come, first served
depending on availability).
Remember, this is the US Open in Huntington Beach,
California.
Huntington Beach, California.
Seriously, I need to know, am I missing some facet of
professional surfing fandom that loves bleeding money for subpar
experiences? Are professional surfing fans ultra-rich?
Or is the World Surf League playing a giant prank?
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Rosy Hodge towers over her subjects, projecting a
comely blend of intimidation and sex appeal. Often, and now that
I’ve mentioned it you’ll notice it, big names, household names,
stare wide-eyed with their very famous mouths fixed open. “Ah, can
you repeat the question?”
Dreams do come true: My date with Rosy
Hodge!
By Derek Rielly
A comely blend of intimidation and sex appeal!
Several years ago, while editing a print surf title
called Stab, I tried to arrange a photo shoot
with the virtuoso of the post-heat interview, Rosy Hodge.
Don’t you even dare tell me you’re unaware of her broad South
African vowels and hair that flashes like warped gold or of the way
she towers over her subjects, projecting a comely blend of
intimidation and sex appeal. Often, and now that I’ve
mentioned it you’ll notice it, big names, household names, stare
wide-eyed with their very famous mouths fixed open.
“Ah, can you repeat the question?”
Initially, I felt as if I’d over-extended my flank with the
offer. A brief email exchanged was followed by silence and then a
terse refusal.
Two years later, after explaining that she’d “just got nervous”
and that she could be “persuaded to give it a go” Rosy was leaping
like a gazelle into my borrowed Mercedes Benz, folding
and unfolding
staggeringly long limbs into the passenger seat.
“On the beach we bawled our eyes out,” said Rosie. “I ran home
crying and hid in a corner cradling myself.” These experiences have
given Rosie a constant feeling of attack, by shark, even when she’s
many thousands of nautical miles from her home country (Rosie has a
Great White tracking app on her telephone).
From four-thirty pm until a fingernail before midnight, I
collected much data. While the photographer soaked up what we might
call a brazen corn-fed beauty, I learned from my pestering that she
possessed an undeniably strong and moving personality.
Rosy said she was reared in East London aka Slumtown, although
Queensbury Bay where she learned to lick her chops in the surf
ain’t exactly Soweto. That if you stand on the lawns surrounding
her parents’ house, you might see giraffes, zebra and perhaps a
lion. That the righthand point in front of her house was the stage
for a much-viewed YouTube clip where the viewer watches, horrified,
but secretly fascinated, as two Great White sharks attacked, but
not fatally a pal.
And, where, just three years ago, Rosy watched Greg Emslie, the
former South African professional, be charged, bumped and circled
by a four-metre White.
“On the beach we bawled our eyes out,” said Rosie. “I ran home
crying and hid in a corner cradling myself.”
These experiences have given Rosie a constant feeling of attack,
by shark, even when she’s many thousands of nautical miles from her
home country (Rosie has a Great White tracking app on her
telephone) and says she is much more respectful towards the animals
and henceforth never surfs when the sardines are running at her
home beach however good the waves might be.
Now let’s examine five immediate impressions.
1. She is taller and slimmer than the squished rectangle
of your laptop allows. Clearly, it is the unflattering
jackets she wears on the beach in Autumnal France during the
Quiksilver events there that gives Rosy a slightly thick
appearance, although I had taken it as evidence of a terrific bust.
But, in light clothing befitting the last day of summer, I see a
woman close to six feet, rather narrow, and pretty as
hell.
2. Pretty ain’t the word. When Rosy swings into
the Byron Bay rental the producer pulled me aside to whisper,
My God, she’s beautiful.
4. She breezy as hell. Most times, it’s the
gang behind the camera that slugs the champagne and takes front
stage with the wisecracks. Rosy didn’t guzzle, that just wouldn’t
be her thing (class!), but her flute was thirsty enough and that
mouth of hers held its own in tough company.
5. Adventure, above all. Rosy told the story of
how pals of hers rowed across the Arctic Ocean from North America
almost all the way to Russia, a thousand sea miles. “Listening to
their stories of rowing their friggin’ little hearts out and then
getting stuck in a labyrinth of ice and then getting hit by a
hurricane is heartbreaking but they still killed it.”
Envision her now, smoking with a contemptuous scowl and yelling
derision at you in a rough harsh voice.
You return her gaze with blank and tender eyes.
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There ain't a dog more beautiful in all of surfing than
the 11-timer's personal husky, Action the Dog. Here, being prepped
for POV.
Surf Fans Protest: “Only a dog returns to
its own vomit!”
By Chas Smith
Core surf fans tell the World Surf League what they
think!
This whole Facebook x World Surf League
collaboration has been very interesting to observe. The rollout,
the subsequent problems and reaction, the rollback. And it appears
a war is brewing between the League and its most passionate fans. A
war that could change the facebook of professional surfing forever.
Or alter absolutely nothing whatsoever.
Let us review. The WSL signed an exclusive 2-year, 15 million
dollar agreement with Facebook at the end of January making it the
only place to watch professional surfing. There was some, say,
mixed messages from the League claiming this year would be a soft
launch and professional surf contests would be on both Facebook and
the traditional app/website but things changed at J-Bay and
Facebook was the only place to watch all glitchy and odd.
Surf fans revolted, the League quickly tossed the contest back
onto the app/website and yesterday released this statement
about things moving forward:
Thank you again for your patience and support as we continue
to work through the Facebook transition and challenges that
Facebook has been having on some devices.
They are working hard to resolve the issues and we are both
committed to delivering the best possible experience going forward.
We’d like to remind everyone that we have temporarily re-instituted
the broadcast across our WSL channels for the remainder of J-Bay
and for the US Open.
Now you are able to watch our live broadcast on the WSL
website, the WSL app, and of course on Facebook. Again we apologize
for any inconvenience you may have experienced last week.
A very nice kick under the bus with the “challenges that
Facebook has been having…” line and semi-nice apology. Did the surf
fans take it? Let’s read some comments!
Just keep in mind that not everyone who wants to watch is on
Facebook. I’ve never signed up nor will I ever sign up to Facebook.
I will actually stop watching surfing before I will sign up to
Facebook. Facebook is not your answer to grow viewership.
It turns out Facebook may be an extension of a Department of
Defence program called Lifelog which had the objective of
collecting an entire persons life into a database, only thing is
it’s illegal to collect this data unless it’s voluntarily given up
by unwitting individuals.
the actions of the WSL over the next few months will show us
where their loyalties lie ,,,,with a multi national that knows
nothing of surfing ,,,or with your loyal fans who do not want
facebook . WSL , prepare to be judged
If you truly want to fix this dump facebook. It was a bad
decision. Stop the bleeding already.
Lemoore was not a popular choice yet you continue to blindly
press on with another event despite the tsunami of negative
feedback from the last one, Nobody I have met is interested in
watching another one. It’s the same with Facebook. No real surfer I
know gives two hoots for Facebook. Even those individuals who still
spend hours addicted to it’s pathetic memes and clickbait stories
don’t have a lot of good to say about it!
Only a dog returns to its own vomit!
Etc. Etc. Etc.
And here is my honest question, do you think this rage will
actually affect viewership of professional surf contests or do you
think it is all just lots of hot air?
David Lee Scales and I discussed this yesterday on the podcast
(listen here!)
and came down on very different sides. He feels that core surf fans
are raging but will come straight back to Facebook once their tears
have dried. I believe that core surf fans are genuinely incensed
and will refuse to return for a multitude of reasons maybe chief
amongst them is Facebook’s historic unpopularity (fake news,
selling data, etc.).
Who is right? Do you have a gauge on people spouting off versus
people actually changing their habits?
Or maybe do you think the World Surf League reads their own
comment section and will follow Ivan’s advice?
The sad truth is if the audience numbers aren’t there on
Facebook, the advertising dollars will stop and everything comes to
a screeching halt. The audience (read extremely loyal) that the WSL
built on their website and mobile app with the live stream was a
HUGE asset, it’s not easy to do, they could have easily charged a
premium for viewing without commercials (I personally would have
gladly paid) and continued to offer free viewing with commercials.
From there they could have expanded their content and created a
very valuable lifestyle network. Someone needs to come in and right
this ship.
Well?
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Buy: Wade Goodall’s Million-Dollar Byron
Bay Pied-a-Terre!
By Chas Smith
Great for writing or taking your pants off!
Have you ever thought about giving
up? Just walking out of your job, walking out of your
automobile lease, walking out of your home/apartment and starting
over in Australia’s bucolic Byron Bay? Of course you have. Byron
Bay is home to many sexy things like koalas and eucalyptus trees
and men who don’t wear pants.
It is also home to Wade Goodall’s ex-home and you YOU can use
your automobile lease money and forgotten mortgage/rent payment and
slide right in there. Let us read about
it.
Professional surfer Wade Goodall and wife Jane are selling
their Byron Bay hinterland home.
But they’re not venturing far from their current Bangalow
base.
The couple, who have two daughters Violet and Jane, have
recently secured a larger block just nearby where they are going to
a build a new house.
McGrath Ballina agents Braden and Andrea Walters have a
guide of between $1,075,000 to $1.15 million for its August 4
auction.
Wade, who was born in Bangalow, began surfing after watching
VHS videos of his father.
He was signed to Billabong when he was 11, spending over 15
years with the popular surf label before he broke both his legs in
quick succession.
He has been an ambassador with fashion label Vans.
The couple previously had a 1980s beach house at Moffat
Beach.
When moving down from the Sunshine Coast to Bangalow,
Goodall said “I’m surrounded by the most beautiful green hills and
there’s waves every day”.
Back in 2003 they spent $300,000 on a 690 square metre
Palm-Lily Crescent land parcel, set some 13 kilometres inland from
the Byron Bay coast.
Their home was built in the classic Queenslander style, set
behind a white picket fence.
The modern family home with timber floors and white decor
features a rear and front verandah.
It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a stone bench kitchen
and a study nook.
Bangalow house prices have ranged from $700,000 up to
$1,695,000 this year.
A tightly-held original Bangalow farmhouse, built around
1910 for the Fowler family, sold last weekend at $1.23 million
through Elders agent Duncan Lorimer.
The cottage on a 9133 square metre Fowlers Lane holding came
with a $950,000 to $1,045,000 price guide.
Steven Dover set the $4,575,000 record price in
2011.
That was lots too much information but guess what I did today?
After podcasting with David Lee Scales I had lunch, at Moto Deli in
Leucadia, with Jamie Brisick! He has been one of my writing heroes
for years and years and years but I had never met him until today.
He not only lived up to my lofty expectations…he far exceeded
them.
Who needs Byron when you have Jamie?
Oh. Wait. It looks soothing.
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Chas Smith: “I’m slipping into massive
crisis! I’m a grand failure!”
By Chas Smith
It is the most disturbingly honest podcast yet!
I have been here and there and everywhere over
the past month. Florida to West Hollywood to Venice’s own Abbott
Kinney, almost near Stab, The Inertia and the
World Surf League’s adjacent homes. Yes, everywhere except on the
Grit! podcast sitting across the reclaimed wood
coffee table from David Lee Scales. Podcasts require a physical
presence in the way writing doesn’t. I can write or give interviews
or write some more from a variety of places but the podcast means
being in San Clemente at the Surfrider Foundation offices at the
same time as David Lee Scales.
And that moment finally happened this morning. The sun shone
brightly, the air had that humid snap wherein it seems like things
can turn sideways at a moment’s notice. David Lee and I started
light, chatting about the Florida Surf Film Festival before he
brought up the deletion of my Instagram account @reportsfromhell
and the subsequent creation of my new Instagram account
@surfjournalist.
David Lee mentioned that friends and listeners had reached out
to him, re. the new account, concerned about my mental health. I
laughed, briefly, before admitting that I am truly in an odd state.
An overwhelming feeling of failure hovers over everything I have
done.
Failure, failure, failure.
How’s that for a little Friday the 13th pick me up?
Listen here! It is the most disturbingly honest podcast yet!
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Jon Pyzel and Matt Biolos by
@theneedforshutterspeed/Step Bros
