Domination: Julian Wilson was the only
non-Brazilian to win an event in 2018!
By Chas Smith
It's raining Brazilian men, hallelujah!
Is your heart still pounding in your chest as a
result of Monday’s historic day of professional surfing? Mine
isn’t, thankfully, which means I’m back to my cool, calm,
analytical self. I truly believe, like Socrates, that the rational
mind is superior to random fits of passion. That man is greater
than the animals because of his judiciousness but I must admit to
being very… concupiscent on Monday, thinking that Australia’s own
Julian Wilson had a shot at winning his first world title all the
way to the quarterfinals.
Silly, true, especially when viewed with the white hot clarity
of hindsight. Gabriel Medina was unbeatable that day.
Neither Julian Wilson, nor any other surfer on tour, had a
prayer.
Medina’s dominance was simply reflective of Brazil’s dominance
all season long. Now that I have my faculties about me once again I
was able to go back and closely analyze every contest.
Brazil won them all, except for the ones Julian Wilson won
(Snapper, France). The “storm,” as it were, has arrived.
Now, some questions.
Will the World Surf League be able to maintain its surge of
popularity amongst the adult learner market if Brazilians win every
single contest next year? Oh, I don’t think adult learners are more
racist than you or me, but I do wonder if Wagner Lima’s Yelp
reviews might act like a drag on the entire
nation. There were many harsh words there. Many angry words about
etiquette etc.
Also, what do you think Jordy got for his year of end bonus?
This question haunts me more than others.
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The lady and the tramp! WSL
Update: Kelly Slater and John John Florence
get WSL Injury wildcards for 2019; Caio Ibelli feeling sad!
By Derek Rielly
"I disagree with the decision, Kelly used and
abused. Is it fair?" asks Caio Ibelli.
Well, that ain’t a surprise. Despite
everything, Kelly’s busted foot that functioned at favourable
events, John John’s theatrical exit mid-year and gadflies that
insisted Caio Ibelli take at least one of the wildcards, the two
world champions have been awarded the WSL’s injury wildcards.
Here’s the presser:
“It’s always a challenge when we have a large number of
applicants for a limited number of wildcard positions,” Kieren
Perrow, WSL Commissioner, said.
“We truly appreciate and understand the value of being on
tour and take this process very seriously. As it has for years,
this process includes an independent medical review board, which
assesses the applicants based on severity of injury and the impact
it has on the surfer’s ability to compete at the Championship Tour
level. In the case of 2018, all three applicants were deemed to
have severe injuries that prevented them from competing in multiple
events. From there, we apply our technical criteria and career
achievement factors – which include World Titles, career results,
prior year ranking, and ranking at time of injury. While all three
have strong cases, we have determined that Kelly Slater (USA) and
John John Florence (HAW) will receive the WSL wildcards for 2019
and Caio Ibelli (BRA) will be the first replacement for the tour –
not something we guarantee to a third applicant most seasons but is
deserving in this case.”
A Solomon-esque decision and I doubt Caio is anything but
thrilled with his place very close to the grid.
Midday update. As the writer Longtom has since
pointed out, Caio is very said, as evidenced by an Instagram post
that reads, after going through the Google Translate wringer,
INJURY WILCARD UPDATE: Today @wsl announced that next year’s Injury Wildcard will be
Kelly Slater and JJ Florence. Sincerely, I disagree with the
decision, Kelly used and abused. She went to Fiji 20 feet during
the Keramas event, stayed 3rd in the pool and did not go to France
next week. This is the second consecutive year that he uses the
same wave. Is it fair?
The two other replacement surfers on the men’s side are
Portugal’s Fred Morais and the Australian Bruce Irons-alike Ethan
Ewing.
The defending women’s world champ, Tyler Wright, who disappeared
from the tour mid-year in a still-to-be satisfactorily explained
manner, is the women’s wildcard. The replacement surfers are the
Australian Keely Andrew and Santa Babs’ Sage
Erickson.
Oh and more from the presser, which I’ve thoughtfully cut and
pasted here.
The 2019 WSL CT will be the primary Tokyo 2020 Olympics
qualification avenue for the world’s best surfers. The world
rankings at the end of the 2019 CT season will determine 18 of the
40 places at the Olympic Games (10 men and 8 women). The remaining
22 places will be determined at the 2019 and 2020 ISA World Surfing
Games, the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, and a single slot (each
for men and women) for the host nation, Japan.
Of these 18 places determined by the WSL, there is a maximum
of 2 men and 2 women for each country (e.g. if there are 3 women
from Australia in the Top 8, only the Top 2 female Australians will
qualify).
The 2019 Championship Tour starts in April and runs until
December. This is a year-long, multi-stage tour that tests the
world’s best surfers in a variety of different waves and
conditions. The CT schedules are listed below:
2019 Men’s Championship Tour schedule
Gold Coast Men’s Pro: April 3 – 13, 2019
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: April 17 – 27, 2019
Bali Men’s Pro: May 13 – 24, 2019
Margaret River Pro: May 27 – June 7, 2019
Oi Rio Pro: June 20 – 28, 2019
J-Bay Open: July 9 – 22, 2019
Tahiti Pro Teahupo’o: August 21 – September 1, 2019
Surf Ranch Pro: September 19 – 22, 2019
Quiksilver Pro France: October 3 – 13, 2019
Meo Pro Peniche: October 16 – 28, 2019
Billabong Pipe Masters: December 8 – 20, 2019
2019 Women’s Championship Tour Schedule
Gold Coast Women’s Pro: April 3 – 13, 2019
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: April 17 – 27, 2019
Bali Women’s Pro: May 13 – 24, 2019
Margaret River Pro: May 27 – June 7, 2019
Oi Rio Pro: June 20 – 28, 2019
J-Bay Open: July 9 – 22, 2019
Surf Ranch Pro: September 19 – 22, 2019
Roxy Pro France: October 3 – 13, 2019
Meo Pro Peniche: October 16 – 28, 2019
Hawaii Women’s Pro: November 25 – December 7, 2019
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From the own-goal Dept: The World Surf
League’s bizarre Mavericks PR debacle!
By Chas Smith
International media swoons while the World Surf
League stays invisible!
The sun should be shining very brightly this
morning in Santa Monica, home of The World Surf League. The best
day of professional surfing history just wrapped in epic
conditions. The new champion, Gabriel Medina, is talented, handsome
and theoretically marketable. He didn’t win by just hanging on. He
won by destroying the competition. By sending a grown man with
interesting nipples straight over the falls.
But another narrative is being squeezed through the lamestream
media. The story of Mavericks, what an epic day it was and how
there was no competition. Shall we read some headlines?
Surfers brave monster Mavericks waves, despite no
competition (ABC 7 local news)
Despite Mavericks delay, surfers still ride 5-story ‘raw and
rugged’ waves (SF Gate)
Massive waves arrive but a Mavericks contest is a no-go
(The Mercury News)
Despite really big waves, no Mavericks surf contest this
week (San Luis Obispo News)
Etc.
Surfline’s Marcus Sanders had the day’s best wrap (read here!). He
was there, trying to corral surfers for interviews etc. and had a
first-person view on the day. Let’s read a smidge?
And the spectral buoy readings would’ve never said in a
million years that Lenny was one of the first to paddle and shred
at 10am, or that he was joined by a crew of other young Hawaiians,
including Nathan Florence, Billy Kemper, Koa Rothman, Danny Fuller
and Torrey Meister, who were in the lineup from dawn to dusk,
bobbing around on a little boat in between making giant drops
and/or taking serious beatings alongside a solid-and-growing local
crew.
Oh it was wild, and maybe the World Surf League was correct in
not running but when some of the world’s best big wave surfers are
out putting on a show and the world’s media is starving to witness
the “biggest swell event in 10 years” doesn’t it beg for… an real,
honest explanation? Maybe their model was right but… don’t
you think the governing body of professional surfing would have
tried to get ahead of the story a bit?
Or market it as an “expression session?”
Or have a make-shift contest where people vote at home for who
went the biggest?
Or anything other than looking like Chickens of the Sea?
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Will Gabriel Medina’s sheer domination
hasten the return of John John Florence?
By Chas Smith
I've asked before but after yesterday's straight
demolition it is time to ask again.
Looking back on the 2018 World Surf League
Championship Tour it seems silly that anyone could have won other
than Gabriel Medina. Oh certainly many talented surfers rose as the
year meandered from Australia to Brazil, across the world to
Indonesia, South Africa, Lemoore, etc. Filipe Toledo proved himself
to be the most talented. Italo showed flashes of Occy-esque burger
domination. Julian surfed well but nobody was going to beat
Gabriel.
It seems as if he as harnessed a next-level competitive drive
and latched it to incredible natural ability (though not as natural
as Filipe’s) and Kelly Slater mind tricks.
You watched Jordy Smith go over the falls with priority in his
semi-final heat, didn’t you? Gabriel Medina willed Jordy Smith over
the falls and Jordy is not a wet-behind-the-ears fella either. He
is a ASP/WSL veteran, clocking time and collecting year end
bonuses.
The combination of ability, competitiveness and tricky business
means that 2019 will be his too. Who on tour can beat?
Oh yes, John John Florence.
While Gabriel was being hoisted unto shoulders, draped in the
Brazilian flag after surfing what many, including Steve
Shearer, considered the best day in professional surf
history; John John Florence was in Australia. Surfing some little
waves. Having fun.
Now, maybe his competitive fire has gone out but he and Gabriel
Medina both have two world titles and, if John John can muster his
internal forces, the fight between the two will be as good as the
ones between Andy Irons and Kelly Slater.
Possibly even better.
I’ve asked
before but now since it is over, it is time to ask
again. Do you think John John feels the burn or do you think
he is happy letting Gabriel roll of a quick four titles in a row?
It seems like something we could bet on.
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Gabriel Medina, one of the immortals! Steve
Sherman/WSL/@tsherms
Pipeline Masters Finals wrap: “The best day
of pro surfing ever!”
By Longtom
Or at least top 3 with the Final Day Tahiti 2014
and Smirnoff Pro 1974.
Best day of Pro surfing ever? I say yes. Or at
least top 3 with the Final Day Tahiti 2014 and Smirnoff Pro
1974.
Too much? I’ve watched more pro surfing than God himself this
year; sat through dreary round two days that made me want to put a
bullet through my brain. Been publicly shamed by the owner of the
Sport as a dream crusher and hater for doing my level, level best
to cover his baby truthfully. Forensically.
To present it to the public as a legitimate sporting activity
and not some rinky-dink two-bit marketing activity staffed by
semi-literate rejects from a self-help course. Through it all Gabe
Medina has laid it down, hard. A hard, uncompromising track without
an atom of safety surfing involved.
To see him surf four times at close to perfect six-to-eight-foot
Pipe and do what he did made me a happy man. Deliriously so.
The day had anti-climax written all over it early when the sun
sat low behind Sunset Elementary. It looked more like wonky Indo
than Pipe. Jordy won round four on the buzzer.
Medina’s first wave laid down a hard, high mark for the rest of
the field. Very deep, impossible tube to alley-oop. A dream start
that straight away had a whiff of inevitability. He sat closer to
the Sunset side of the reef, nearer the sand-bar, his genius for
finding his waves in full effect. His last ride was a high score
that gave him an early shower with a minute to go.
He told Rosie he woke early and “I don’t feel pressure”.
Compared to Filipe who looked like a shattered refugee begging for
clemency after his loss to Kelly yesterday Medina had an inhuman
look to him.
Parko started with a casual tube-ride to flyaway kick-out for a
six and never looked close to replicating it. Julian had what Pottz
called the “whereabouts” to get out of a barrel you could drive a
bus through.
Almost ten minutes to go and sets approached every part of the
reef. Parko needed a 6.45 to relegate Joycey. Would he throw
it?
Two big spitting teepees went through the line-up to gasps from
the crowd. No paddlers. Parko had already punched the clock and
timed out on his career. The clock ticked down on Parko.
“It’s all over,” he said to Rosie. “I’m so glad it’s over.”
Kelly looked off in heat four. Like the impact of yesterday had
taken it’s toll and his recovery was not complete. He packed
close-outs and surfed four waves for nothing. Thirteen minutes to
go and the GOAT is sitting on a heat score of 3.07, which was, if
I’m not mistaken, the score given to his miraculous make from
yesterday. A minor cosmic joke on the King, no doubt.
8.25 to go, Kelly paddles into a ledging Pipe wave and with that
famous no-hands-back-on-his-heels drop that makes you stop
breathing, pulled into a deep tube and emerged with the spit.
That’s the wave he needed. Australian and Brazilian judges
low-balled it as a low six but the low seen given by others puts it
as a high six. Duru has won the heat but Slater is through.
But the thing that needs reforming: the product itself, seems
impervious to change. Why?
Connor vs Gabe. Quarter-final two. Best heat in pro surfing
history. No? Come for me, bro. I’ll drop kick your acai bowl into
next week. Connor tested Gabe’s one weak spot: over aggression with
a tendency to interfere on the take-off of the opening ride and
Gabe backed off. Connor nailed a pig of a Backdoor pit. Then nailed
another, and another. Three dreamy makes to start the heat.
Gabe faltered, then again, and again. I would not call it a
“soft combo” but something closer to a chokehold.
Nineteen minutes in and Connor’s close-to-perfect heat has
sucked out all the emotional energy out of the largely Brazilian
crowd. They are silent. Charlie looks close to death. Like an
errant mosquito bite would finish him off.
Gabe sprinted to the crest of a ragged pyramid, whipped it, went
straight down and tail stalled into a big round tube. Came out and
threw a straight air into the light tradewind. I think, the most
outrageous display of skill under pressure all year. To that
point.
Paddling back out he sprinted straight past Connor Coffin went
over the edge of a threatening wave stretched out to Off the Wall,
did two flamboyant no-hands pumps and spiked the deepest throatiest
and deepest pit of the contest. Ten, no question. Awarded. The
camera shifted to Julian who looked, according to Ron Blakey, “like
he was trying to swallow an avocado seed”.
The crowd energy came flooding back in. The combo was reversed
with interest. Connor was cooked after surfing the best heat he’d
ever had at Pipe.
Kelly took a lot of gas in his quarter-final; against Yago, who
had looked, a fair combo of Rob Machado and Gerry Lopez. Even
though I hate Lopez comparisons, it’s true. With eight minutes to
go Kelly asked for and received a big perfect Pipe wave. The toll
taken would determine his next heat against Julian, who accounted
for Duru, it must be said, with the help of a Good God.
Semi-Final One. Jordy vs Gabriel. It was stunning, to me, that
even this deep into the comp, Julian was still a chance of winning
the Title.
What followed was controversial. It began with the biggest
broadcast fail of the season. A long ad break ensued, cutting deep
into the start of the heat. The broadcast came live on Jordy framed
by a rotund backdoor lip, emerging triumphantly. The broadcast had
missed three rides. Three critical rides.
Don’t call me a hater, or a dream crusher, Dirk. Those are just
facts. With a world title on the line, the webcast missed live,
critical action.
Jordy had amassed a heat total of 15.83 in the first 4mins.
Jeezus christ!
There were shades of Keramas, when a testosterone laden Jordy
out-muscled Gabe in a paddle battle. It was a rare primal
display.
And while the victorious silverback tried to digest his meal in
the sun Gabe paddled around him. In. Out. He looked seaward, he
sniffed the air like a terrier. He paddled right onto Jordy’s
shoulder and accompanied him like a guide dog does a blind man,
straight into a close-out, ditching his board in the lip and pin
diving from crest to trough.
That’s it, I thought. Jordy’s blown it. He bought the worst used
car in history.
Earlier, in his presser, Jordy had make a diagnosis for
success.
“Just 4 more great waves,” he said.
Yes, and he had already ridden two of them. But he missed
something vital. They had to be better than the other guys. And no
stupid mistakes. Gabe spit-roasted a double sectioned Backdoor
cavern with a highly technical outside knee stall. That stalling
technique he learned, and perfected at the Wave Ranch. It’s made
him the most technically proficient backside tube-rider on earth.
Or any other planet.
Was the score highballed?
Maybe.
Did Jordy get the mid-range seven needed on his next ride, a
double peace signed no hands tube?
I thought, yes.
It was a call that could have gone either way… just one of those
emotional artefacts of a subjectively judged sport when it
encounters the irresistible force of a human being making
magic.
Don’t be sad.
Jordy can be sad. But you have to earn the right to an
over-score, and Gabe did that. And then some.
Three minutes to go, I could not watch. I paced the halls. The
clock ticked out, Gabe did it. Cosmic justice restored. Or, as a
commentator noted when 49’er’s Quarterback Joe Montana returned to
the fold “the world is turning right”.
Kelly looked cooked to me in his curiously impotent semi against
Julian. The heat was there for him to win. Nine mins to go and with
priority, needing a four and he gave control of the heat to Julian
riding a toy little Backdoor wave , then spent precious minutes
battling to get back out. He gifted the final to Julian.
How’d you like that Final? I enjoyed, very, very much. Gabe hit
the gas pedal. Hustled the shit out of Julian and forced him into a
closeout, then threaded an impossible tube at Backdoor for a
sketchy make out the doggy door.
A make? Yes. Judges agreed. 9.57.
He threaded them front-side and backside and threw a little
back-flip into the victory wave.
Very fine. Best day ever.
That concludes the coverage. I’m off to get my skin cancer cut
out then a leisurely afternoon on pain-killers and beer.
Thanks for reading, it’s been emotional.
Billabong Pipe Masters Final Results:
1 – Gabriel Medina (BRA) 18.34
2 – Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.70
Billabong Pipe Masters Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.27 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.83
SF 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.20 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 11.17
Billabong Pipe Masters Quarterfinal
Results:
QF 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.16 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 6.93
QF 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 19.43 def. Conner Coffin (USA) 14.26
QF 3: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.53 def. Yago Dora (BRA) 10.17
QF 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.50 def. Joan Duru (FRA) 10.07
Billabong Pipe Masters Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.50, Conner Coffin (USA) 9.43, Ryan
Callinan (AUS) 7.93
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.90, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 11.93,
Michel Bourez (PYF) 6.57
Heat 3: Yago Dora (BRA) 15.97, Julian Wilson (AUS) 12.44, Joel
Parkinson (AUS) 7.77
Heat 4: Joan Duru (FRA) 10.80, Kelly Slater (USA) 9.20, Jesse
Mendes (BRA) 7.00
Final VANS Triple Crown of Surfing Top 5:
1 – Jesse Mendes (BRA)
2 – Joel Parkinson (AUS)
3 – Jordy Smith (ZAF)
4 – Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
5 – Joan Duru (FRA)
Gabriel Medina’s 2018 WSL Championship Tour
Results:
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast – 13th
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach – 3rd
Oi Rio Pro – 5th
Corona Bali Protected – 9th
Uluwatu CT – 5th
Corona Open J-Bay – 5th
Tahiti Pro Teahupo’o – 1st
Surf Ranch Pro – 1st
Quiksilver Pro France – 3rd
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal – 3rd
Billabong Pipe Masters – 1st
Gabriel Medina’s Championship Tour Career
Rankings:
2018 – 1st
2017 – 2nd
2016 – 3rd
2015 – 3rd
2014 – 1st
2013 – 14th
2012 – 7th
2011 – 12th
