Innovation: World Surf League caves to pressure, adds 7th round!

The professional surf watching masses rejoice!

We surfers are an ornery bastard bunch who can’t agree on much at all. Can’t agree on which board is superior, which wave we should dance upon, if Jeep or Nissan makes a better surf car, when the Brazilian Storm will finally be over.

We argue and fight. Needle and cajole but there’s one thing surfers around the world, old and young, female and non-binary, constantly beg for in one, strong voice.

“Give us more rounds in our professional surfing contests!”

And it appears as if the World Surf League has listened.

The current Vissla Pro in Nick Carroll’s hometown of Avoca, Australia is a QS3000 and has 7 rounds before the quarterfinals.

I don’t know what’s happening in these rounds, as I am currently hiding downtown LA trying to make headway on book, but I assume it is very exciting. I also don’t know if the 7th round is common amongst the QS3000s, as I don’t watch them.

But I do hope that this 7th round concept is being road tested out before it is brought to the big leagues.

I don’t want any more surfers in the draw but I want many more no-consequence practice rounds.

Is it too much to dream that one day World Championship Tour events will take eight full days of competition to complete?

Is it too bold?

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Mariano Landa
Mariano Landa
7 years ago

No.

E-Wing Fighter Pilot
E-Wing Fighter Pilot
7 years ago

The next QS3000 in Brazil is rumoured to have 12 Rounds.

V3 Rocket
V3 Rocket
7 years ago

But Dante said there was only 9 Circles of Hell?

kooks_who_rip
kooks_who_rip
7 years ago

so many incomplete air revos

Paulo De Tarso Duarte
Paulo De Tarso Duarte
7 years ago

Hey let’s do the inverse!!!
Surf D-volution!
Let’s begin from final to round 1!!!
The real winner will be the one to lose in round 1 with the lowest heat score!!!

Party Pete
Party Pete
7 years ago

If you want to see more surfing – what about if something like 10 heats were all run at once – twenty surfers would paddle out, and all are surfing against the one surfer they were drawn against?

V3 Rocket
V3 Rocket
7 years ago
Reply to  Party Pete

Nah, commonsense does not apply

Party Pete
Party Pete
7 years ago
Reply to  V3 Rocket

Great for the viewers.

V3 Rocket
V3 Rocket
7 years ago
Reply to  Party Pete

Yep, I love overlapping heats (Pipe ‘18 is a good example). More action, better for the viewers. Don’t understand why it’s not more commonplace. If the waves are pumping …

WSL rule book states …
“WSL Commissioner’s Office will consult with the Surfer Representatives in deciding whether to use the Overlapping system where two 2-Surfer heats are sent into the water to compete simultaneously pursuant to the WSL Event Planner.”

So is the commissioner not asking the surfers, or are the surfers saying no?

Party Pete
Party Pete
7 years ago
Reply to  V3 Rocket

Definitely the surfers would be saying no if they were ever asked. Overlapping heats are good… in good waves and should be used more in any quality of surf.

Can definitely be turned up a notch, how’s this for a new rule to consider:
Royal Rumble of Surfing can be instigated by the WSL Commissioner by directive or consensus (where possible) at events where the surf is pumping or event is just going too boring for viewers. RRS means all invited surfers paddle out to the peak(s) and have a massive surf off. Pull backs, deliberate drop ins or multiple shit rides (including check turns on good waves) will be penalised by calling the surfer into the beach for the remainder of the heat. Winner is judged by 4 highest scored rides. Heat will run for 2hrs plus added time.

Doobalachy
Doobalachy
7 years ago

At my local boardriders everyone surfs twice it only fair

Dogsnuts
Dogsnuts
7 years ago

Test cricket aint got shit on a quey 3000.

ricmatic
ricmatic
7 years ago

Is there a way to make every round a “losers” round? Winning seems very un PC and rather distasteful.

channelbottom
channelbottom
7 years ago

I think I’ll have to repost this in every WSL article until…
Uh…

https://uploads.disquscdn.c…

Give peas a chance?

astro
astro
7 years ago
Reply to  channelbottom

That’s a repulsive pun, cb.

channelbottom
channelbottom
7 years ago
Reply to  astro

Like a fine mature cheese.
Savour the mold, the mites and the redolent odor.
Pair it with a carefully chosen Michelob Ultra made with Organic Grains.

astro
astro
7 years ago
Reply to  channelbottom

Bean thinking about this.
I think you may have caught a bad case of throbotomy.

channelbottom
channelbottom
7 years ago
Reply to  astro

Is it deadly?

Wilbur
Wilbur
7 years ago
Reply to  channelbottom

OR Visualize Whirled Peas.

mine.mine.mine
mine.mine.mine
7 years ago

Dam Chas it seems as though yellow beenie boys pre choke out comments lit a fire. Good on u!! A busy beaver one might call you.

channelbottom
channelbottom
7 years ago

They are clearly moving towards the viewers’ needs of a 24/7 HB channel where contest employees (CT) are required to work the beach for all daylight hours in any and all conditions 365 days a year. 12 hours ‘action’, 12 hours recap.

Bleach'd Git
Bleach'd Git
7 years ago

Is it too much to ask for one point per hour of competition? How can you demonstrate mastery of all Huntington beach conditions in less than 10,000 hours?

astro
astro
7 years ago
Reply to  Bleach'd Git

That’s easy, B.
To master HB all you gotta do is surf in any qs.
The addition of more rounds will hasten your mastery.

Phat-wan kerr
Phat-wan kerr
7 years ago
Reply to  Bleach'd Git

50 hrs per webcast viewer?

astro
astro
7 years ago
Reply to  Phat-wan kerr

Close. 1976 viewers x 5 = 9880 hrs

astro
astro
7 years ago

Was there any explanation of why they included a 7th R ?
I’ve been catching a little of this off and on but it just looks like your normal qs grovel fest.
The surfings been good despite the waves.

Nick Carroll
Nick Carroll
7 years ago
Reply to  astro

It’s easy! Seven is the WSL’s lucky number!

astro
astro
7 years ago
Reply to  Nick Carroll

By god, you’re right !
That makes perfect sense, Dirks exit strategy revealed.
Go like fuck for 7 years, add as much value as you can. Flog off !
WSL up for sale 2022.

Phat-wan kerr
Phat-wan kerr
7 years ago
Reply to  astro

32 surfers in round 1 and a further 128 surfers seeded into rounds 2 through 5. if they were onto it they would slide 3 non elimination rounds into it to really give the viewers that little something extra.

channelbottom
channelbottom
7 years ago
Reply to  astro

It’s the ‘7’ in ‘1976’.

Phat-wan kerr
Phat-wan kerr
7 years ago

where’s the brazzos? shaving themselves for the 6000?

Karl Von Fanningstadt
Karl Von Fanningstadt
7 years ago

More rounds means we’d get to watch the Keanu Asings and Ricardo Christies of the world surf more than 22 times in a year! Just what the doctor ordered! Yay!!

Phat-wan kerr
Phat-wan kerr
7 years ago

glad you mentioned Keanu. the commentators raised his name as one of the best backhand surfers of the era along with wilko who then backed the statement up with loss in round 6 (after a 5th round seeding).

Karl Von Fanningstadt
Karl Von Fanningstadt
7 years ago
Reply to  Phat-wan kerr

Say something you only said because you don’t have anything else positive to say about the surfing, and only after exhausting your comments about how much a “character” someone is, enough times and eventually people will start to believe it!
… Keanu is one of the best 1307 backhand surfers in the world!

Phat-wan kerr
Phat-wan kerr
7 years ago

I seriously considered digging up some footage to see if I had missed something but decided that it was the commentators who were likely stark raving mad.

Ghostface Braddah
Ghostface Braddah
7 years ago
Reply to  Phat-wan kerr

He did win France CT in chest high lefts…

janeausten
janeausten
7 years ago
Reply to  Phat-wan kerr

Certifiably insane. I watched a random 2 minutes of onshore dribble with a moron commentator putting down seasonal change to not factoring in leap years. An idea that needed to go back in the oven just to reach half baked status.

astro
astro
7 years ago

WSL. Est. 1976.
Believe it, cuntee !

Lolo
Lolo
7 years ago
Reply to  Phat-wan kerr

on home turf too..

Captain Planet
Captain Planet
7 years ago
Reply to  Phat-wan kerr

Pole question……
Watch 3 hours of Keanu Asing
Watch 4 hours of Adriano De Souza vs WIllian Cardoza
thats some Matrix like shit….

John Wayne
John Wayne
7 years ago

Thats harsh on Ricardo !

oceanyeti
oceanyeti
7 years ago
Reply to  John Wayne

Aeee, man!

oceanyeti
oceanyeti
7 years ago

I trust you’re being facetious or otherwise. Ric will continue not to disappoint when it gets heavy, just check out his last dance. Be careful which boat you throw Keanu Ass-sing into… Chur to the Churest, oceanyeti.


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