Positioned on the wave of virtual sport!
It’s not often that news this wonderful rolls across BeachGrit‘s Cardiff by the Sea desk so I would encourage you to stop what your doing, maybe find a comfortable seat and a pleasing thing to drink, before continuing. Put yourself in a position to savor.
Now, here we go, the International Surfing Association has joined World Archery, World Taekwondo and the World Squash Federation as part of the Global Esports Federation.
GEF President Chris Chan said, “We welcome the interest and support from the International Federations to join the esports community and work on evolving physical sport experiences in the digital age. There are powerful opportunities to collaborate with our technology partners through the Global Esports Federation’s #worldconnected platform and connect with the world’s youth.”
Esports are, of course, video games.
ISA President Fernando Aguerre excitedly declared esports have “a whole new relevance” in modern times, continuing, “We are optimistic the partnership with the GEF will help position us on the wave of virtual sport, fulfilling the ISA’s mission to drive accessibility and universal participation.”
Video games.
And if President Aguerre can peel even 3% of surfers out of the lineup and put them onto couches he would be hailed a hero and many statues must be built in his honor.
5% and the World Surf League has to be renamed the World Aguerre League.
Video Games.
Wonderful.
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
wow this looks like the intro to a new series for Surfline: “How To Surf Your Worst! featuring the key skills: Failing to Change Direction, Always Riding a Mid Length, Clumsy Paddling, Lineup Uncertainty, and best of all, Not Catching The Wave!”
Just looked at my local lake …. not today .
This Aguirre guy has lost his mind.
He used to be an hero, founding Reef Brazil and showing girls butts all over the ads. For the teenager a was… Just wore Reef shoes the whole time.
But that was late 90’s.
Then he sold it all and put the head into this s**t of making surfing popular, the olympics and all that crap.
Get back to nineties, Fernando.
More butts, less crap.
Can we have Jen See on Dirty Water soon please. That wasn’t a question.
Even better, can we see Jen on dirty agua
So the inference is they think we will take up gaming, archery, taekwondo and squash. They’ve overestimated us.
Fun fact! Sophie Goldschmidt is on the advisory board of the Global Esports Federation
(Joe Turpel voice) Always great to see Sophie’s name in the comments!
For real though, how psyched is she on not being CEO of WSL during the pandemic. Got out JUST in time.
This is just fantastic -this is the direction surfing needs to go.
Fuck the water all gaming, there is no sharks, other people, no dangers other than RSI in fingers.
Imagine the water cooler discussions around “epic” surf weekends all online???
That’s the spirit Tim !
So that’s what you looked like pre-tattoos, stuck in Oregon?
What about the G string bottom ?
Will Esurfers have a game console with a built in bottle opener on the ( G Stringed ) bottom ?
A gamer dies and goes to hell…
After one week, the devil goes to God:
\- God?! What crazy person have you send me here? He destroyed all the cauldrons, killed all demons, running like crazy everywhere and yelling: “Where is the exit to LEVEL 2!!!”
Possibly the love child of Wiggolly Dante Alighieri and Buffy the Vampire Slayer ?
Gamers these days have no patience.
Two thousand years ago, respawn wait times were *three days*
Should be resurrected .
Awesome! Imagine an update to Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer!
Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer 2: No Aloha! is the sequel to the original KSPS released in 2002, where you can carve (360) out a career in the gnarly surf industry, aerialing over your rivals, and making money! In addition to the standard score and task, such as smash the spongers or spray the windsurfers, goals, new challenges await the player in the new game, including compiling full clips to upload to Instagram (major sponsor get, because Kelly knows a guy), navigating Instagram trolls, making videos to play at city council meetings for scrounging up government money for your latest wave pool, greenwashing actitivities, starting your own surf brand (with associated tasks, like choosing where to manufacture everything, like Thailand or somewhere), finding yourself a Chinese girlfriend, and hobnobbing with washed up celebrity friends! New breaks have been added to the game from the original, including Lemoore, Chicama, the Box, Lennox Head (with a goal of smashing the ginger fisherman), Cloudbreak, Peniche, and Soup Bowls. Like the OG, which had Donavon Frankenreiter, Nathan Fletcher, Surf Freak, and Tony Hawk, KSPS 2 will feature several irrelevant pros and random unlockable playable characters, including Michael February, Laird Hamilton, Ashton “Bilbo” Goggans, Sal Masekela, and the dead Duke. The game is sure to be a blast!!
Fuk yeah! Where do I pre order?
With bonus downloadable challenges, Sal fighting off racist oppressors on the street, Laird searching for new creamer ingredients and Ashton learning how to bitchslap effectively while somehow, simultaneously defending and calling the cops.