Whiplash!

This whiplash. This on again off again, will she won’t she, love me love me not is JUST TOO MUCH! And let’s catch up on the action from the very beginning. Four days ago, World Surf League CEO Erik Logan released a statement declaring he, and five helpers, had contracted the dreaded Coronavirus. He very much wanted to make sure fans scattered around the globe new that he was ok and only experiencing light symptoms so posted a reassuring update. U.S. Olympic coach Brett Simpson demanded that Logan and helpers be incarcerated, the WSL’s social media became the very front line of culture wars, calls grew louder and louder for Logan’s resignation but then a possible break, a secret internal message suggesting everything had been worked out with the State of Hawaii and the pieces were in place to restart the Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons presented by Hydro Flask as soon as yesterday.

But it did not start yesterday, nor did it start today, and a new internal message, sent to Australian television subscribers, suggests that the WSL maybe painted a rosier-than-accurate picture to its own employees.

Here is what Australian television subscribers received:

UPDATE

Good Evening-

We continue to work with the State of Hawaii officials on lifting the event suspension. These conversations are productive, but we do not have confirmation yet.

With the swell declining further over the next several hours, we will not be looking at running competition tomorrow (yesterday).

Official call: NO Competition for Tomorrow, Tuesday December 15th

We will provide more updates as soon as they become available.

But what does it all mean?

Oh. I guess it’s fairly self-explanatory.

As of this moment, there are four more days left in the waiting period plus the women.

Is it possible to slot it all in?

"Think graphic shark attacks and Ellie-Jean Coffey nudes."

Stab magazine announced today that Covid-19 has forced the hand and it will be going behind a paywall. Per the lengthy missive from Sam McIntosh:

Stab going to a subscription is something we’ve talked about for some time, but when Covid rolled into town, 10 years happened in 10 months and our hand was forced. Google and Facebook take 60 to 70 percent of all digital marketing spend and we expect that percentage to grow. The sun has passed midday for ad-supported media. For those left it will be a race to the bottom, and speaking from experience, when you’re chasing clicks, you get lost in the outrageous and contagious. Think graphic shark attacks and Ellie-Jean Coffey nudes.

Outrageous and contagious.

The new anti-depressive.

But back to the news at hand. How does it make you feel? What does it make you think? A bold move or ill-advised? Apparently there will be some news etc. accessible for free but all films, longer journalism pieces, will be OnlyFans. Will you crack your wallet for the best of Ashton Goggans or take your business to Unboxing with Koa Smith?

I’ve so enjoyed trying to re-create the yellow journalism wars between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, with Stab as foil, over these past years. I think the Stab crew did not have the same historical perspective and, therefore, did not have fun but glory days nonetheless.

Well, the end of an era I suppose.

Back to searching for outrage and contagion.

Got anything for me?

Happy days are here again!

An anonymous message was just forwarded to BeachGrit’s Pipe Masters Covid-19 desk, an internal World Surf League memo, and let’s get straight to it without pomp nor circumstance.

Good morning everyone! I have an important update for us:

We gave been making good progress with the State of Hawaii, DOH and the other departments.

Please advised that we could come off suspension at some point today, and then go ON HOLD for a call today.

Depending on when we can go on hold will determine how fast we can run.

Just want everybody to be be prepared. We’ll update you as soon as possible.

The typos have been dutifully preserved which suggest very much excitement.

Remember, yesterday, when I said the contest would be up and running today?

Very prescient.

More as the story develops.