"Don’t let anyone get you down or keep you from achieving your goals!"
And this is the end, beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend, the end. With the cancelation of the Ok Pro Teahupo’o, we now have our official final five who will each be invited to the first-ever championship day, at Lower Trestles, wherein they fill fight to the death.*
On the women’s side we have: 1) Carissa Moore 2) Tatiana Weston-Webb 3) Sally Fitzgibbons 4) Stephanie Gilmore 5) Johanne Defay.
For the men: 1) Gabriel Medina 2) Italo Ferreira 3) Filipe Toledo 4) Conner Coffin 5) Morgan Cibilic.
Coffin’s run into the draw is particularly inspiring especially for the hardworking, under appreciated, work-a-day folk. A light blue collar hero like Bruce Springsteen before him but premium surf magazine Stab, still buckled under woke pressure, was frustrated by the turn, writing, “Connor Coffin fell short to Leo in the quarters but managed to smash his acoustic guitar into the back of Griffin Colapinto’s head. Connor got enough points this comp to take Griffin’s spot at Trestles, stripping him of the opportunity to win a world title at home. I’d love to share my feelings on this, but this less than appropriate YouTube comment does enough: ‘Connor winning lowers would be like a white guy dunking in the NBA.'”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSkGaqWlFND/
Condemnation was swift with Coffin, long a BeachGrit favorite (listen here), taking to Instagram and writing,”Stab, thanks for your continued ‘premium’ journalism, you could spell my name right. It pissed me off for a few minutes, but then I thought about all of the times people have doubted me, said I wasn’t good enough, said I can’t do something that I wanted to do and how I’ve always channeled it and combined that with passion, hard work, and love to accomplish my goals. In posting this, I hope it encourages you guys to use negativity and spin it into a positive and don’t let anyone get you down or keep you from achieving your goals! Also, I’ve known @griffin_cola since he was a kid and I’m always happy to see people I know do well in life!!!!”
Jimmy Wilson added, “Most NBA players can dunk regardless of ethnicity. That’s just a dumb reference. You and Morgan both earned your way to Lowers.”
Fioravanti, who beat Coffin in the quarters at Barra de La Cruz, weighed in, “Great post bro. You work hard and deserve being there as much as anyone! Keep it up,” thereby opening a deluge of professional surfer support.
Jack Freestone: Powerful words. Fuel to your fire brother. Can’t wait to watch you go mad in the event.
Conner’s brother Parker Coffin: MVP OF THE LEAGUE WAS WHITE LAST YEAR! nobody deserves to be more than you… fuel the fire with it !!!! LETS GO!!!!!
Lakey Peterson: Smash em at lowers Con!!
Seth Moniz: Most deserved brother! Fuel the fire and prove them wrong once again
Sage Erickson: You deserve that spot 100% best rail game on tour by far.
Johanne Defay: So pretty to turn that into good words! Gréât Spirit, amazing surfer !! #letsgo
Joe Turpel: Proud of you Conner!!!
Etc.
Stab, with a mission of being accepted by, and allowed to tag along with, professional surfers is certainly tucked under its warm down comforter, spooning Rocky Road ice cream directly from tub to mouth while hot tears stream down red cheeks.
Sad.
*Achieving points by pleasing judges with a series of turns punctuated by an air reverse.