Victory is nigh.
Last week, smoke unexpectedly filled the horizon as the World Surf League declared war on professional longboarding. It all began with a rumor that Santa Monica was considering decimating the longboard tour, slashing it from three events to one. 2021’s longboard champion and great polemicist Joel Tudor took to Instagram to demand account, illustrating how heavy the League leaned upon his favored dance in their promotion and how much better it did, engagement-wise, than its shortboard sister.
World Surf League commissioner and “head of the longboard tour” Jessi Miley-Dyer decided to respond, via letter, to all professional longboarders but willfully misrepresented the thrust of Tudor’s argument. Tudor published the missive and open warfare raged across the land interrupted, though, by a combination of Super Bowl weekend and Valentine’s Day.
How would things look at the dawn of a new week?
Well, it appears as if the World Surf League is nearing total defeat as a change.org petition titled Get the WSL to Re-instate the World Longboard Tour has begun circulating.
The WSL has decided that after a successful season, even during a pandemic, of the World Longboard Tour to cancel it and turn it into a one stop event. This was decided upon after not only crowning two amazing champions but after claiming that there was not enough “online engagement” (which is so far from the truth.
There are many reasons why this is disappointing. The first in my mind, is that while the WSL has made huge progress in equal prize money and equal events for men and women on the WCT, the women’s CT still has only 18 surfers so equal opportunity has not yet been addressed. Meanwhile, the Longboard World Tour has provided a home for women long boarders with women have huge ownership over the longboard tour and women longboarders widely being considered the premier division of the tour.
Etc.
Damaging enough in and of itself. Devastating considering it has been shared by Malibu heavy and heir to Miki Dora’s throne Jonah Hill to his 3.5 million followers.
Hill, a longboarder of note, will no doubt force the World Surf League to expand the Longboard World Tour by many events leaving Miley-Dyer ‘s reputation as a great tactician in tatters.
Where will the instrument of unconditional surrender be signed?
Somewhere picturesque like Reims, Germany?
At Rip Curl’s Torquay headquarters?
Hill’s Malibu home?
Other?
Much to consider.
Surfing is ” Surfing” on any kind of a board.From” knee- boards to Short& long boards.Period! People love all that has to do with surfing.Period!
Wsl lost credibility when they tried to get you to sign up to facebook ( I refuse to capitalize the name) to watch a live event.
A expression session with alternative craft, longboards , single fins , midlengths and all w master pros, average joes and celebrity surfers all surfing same local as main event and being judged by online spectators. Have it on off days or even nights. Coed!! Top 20 r seated paid salary rest r winners of local contest. Call it the clown tour. Have fun.
How dare you compare Jonah Hill to the late great Mickey Dora “da CAT” Jonah is a Hollywood KOOK . his dyed hair and beard miss represent his total lack of surfing ability…Jonah build a wave pool in your yard and leave real surfing to real surfers…
Absolutely the way to go. GoFundThemselves.
Why did they create a change.org petition when they needed a gofundme?
It’s hard to understand what’s equal and what is not?
What if the longboard ladies would have paddle out at pipe for the final when the short woman went MIA.
Aren’t they entirely entitled too the prize money on offer????
Achieve equality by also reducing the men’s CT to 18
Did he stay with you multiple times on Oahu during late 80’s, maybe 1990?
Jonah is toying with BG. Sensational
I’m told he offered to buy but laugh at the price.
Only pulls his wallet out for a purchase if it’s triple what chas and daz are asking!
I don’t think the WSL should prop up long boarding world tours (or midlength tours) if they can’t get sponsors. Maye Tudor should chip in with his expertise and salesmanship. Pretty hard to secure sponsors for a sport nobody cares to watch.
haha the WSL, once again, so far up its own clueless arse it can’t see its toes from its tongue up its clacker. I won’t even touch how pathetic the whole “online engagement” direction the WSL has gone down, including the Triple Crown.
Suffice to say, if the longboard contests (or any contests) aren’t generating the online interest, fix your fucking online coverage you cement-headed peanuts. I’ll keep it brief: your online event coverage is fucking shit and the only people who can stomach all the fucking stupid ads and promos and cuts during heats and waves are the foolish hardcore fans like us gritters.
Your online coverage is turning people the fuck away, not the longboarders/shortboarders/women etc.
I feel like we should take a minute to appreciate the even the petition creator understands the real draw. Do they have a picture of someone on a bomb in a wettie, nope. Some hottie in a bikini holding a board without a drop of water in sight. So good.
Gotta say I thought the Longboard comp at Kelly’s Pool was great. Justin Quintal’s tube ride was incredible the guy is a world class surfer.
And he’s been absolutely charging Pipe. Legit.
Where did yesterday’s article from a female pro-logger discussing this very topic go?! Seems like it was up for about half an hour before being pulled?
Oh give these cute but somewhat petulant children a dress up party and let them think that they are surfing.
Xox
Thx, at least confirming he is alive. I heard more that may explain, homelelss without a phone
A Tour fit for Kelly’s stank tank.
Jonah just got a bit giddy reading… “Hill, longboarder of note” that is gold!
There is a longboard tour? Amazing!