Fall in love for the first time.
Make or Break, the television series that has all of endemic surf media swooning in porticos, fanning blushing faces, reaches its apex in episode three and who would have ever seen that coming? Who could have? Tyler Wright holds down the season opener, of course, followed by Gabriel Medina and his Brazilian Storm which leads us to “The Rookies,” namely Morgan Ciblic and Matthew McGillivray.
Now, in my normal World Surf League watching life, I am actively indifferent to both Ciblic and McGillivray. They are cannon fodder wasting time, swell, attention and their impeding cut passively welcomed.
But I will tell you what, following both of their World Surf League journeys, via Make or Break is more compelling than Wright’s illness, Medina’s torpor. Both have personalities, hopes, dreams which spark under the star-turning eye of Jay “Bottle” Thompson.
I was also indifferent to Thompson during his run on tour, though not as actively, but my goodness gracious. He glows on camera, glows guiding his charges through silly beach drills, glows talking, to camera, about his nickname, about this surfing life.
Leaving the episode with a place carved out in my heart for Ciblic, McGillivray, Thompson made me wonder how many surfers professional surfing, especially in its latest iteration of World Surf League, has made me needlessly dislike? And is it on purpose? Has the slow arc toward the mid-season money saving cut demanded our indifference which has, therefore, been coddled and encouraged all along?
Secret smiles spreading in Santa Monica every time we denigrate Liam O’Brien?
Every Nat Young smear?
I’m telling you, if you watch one episode make it three and you will grow frustrated with what we’ve been missing all along.
Live like Bottle.
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Ha, that intro!!
Thanks Bud, though considering even you understood what I was trying to say, I doubt there was much risk of confusion for everybody else.
What’s one man’s worth in the de-lauding of this unconditionally lauded hit?
Jay “Womb Broom” Thompson sounds better.
TBH, If I had the time, I might actually subscribe to watch it.
The WSL recommended a regular Nat smear as part of a healthy surfing regimen
BOYCOTT
Has as many event victories as Kolohe!
The show that needs to be done is on the Parents Medina’s Mom and Stepdad Charlie OH TO BE A FLY in the room when they were telling Gabe what is biological dad was like for all these years while cashing his prize money winnings…Kanoa’s gotta payoff his debt of being born til he dies the Jack Robbo’s Dad who in 30 seconds of on screen time is so cringe that Jack is afraid to be around him and the most telling was No Carissa AT ALL other than being shown in the finals and her dad isn’t winning any of the father of the year awards as well… All these Parents are so wheels off it truly is amazing that none of these kids haven’t pointed a gun at their skull.
At least you’re not moaning about it.
It’s like a bunch of choir boys who’ve been fiddled by a Catholic Priest down here at times.
They just could leave the choir but here they are knocking on the Priests door with their sexiest underwear on.
Fuck the WSL, yeah right.
Just watched the first 3 episodes last night. Reminded me why I love Tyler’s power surfing and switched my thinking on Gabby. The guy looks so human, how can you not like him…
Italo and morgs show signs of mental retardation and mcgivillray sleeping in the back of a Ute while being a pro surfer is telling…
And so, we now know the deepest secret and desires in our Nega’s complicated soul.
Sssshhh. Don’t tel nobody; Negs is Elon Ziff, the owner of teh WLS.
I’ve got the inside track.
That card game showed so much about Morgs personality. But I do wonder if He learnt anything from it.
He’s lucky he can surf as good as he does. Wouldn’t even cut it as a brickies labourer with that spoilt, sulky attitude.
Make or Break has done the impossible, making Tyler and Gabriel into sympathetic characters. I might actually root for her. And Gabe, that simpleton Brazzo country pumpkin, the guy possesses a sentimentality to make him tear up at any moment. His rep is as a hard competitor but his insides are mushy soft.
And Kanoa, I see him now as as a quasi-tragic figure. When will his pre-birth debt to his parents be paid? Apparently never. Somebody tell him about authentic freedom. That common expression on his face, it is melancholy. Things will get interesting when he hits age 27. Holy Jesus the pressures on Filipe! At least he’s finally venting to Ananda.
“Make or Break” -never have, never will.
Although I love actually surfing, I can only endure so much of WSL’s saccharine coated pap. Other than the occasional CT event, I have zero interest in their offerings.
Yet here you are, the third man to comment on Beachgrits 10th article about it.
So we should only comment on BG articles that fit our specific niche interest within the whole of surfing? Come on Negs, stop taking the PMS out on us. We comment b/c that’s what we all do together at BG. You happen to have a hard on for the WSL. Others don’t. Maybe b/c it’s a shit product–your own bosses have been saying that for years. Bobby Martinez called them out 15 years ago, and nothing has changed since he so did. Some of us are in agreement.
Bingo.
The demographic here used to show far more critical intelligence than the current trend of just yelling nothingness at the clouds.
Time for some rose colored glasses…
Or black colored glasses for Wozzle fanboi blindmen.
I look though Elo’s butt hole that’s how deep I am in this.
Such honesty does you credit.
Look its far from perfect. But the reality is Matt McGillivray sleeps in the back of a car at some events and the tour is somehow funded by a billionaire as a pet project for his Wife.
The tour sits in the middle of that and is about to get a run of events at A1 venues with a reduced field of surfers. All the while having camera’s mostly unwontedly rammed into their faces for my viewing pleasure.
Yeah I’m sitting up for that.
Second half of the year is going to be a step up from what we’ve seen so far, good swells at g land and chopes with both sexes out there and a smaller field should be very watchable.
Edit, and Gabby back to stick it to Italiano.
But Curren!!
I already have a pair.
If you can’t appreciate the masters, who then?
seriously…. you can tell he’s bought a ring.
Stop projecting your experience onto to me and get back to doing Yoga to prove you’re not a grumpy old Hippy to the Wife!
Well, those clouds ain’t gonna yell at themselves.
Brothers are WORKING here.
Nothing has changed?? My lord things are happening right now that I’ve been praying for over a decade. The cut! cameras in the judges tent! G-land is the next event!
And fuck Bobby, remember that comment from him was referencing the cut and his potential place below it.
It’s like a Che Guevara t-shirt on a first year pot smoking college student whose parents are paying his way.
Gabbys first yr had a cut. Gland used to be on tour. Cameras in the judges tent showing jack fuck all.
Season 2!!
So you bought into the show that ate the sport alive?
There’s surfing and there’s surfing as a sport and entertainment package.
I can separate them quite easily.
Nah, not watching Chassy, my ol boifan..
They’re all sponno cunts so fuck em.
Outside of Medina, none of the people mentioned surf as well as Curren did in Curren’s prime (still today even?), and don’t play music as well as Curren did/does (shout out to anyone who had this CD, which I just rediscovered on Youtube)…what does that say about pro surfing?
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
The Mermen
I think it says more about your shelf life than pro-surfing. Yes, Curren is/was great but he’s not on tour, I’d rather watch JJF surf and never ever hear another pro pick up a instrument.
JJF wasn’t mentioned in the article, Negs. My point remains: put peak Curren on tour now and he’d be top 10. Pretty solid indictment against how the tour is really not progressive, and fails at rewarding state of the art surfing. Do you disagree…?
Molly just did a turn that was better than a peak Curren turn .
You need to award yourself a pile of shit badge, Negs. Rewatch Searching for Tom Curren and tell me that Morgs or Conner were surfing better than that, to be at Trestles last year.
Currens is a once a generation freak of nature. The “tour” can’t manufacture that and Morgs and Conner most likely won’t be on tour next year.
Ok, so here we go…is it a freak of nature? If so, how does the WSL find such talent from oceans around the world and nurture it? Do they have a plan for so doing? Should they do the cut down to the top 6 and let them battle it out the back 1/2 of a season? Should they do more wave pools, to let talent emerge with all else being equal? And what does it say/mean, that 2-top 5 surfers from 1 year ago won’t even make the cut this year? That the judging last year was total shit?
Cue the cut and bar the surf off being at Trestles they’re about to keep me as a core surf fan very very happy.
I don’t care about finding the next Tom and that’s not the WSL’s job. I just want them to provide top tier waves, with that everything else will fall into place and outside that is just white noise and fluff.
If the judging is shit, do the waves matter?
Since the first two Peruvians stood up side by side on their reed boards, two blokes on the beach were in disagreement as to who rode the wave better.
So why should we care about a tennis tour with inadequate judging? Surely a metric can be developed and applied, to justify a tour worth millions?
It’s real simple. Score two 9.5 and you’ll most likely win. So go harder, bigger faster and don’t put it in the judges hands bickering over whether it’s a 6.2 to lose or a 6.5 to progress.
“Most likely win.” There’s the issue. Surfers have tried and been shafted while safety surfing wins. And in any world JJF and Medina shld win every contest based on what you just wrote…and Italo. So let’s see if they get it right post cut.
Safety surfing might get you though a heat or two but you won’t win the event. This goes from the WSL down to a local board-riders contest.
But yeah obviously good waves of equal measure certainly cuts to the chase for both the judges and the surfers themselves. The cut!
We will have to disagree. I’ve seen too much vanilla surfing rewarded over the years, and too many progressive surfers reduced to updated 3 to the beach surfing in chase of Fanningesque turns, to think otherwise. At least JJF and Medina and Italo have been our champs lately. So a small glimmer of hope.
you’re ok with Trestles too?
Reread my comment.
apologies. I was on a roll, you know, less intelligent commentor although you did mention history!
Not even close. Come on.
she got stuck half way through…. pffffttt….
I’d rather say better than hold the candle for what was.
History is how we got here, senor Millenial.
Reason Millenials hate history so much is because they learn what they missed out on and we didn’t need any phones.
It’s like scientists being jealous of the math that allows them to do their jobs.
https://media1.giphy.com/me…
Curren’s music is bad. He stunk it up at Kidman’s preview here.
Surfing, he is sublime. And don’t interview him WSL
Oh gawd that was awful. Love him surfyboarding but.