"It's about how we're driving the sport..."

The World Surf League’s Chief of Executives, Erik Logan, has been on the job now for a plus-sized handful of years and my how the time flies. If you recall, the handsome Oklahoman, who first came to surfing by way of Oprah Winfrey, began as head of media and studios before being promoted to the top slot. Those studios have since been shuttered, Jeep replaced by exciting ladders, the fifth best surfer an opportunity to win it all and a mid-year cut that sprays open-jawed surf fans with fresh blood.

Much innovation, though in an explosive new interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Logan telegraphs “seismic changes” just over the horizon.

We want to get through this year before we make any seismic changes. Once we get through 2023, 2024 is an Olympic year. That’s a good opportunity to evaluate what’s working and what’s not. And I think it’s fair to assume that we as a league will make refinements to these [formats]. We’re always talking to our surfers about ways to enhance the competitive arena… how we think about the finals formats and also the mid-year cuts. It made huge news and there was a lot of drama when it was introduced at Bells and also at Margaret River. The mid-season cut raised the stakes right in the middle [of the season] and it really drove more viewership and more engagement (including a 35% uptick in “consumption). And then the second year of running the Ripcurl WSL Finals was massive drama and massive stakes, when we watched what Steph Gilmore did by running the table and winning her eighth world title. It’s about how we’re driving the sport and how we’re going to make these improvements in the sport and having a smaller field post-cut yields all these other advantages.

I’m having trouble finding the potential for earthquakes in that tasty word salad but, at the end, Logan does say he “respects” Bethany Hamilton’s views regarding the World Surf League’s new trans-inclusive policy.

Very cool.

Evil has a name.

We are now two events into the World Surf League’s 2023 season which means, officially, three to go before the purposefully sadistic mid-year cull. Oh you certainly recall the joy, the sheer glee, displayed by the top brass leading up to the mass decapitation and the absolute pleasure Chief of Sport Jessi Miley-Dyer oozed when looking forward to re-watching the bloodletting on Make or Break.

Like a snuff film.

Well, the emotional toll on the surfers has been, more or less, kept under wraps, or at least until now, as Molly Picklum, Australia’s great hope, has shared details of the torture.

In a tender interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, the current world number one said it would “hours to unpack” the damage with her coach, Glen “Micro” Hall adding that she “couldn’t surf” afterward.

“There were these really fun little waves at a [Qualifying Series] contest in Ballito, just perfect waves,” He said. “But Molly just couldn’t surf it. It sounds like I’m exaggerating, but she just could not complete a wave: couldn’t stay up and finish her turns, couldn’t make manoeuvres she’d normally do with her eyes closed. She was trying so hard, had pushed herself so long. You could just see that she cared too much; she was trying to improve her surfing and compete and go to another level. That’s where the mid-year cut, all the emotions of it just bubbled to the surface.”

World Surf League sadism did not derail Picklum entirely, and thank goodness, but do you imagine the aforementioned Miley-Dyer, her Chief of Executives Erik Logan and gang have other tools in the dungeon to illicit pain from its charges.

A quarter-year cull, for example.

I suppose we’ll all soon find out.

"Steep seas" etc.

Anyone who has access to news is well aware that Southern California is getting pounded by a historic storm system. Snow falling at very low levels. The skies open and showering everywhere else. The Pacific whipped into a brown froth. It is not an inviting surf day and I would imagine only those attempting to set some sort of “consecutive day” Guinness record, or the like, would even be giving it a thought.

Even thus, the region’s hand-wringing mommy blogs are imploring the devil-may-care to avoid paddling.

LAist, for example, begins by leaning on experts, declaring, “Los Angeles County officials alerted residents to ‘bacteria, chemicals, debris, trash, and other public health hazards’ that are likely to drain into the ocean. The National Weather Service advised Angelenos to stay out of the water due to ‘gusty winds, large steep seas, and high surf.'”

And then transitions to pieces that appear on The Inertia comparing surfing to mystical spirituality.

Yuck.

Surfline’s San Diego forecaster describes conditions as, “A junky mixture of fading S swell with some WNW combination joining in means small to moderate sized surf out there. The current storm front moving through the area is dumping rain on us while gusty Southerly winds shred the surface conditions. End result is real junky and mixed up surf with filthy water quality.”

And the adds “The Health Board advises against all ocean contact during and within 72 hours following significant rains due to increased bacterial levels, especially around storm drains, river/creek mouths and other areas of concentrated runoff.”

Not bold.

But when it dumps rain what are your thoughts on surfing? I have heard that it increases the likelihood of disease by some tiny margin and nothing more.

Is that information correct?

Should I pass on to Guinness hopefuls?