Bombshell.
Though you would never guess from BeachGrit and its regular flow wildly salacious stories, surfing, by and large, is not very scandalous. Oh certainly, there is the Scandoval implicating Mr. Pipeline Gerry Lopez, world’s worst entrepreneur Kelly Slater lending his name (minus vowels) to yet another soon-to-be-struggling business venture, surf fans getting repeatedly burned by hot wax etc. but, otherwise, the Sport of Kings is relatively tame.
You can imagine my shock, then, yesterday, when I read a blaring headline declaring “Josh Burke banned from all surfing competitions for rest of year.” Immediately I began to imagine what horrible crime the Barbadian standout, and current number seventeen on Qualifying Series (according the the World Surf League), Josh Burke had committed.
The twenty-six year old was last seen barely losing to Brazilian champion Italo Ferreira at last year’s Surf City El Salvador Pro but what had he done thereafter?
Cold-blooded murder?
Absconding with top secret documents from the White House and failing to properly store them?
Deadnaming Elliot Page?
I then began to skim:
Josh Burke has been slapped with a ban from all local surfing competitions for the remainder of this year.
President of the Barbados Surfing Association (BSA) Paul Bourne confirmed the news to BARBADOS TODAY moments ago, after a meeting between BSA officials, the athlete and a representative, along with the Barbados Olympic Association.
Bourne said the disciplinary action against Barbados’ best surfer is with immediate effect following a reported allegation which suggest that Burke and coach Allan Burke left their national duties in Panama at the 2023 Pan American Surfing Games in a premature fashion while still in the competition.
Rubbing my disbelieving eyes, I read again.
…a reported allegation which suggest that Burke and coach Allan Burke left their national duties in Panama at the 2023 Pan American Surfing Games in a premature fashion while still in the competition.
While that sinks in, please prepare yourself for thirty stories on who reported the allegation, the tone of the suggestion, the scope of national duties and how pre the premature.
Bombshell.
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Bum-shell.
Rounded and dumps shit into your ear when you use it to ‘hear the sea’.
Wipeouts in the womens heats were highly entertaining
delegating responsibility is the key to success…
ring…ring…ring…WHAT? who? premature fashion…I gotta go.
Tennis drama, again!??
https://media4.giphy.com/me…
Lame
Please don’t miss any detail….
who gives a fig?
Zeke and the guy who beat him?
I’m saying at least 14 blogs before chase lets this bone go
The surf was shit and they decided to fuck off?
Do these middling surfers who spend what seems like decades on the QS actually earn any money or do they just have rich parents? I have a hard time believing anyone has ever purchased a single product because it was sponsored by “Josh Burke”, and he can’t be earning much competing.
I’m also shocked to learn of the existence of the Barbados Surfing Association.
The rich parents route has often been popular amongst competitive surfers of all grades.
P.S.
It appears that Josh Burke may have friends in high places, if he and the coach of the Barbados national surf team share a surname.
Nepo baby & pushy parent combo ?
Good point
Barbados is a small and pretty isolated place. I’m surprised there aren’t more people there with 2 heads
If they’re from the third world, they have rich parents. If they’re from Australia and NZ, they have menial jobs (many are surf coaches and lifeguards, although many work in surf shops and work as labourers in construction sites).
It’s all ok while they’re at it. It gets sad to see them once they stop… Starting life with no money, no education and no work ethic or experience is cruel.
Many have rich parents and many have very hard working parents that would do anything to help their kids pursue a dream. As they get older the QSer might work some to pay their way. Sponsorship can be for a marketing return and sometimes it’s a bit of charity with only the expectation of representing the brand/organization in good light. I’ve worked with very rich philanthropists who don’t even surf but wanted to pay for deserving kids’ boards. In the Burke case leaving early, if that was the only reason, wasn’t seen as good representation.
Why are you “shocked” that Barbados has a surfing association?https://isasurf.org/become-… Be prepared there are some countries that don’t even have an ocean as a border. Barbados though gets waves up to world class conditions and has some good surfers.
Many of these rich parents are living their dream through their kids. The ones that don’t make it become tradies, the ones that kinda make it sell real estate and then there are the leeches that always just somehow remain in the industry but add no value to anything – aka hurley t-shirt guy.
I’m shocked to learn of your shock. I feel like an idiot even saying this, but Barbados pumps, is the home of KS11’s purportedly favorite wave (Soup Bowls) — which coincidentally was the location of Taylor Steele’s ‘best surfing I ever saw’ segment on a site that is BG-adjacent — and has been at the top of every east coast US surfer’s trip list since at least the early to mid 80s.
It’s got nothing to do with the quality of the surf. That’s not what I meant. I just thought it was strange for a developing country to burn money on a surfing association when their best surfer is Josh Burke. Also, the fact that someone also named Burke runs it seemed bizarre.
Got it, I hear you…
A lot of the islands and other less developed surf countries do this for surfers. There aren’t always a lot of sport opportunities for the kids from those places. Places like Aus and the US have a bunch of Jr Olympic teams in sports that the islands or wherever don’t even have a way to participate for example most all the winter sports. Through contributions to the surf associations, the people/governments see the surfers also as representatives to encourage surf tourism. The surfer might not be world class but if his vibe is then other surfers often visit. Leaving early probs seen as bad vibes.
Reread the article, Bourne is the president not Burke. Burke is just a coach.
https://youtu.be/AsI2kzamcic
https://uploads.disquscdn.c… I just fell in love. Her name is Claudine Auger. Apparently she was a bond girl. Beautiful dontcha think.
Connery internal monologue “Duuwn baai, dauuwn”
Bro… Trust me. You dodged a bullet. She was bat shit crazy.
Aren’t they all.
Do the BSA hold any power when it comes to WSL competitions, or is this an ISA ban? Fuck the ISA!
Don’t encourage him Jimmy!
Don’t worry about it Josh. Premature event extrication happens to a lot of guys.
Premature fashion?
It’s about time adults were disciplined for wearing onesies.
called collect & checkin in with us from a Barbados cocktail party? told em: “I’m done dealin blow…!” find another sponsor…AA