“My intuition is not to attack, hurt, take into credit and judgment, but silence consumes me," writes Italo Ferreira.
Like hungry dogs with juicy bones, Brazilian surf fans and their world champs Gabriel Medina, Italo Ferreira and Filipe Toledo, have refused to loosen their grip on the outrage of yesterday’s Surf Ranch Pro decision where Griffin Colapinto defeated Italo Ferreira and Ethan Ewing beat Gabriel Medina.
Following his loss in the quarter finals, and despite winner Ethan Ewing being threatened with death by Brazilian surf fans, three-time world champ Gabriel Medina posted an open letter to the WSL complaining of poor judging, the defeat marking the first time in five events he’d failed to make the final.
“The surfing community, especially in Brazil, is mesmerized with the poor clarity and inconsistence of judging for many years now, but lately it has been even more shocking,” wrote Medina. “It is quite clear that judging is now rewarding very simple surfing, seamless transitions and have taken critical turns in critical sections off the criteria. This is very frustrating and is stagnating the sport.”
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This morning, Italo Ferreira, the 2019 world champion, and reigning world number one Filipe Toledo joined the chorus, perhaps missing the irony that Brazilians have won six of the last nine world titles.
“After a long day, of many thoughts, analyses, news and arguments, I realized that I am tired, psychologically exhausted. It’s not easy to spend 10 years swallowing hard,” wrote Toledo. “I’m a surfer, original and rooted, who grew up among real surfers, and fairness has always been one of the main points in my experience. That’s why I feel tired. For the love of sport, I’m still firm and strong. And now, I feel happy seeing the posts by Gabriel Medina, Ítalo Ferreira, and many others, who can still adhere to the idea that what we seek will always be the evolution of the sport, with justice and transparency. We want nothing but fair. Nothing beyond what is our right. We need our voice to be heard and respected, because, after all, we are the protagonists of it all!”
Italo hits a little passive-aggressive, as if a teen girl has hacked his telephone.
“My intuition is not to attack, hurt, take into credit and judgment, but silence consumes me. The surf that gave me and gives me everything I live by this if I need to prove it yet. My looks and my energy and what they carry says it all. On my part, surf, I give you my all. My devotion My day to day that only me, my team and my family know. And so we shall continue. In the moment of sadness, indignation, reverse and look forward, transform, inspire people.”
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Tom Carroll, Shane Dorian, world number two Joao Chianca and the WSL’s own Strider Wasilewski all thrilled by the post.
Now, surf fans have turned on WSL’s CEO, “sexy cocaine cowboy” Erik Logan, littering a milquetoast post on equality etc with a cavalcade of pointed, and mostly unhinged, comments.
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Hey Erik, how does it feel to be at the forefront of what will surely become the most shameful era of professional surf?
Money, fame and connections might look cool now, but eventually this all goes away and it will only be your name left as the person who allowed for extreme lack of professionalism by judges in this era of the sport. Please please prioritise the sport over people’s personal interests!! Please have your name be the one of a person who decided to stand up and do the right thing!!
The Biggest Theft in Surfing History, We Need Answers !!!
Yesterday was a sad day for the surf history! You guys are killing the sport
Dark day in competitive surfing history, no explanations whatsoever are going to make up for what happened
WSL should be investigate by police! Suspicious of manipulating results.
Zero credibility! This is so disrespectful. You guys are underestimating people’s intelligence.
You’re not welcome in Brazil.
What a Shame Erik! Manipulating results again? Dirty
Changes all the judges. That was a shameful day. Of cource you will ignore it but make an effort for the sake of the sport. And while you at it. Get rid off Strider. Even athletes are sick of him.
You’re killing the essence of surfing. FUCK YOU AND YOUR MONEY. W$L
how to explain to children that the surfer who surfed better lost to the one who surfed worse!?
Ruining The Surfing Competition! thousands of people are sad here in Brazil to watch the cowardly judges taking the scores of our representatives. Medina, Felipe, and Italo were STOLEN. Many people canceled their trips to Saquarema, many parents and children will no longer have the opportunity to see the competitions together because they will NOT attend anymore. The WSL is a disgrace. And you are not welcome in Brazil. If I were you, I wouldn’t even waste your time coming here because Brazilians don’t like dirty people like you and the shame of @wsl @elo_eriklogan you are a not welcome person in Brazil
A little over the top, yeah?
But don’t you think the WSL needs to tap into this drama, get a little fizz happening?
Or do you think, shutters down, ignore?
or just call him. great interview mat’l…
note to self: ‘quit surfing professionally’…start a brewery…split self-promos into free surfing spectacle waves and flash the beer logo in subliminal messaging…mo betta, surf with a beer in hand.
Gaia beer logo
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LZeI…
Time for LIV Surf
I say Kalohe should simply continue this couch surf tour on from lowers to the best spots in the world. Then we would simply forget about the Transworld surf league.
Wow. Maybe Italo was underscored a little, but Gabe’s chop hops were weak and the judging reflected that. They changed the entire judging criteria for these guys style of surfing and they still can’t handle the fact that we want to see surfing, not skating. On top of that the pool needs to be demoted to the nssa, or at minimum the QS.
Everytime they lose, brazzos claim racism. Joa’s been pushed all year and last year too. He should have never been in the US Open final last year over Geiselman. Zeke’s been underscored all year too.
US & Aussie surfers should Todd Holland-boycott the Brazil stop due to threats.
Yes Felipe, ‘10 years swallowing hard’ mustn’t be easy.
They’re on to something here. What else explain Victor Rivas not getting a world title?
Definitely the huge claims at pipe.
I’m actually tired of the Brazilian fans and their attitude that they invented surfing. Surfing has bent over for their lame surfing style and lack of finesse. They believe that they should win everything and if they don’t they threaten violence. They’re not classy nor do they travel well. I grew up in Hawaii and have traveled to many amazing countries and wherever they go they bring their lame macho attitude.
Lack of finesse?
Felipe at J Bay 2017 laying the RAIL to Jordy in the quarters. Best surfing ever seen there in a contest 17′ Felipe.
Definition of finesse applied powerfully
All we need is Kelly to finally retire, John to give up the pro tour for the bro tour and start scoring with Nathan, and gaby italo and Filipe to wrap a few asterisk titles up in shit waves without John around. I feel at this point enough of the foundation of the organization will have eroded to observe a full collapse
I wish the fans and pros would turn, Erik Logan has ruined pro surfing, ruined the landscape of what surfing is meant to be. Yet … it still stands, the WSL, why … money, greed, lack of heart, and the younger gens inability to to take action of any type.
Hell yes.
Why don’t these Moaning Minnies just fuck off and expose their tubes to OnlyFans if they don’t like the WSL teat?
/Devil’s Advocate.
Why they going in on Strider…!? Poor guy.
going after his pale ale…
I bring you, Exhibit A
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
I wrote an article about it here on BG at the start of last year and fucked if I can be bothered finding it, but it’s really fucking simple to understand this hooha of judging malarkey. If you can be bothered to look up the article, it’s all there, but the TLDR version is this:
The judges are using an incomplete scoring guideline to score waves. What the fuck does that mean? As per the graphic above, it means, per their very own rulebook, they have 5 categories, and 5 scoring bands, but fuck all in between.
Problem? No info, nada, zero, zilch on what actually equals a Poor, Fair, Good, V. Good, Excellent. What is the criteria to separate a 7.7 from an 8.3? A Good from a Very Good?
Nothing written, nothing set, nothing concrete. Just nothing. Empty boxes where guidelines should be crystal clear.
So waddya get? Guesswork. Every fucking time. I wrote back then that shit’ll hit the fan every contest coz it’s all guesswork, and guess fucking what? Shit’s everywhere!
3 words for you: Kayfabe.
Well yeah, but if the whole thing is staged, then you’d think they’d try to present the illusion of reality. That’s the beauty of magic isn’t it – we don’t know how they pull it off…
When you have an entirely empty judging rubric full of blanks, it’s pretty fucking easy to see why it’s such a shitshow year on year.
trippin o’er their Fitbits to tie their shoes with outdated bi-foculs, no binoculars, no replays, limited electricity & blackouts to remain carbon neutral, outdated ipads, too many acai bowls & sugarfull Red Bulls…while bowing to the management confusion of being culturally (in)correct…plus, according to the Brazzies: “all judges must be of…or not look like…Strider.”
SF: you got my old motor running…that post by you was one of the best ever! and being a spreadhseet-type guy (who took cost accounting to a pro level using Lotus 1-2-3), I found a stat breakdown by Surfer of the types of pics over 4 mags…ready to photo shoot it but have to charge the Canon T-3 batteries…we’ll be right back…
Cry is free.
Brazzos may not have won this comp but they definitely win first prize in the “all fart, no shit” category.
Will Elo burn his pip chest shirt in condemnation of being called out though??
preferably whilst wearing it
Let’s just keep putting the world’s best surfers on the wrong waves at the wrong time of the year and top it off by scoring them with extreme bias to fulfill some unknown agenda. Almost sounds like politics
The anti-Brazil suggestion is a bit silly and tired. I can appreciate the conversation about what is progression and whether it is being rewarded appropriately. If that is was the WSL is about, sure, they got robbed. Personally, I don’t think progression is the only thing that should be rewarded. But regardless of your view on what is good surfing, Brazilians have been dominating for the better part of a decade at this point. The poor Brazil line is getting old.
Nothing new here folks it all started way back when the surf clothing brands started sponsoring major events , Midget was forced out of the number 1 slot and Nat gifted the top postion and the brands started leaning on the judges to ensure top riders made it through to the finals.
The fix has been in for ever , the difference now is the WSL is doing the fixing.
How would the Glen Winton story play out in the WSL reality TV of today?
Or the truth behind the Occy and Tom Carroll titels
For every article on a science peer-review publication, there’s a million internet comments just to balance out humankind’s prospects of evolution.
* This comment brought to you by BREITBART! the source for real gibbering shite.
Ah breitbart – that shitshow could almost be a funny read, if it wasn’t deeply concerning and depressing.
Just had a brief look at their headlines – lol.
after reading the BG headlines for years (which drive the readers to look below & comment), my conclusion is…I focus my energy here! 50+ surfer/commenters that make the fake news seem real…and funny! I prefer the sarcasm & laughter over the droll and impending doomsday reports. (note: I even like Breit when he was alive; before he was shot!)