The most shameful display in professional surfing's history?
The World Surf League has much to apologize for in its nine-ish year run as the “global home of surfing” but, maybe, maximizing shame today. After a much ballyhooed equality push, the aforementioned WSL forced the women to surf absolute garbage after becoming too scared to put the men into proper Pipe. The ankle slappers an absolute affront to all but especially the greatest ever surfer Carissa Moore, who refused to “go to turns” in the elimination round and became eliminated thereby ending an illustrious career only momentarily tarnished by Ziff n co.
Ever classy, Moore declared, “I wanted more than anything to be able to put on a performance and share my love and joy for surfing with everyone at the Pipe Pro. Instead, I finished my last heat at home in challenging conditions with less than 2 points 🤪😅 Help! Haha. It’s ok. Like Ted Lasso says, “Be a Goldfish.” Everything happens how it’s supposed to. This is my favorite pic from the day and the event for me. Win or lose, this amazing man and his hugs are always waiting on the shore. Over the last 13 years on tour it’s his embrace that has given me the strength to walk up the beach with my head held high no matter the outcome. Thank you to everyone who came down to support live and tuned in online, not only today but this whole time. I love you and I am truly grateful😊💛.”
Ever shit, the World Surf League followed with the press release:
Women Surge Toward Epic Finals Day at Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI
BANZAI PIPELINE, Oahu, Hawaii, USA (Friday, February 9, 2024) – The world’s best surfers will now prepare for Finals Day tomorrow at the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI, Stop No. 1 on the World Surf League (WSL) 2024 Championship Tour (CT), after completing the women’s Elimination Round and Round of 16 today at the world-renowned Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu.
Today’s heats narrowed the field to the final eight women, seeing the five-time World Champion and event favorite, Carissa Moore (HAW), exit early in the Elimination Round. At the same time, the next generation made big moves to the Final Series in their first event of the season.
All of the former event winners, Moore, Moana Jones Wong (HAW), and Tyler Wright (AUS) were eliminated, guaranteeing a new face on top of the podium tomorrow.
There, again, was no surging. Only a disgusting and shameful trotting out of professionals into less than knee high waves.
World Surf League Chief of Sport Jessi Miley-Dyer?
You need to publicly say sorry.
On your behalf, and while waiting, I will.
Sorry, gals.
Noa Deane was right.
After 2x world title rip offs,…winning the year and losing a heat at trestles the (world.surfing.letdown)
Has thrown the girls out to do turns at pipe…what a shocking joke it has become.
This was all so felipe toleido would actually paddle out…..
Lol.
Ive followed the ASP/WSL Since i was a grom.
Today i delete the app and watch anything else…
Keep men out of womans surfing, piss off the lame surf off and crown the true champ and apologise to carissa… dumbasses
But wasn’t the problem that the WSL didn’t give Carissa the opportunity to be spit out by Pipe?
Funny, I thought it was a perfect ending of this phase for Carissa. No result, no great story to be defined by (maybe better than Italo beating Mick at Bells). Jeeze her whole life’s been defined by contest results. Yesterday was a tiny taste of the normal life. No need for people to gas you up (sure, they still were but), nothing immediate to achieve, just a crap surf that happens sometimes, NBD. It’s a swift clean ending to this phase and into a newfound freedom. New chains await, a kid maybe, or a bunch of em, whatever you want. Sleep in. Hopefully dad’s not still breathing down your neck to fulfill his own narcissistic dreams of greatness. Get on with living. Is your motivation and love still there without the cameras, pressure, and accolades? What happens when your own greatness isn’t reflected back at you in other people’s eyes? That humbleness, does it sustain you when it’s not pushing back against the idealistic distortions and projections underlings throw at you? Probably is, but right now you’ll still have to deal with everyone telling you the WSL did you wrong. Which is BS too. It was a mutually exploitative relationship with some good and bad, but you came out of it pretty well. Have fun enjoying a taste of civilian life before a couple Teahupoo contests. Well earned.
I dunno, which is better, a champion going out on a high note (like kelly should have), or a champion going out on a low note (like he probably will. Or if you are an aussie, like Don Bradnan going out for a duck in his last game)
NonJohn wants ELO back
She didn’t make the barrel.
We needed Jenn on this. I realize the waves were shit but that is why she should have written this. This recap hits the mark but Jenn was the voice we needed.
yes
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Of all the people for the Dork Ziff corporate cabal to completely s$%t on over the last year or so, they choose Carissa. Let that sink in. There is no line drawn by these multi-millioniare theives of the ‘CT tour on who they destroy. The questions I’m pondering in my head are:
1. Was this intentional or unintentional?
2. Who is next in their crosshairs to soul-suck and destroy?
3. What is going through Kelly’s head as he observes what is happening to an arena he once made shine? (when he’s not thinking about turtles and $100 blanket shirts)
Ke11y true opinion matters he has seen all the mechanics of pro surfing for more than three decades. He won’t go against the grain he is too deep in business with them. Surfing has given him everything yet he is silent regarding our uproars..
What’s wrong with $100 shirts? His target market regularly spends $300 – $1000 on shirts so him charging premium is just another day in the good ol US
I’m pretty sure those blanket shirts are a bit more than $100
Pretty sure that over half of OK’s client base are rich as fuck and will die with over $1m in their bank accounts (unless they’re one of the “lucky” ones that lose it all to the US healthcare industry.)
likely correct. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen anyone in OK clothing out in the wild. I guess I don’t run with the right crowds.
and they don’t set foot in an actual surf shop to pay for them…
WSL, you fucked up big time with Riss. Like super fucked it up. As fucked up as is possible.
You may have just jumped the shark.
And do they even realize it? Are they truly stupid? Or are they truly evil? Hard to tell at the moment which…
They are dumb as rocks
Nope. She’ll surf many more CT events in her life and will have numerous invites over the next few seasons.
Just think – people literally gamble money on this shit.
Not a fan of Nate Florence “bet online” sponsorship..
People gamble money on every and anything. It’s an addiction. The gambling; not the thing they’re gambling on.
Gambling industry gonna clean up trillions of dollars in inheritance from boomers’ offsprings as the boomers die off.
Noa Deane was indeed right. Hope the guys and gals on tour have an exit plan when this finally hits the fan. Can’t be much longer now
Carissa shines in power…others in slop.
It’s fucking abysmal beyond words. And Moana being sent out in waves unsuitable for competition cost me more money than I want to think about.
Somehow, the WSL are managing to completely fuck women’s surfing. JMD needs to do the decent thing and step down.
They are not just limiting themselves to fucking up womens surfing. They are clearly hellbent on fucking up all surfing. I mean how they fuck do you utter the words “too big” and then directly follow it with Pipeline. That’s fucken precisely what history has proven to be a perfect combination. But JMD knows best apparently. WSL is destroying surfing.
I don’t think they are deliberately trying to fuck up the industry they are employed by.
I think they are just inept at running it.
Maybe they were in fear of litigation but given they run comps in massive nazare, it’s hard to see this as being valid even if you take into account the water depth at pipe.
she should be fired.
so now we get to see what the young ones can do when it comes to pushing over a fat ledge, or getting caught inside on a nasty set.
looking at the list of girls left in the draw, it should be an interesting day. not a whole lot of Pipe experience there.
one of them gets hurt, Jesse can explain why the girls with experience didn’t make the cut.
Steph’s best ever. Don’t shoot the messenger
The smilie denier won’t say anything to carissa. She will do as she does, smile, and deny through omission. No mention of anything bad, praise be to herself as the self appointed patron saint of surfing. Yet, so deluded that she may actually believe it.
Or maybe.
She’s trying to tank the whole thing on purpose.
She met some cashed up surf business people on her and ELO’s tour, talking themselves up. They want to pick it up for a bargain.
On the wosl site it says the waves were 4′-6′ during Carissa’s heat.
That’s all I’ve got to say about that…
Like full on Orwellian right in plain sight. Wtf
Just in. Andrew Stark appointed new CEO. Mid season cut is gone. Final 5 at trestles is gone. Last 3 events of the year are Haleiwa, Sunset and Pipe. All loaded with extra points. Schedule structured so no one wins before Hawaii. Triple crown reinstated (men’s and woman’s). Pro Surfing thrives. R.I.P BeachGrit.
If only…
A fine piece of fantasy we’d love to be true… like Santa Claus, Peter Pan, and the Easter Bunny. The WSL is akin to the metaphorical turd, circling Dirk Ziff’s toilet bowl. One little flush, and off to oblivion it goes… down the drain hole. RIP Pro Surfing.
Copy and paste a social post, add a press release, throw in a few lame one liners, get AI to write you a click bait headline … and you call yourself a journalist? Instead of another shallow, predictable article with no substance – why don’t you use your talent to write something about the incredible legacy Riss will leave. This rhetoric is becoming lame.
Surf journalist, not journalist. It’s a bit of a long running joke on this site, in case you haven’t realised.
Thanks Jax. I don’t really care much for BeachGrits long running jokes. They guy writes, so he should write… any lame keyboard warrior can throw cheap barbs. Write something worth reading Chassie Boy
Hang around a bit. You’ll find your place pretty quick. Just bring some asbestos.
Oh I’ve been around a while. And paint stripper is more my jam.
There will be time for that down the road. Also, AI don’t write my headlines!
He can come after your prose buy not your headlines!
giving you 1k in upvotes I can go with my day now..
Exactly!
Yes, Noa was right. Bobby as well.
Well alrighty then. A well written article for a change. It’s still not as clear as it should be but the gist of the point you’re trying to make comes through. I really do wish you would change your prose to include less sarcasm, less über-intellectualism. You obviously have the bandwidth and talent to write well. Why don’t you? The surfing industry desperately needs some real, honest surf journalism. Or are you afraid you’ll get cancelled and join Lewis Samuels in the unemployment line?
Hey, hey, hey..
Nobody puts Chasy in the corner
Go to swellnet.com.au if you want real surf journalism
Brain told me so…
They have to churn because content is king. Writing decent stuff requires rewrites and late content is worse than no content.
I believe Lewis Samuels has a well remunerated career outside of surfing. And I believe that is very deliberate.
A tad defensive, not what I was expecting. Obviously he is doing well now in a career outside the surfing bubble. That’s not the point. He was indeed fired for his opinion pieces on professional surfers. No big deal really, just having a go at you. Have a great weekend. First sun we’ve had here weeks it seems.
The article is just the French fry. The real sauce is down here. Who cares what the fry tastes like??
Nice to have Eddie Haiku back.. Wiggly, Longtom, Carol absence has weighed on me..
He’s doing pretty well at Google.
Good writing is what books are for. Also, Lewis was cancelled by himself, on purpose.