Former head judge Rich Porta conducts “surf progression seminar” amid sizzling charges of anti-Brazilian World Surf League bias!

"If you're looking for new ways to progress your skills and possess a greater understanding of the rules in surfing competition..."

The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach is now, officially, in the rearview as the World Surf League’s traveling show points west toward bucolic Margaret River. Joe Turpel talk of wineries, kangaroos, Jack Robinson’s backyard and the Bailey Ladder Leaderboard will soon fill the airwaves and shall we take a li’l peek around Kontractor Kaipo to see how things currently stand?

San Clemente’s Griffin Colapinto is, of course, on top followed by Australia’s Ethan Ewing, Hawaii’s John John Florence, Encinitas’s Jake Marshall, Japan, South Africa etc. and we must fall all the way to the sixteenth spot to find our first Brazilian in Yago Dora.

Yes, the land of order and progress once had professional surfing by the neck and it seemed as if there would never not be another gold and green champion.

Oh how the proud nation has fallen.

Or was pushed?

Former number one, and arguably the greatest talent on tour, Gabriel Medina set the world on fire, days ago, in his loss to event winner Cole Houshmand when he declared a fix was in and that the judging needed to get sorted in order to save professional surfing.

Surf journalists immediately pounced on a broader, ominous storyline. Namely, the World Surf League is sacrificing Brazilians for clicks.

Yikes.

Well, former World Surf League head judge Richard Porta, never afraid of the fire, took this very delicate moment to announce a “surf progression seminar” that will take place on April 23 at the Gowings Pacific Trader Shop in Coffs Harbour. Per the promotional material:

If you’re looking for new ways to progress your skills and possess a greater understanding of the rules in surfing competition, come along to Rich’s seminar where he shares his knowledge and offers invaluable insight to aspiring professional surfers on how to maximise your scoring potential and elevate your standards within local surfing competition.

Timely.

But do you think Brazil will send a contingent and learn the new ways or simply skulk off to the dark Neco Padaratz days?

The mid-season cull might very well lead to full-scale revolution what with the aforementioned Medina, Italo Ferreira and Brothers Pupo all in very much danger.

A day without a Brazilian.

Yikes.