“I just wanna say, our freaking watches weren’t working and that’s pretty heavy..."
Longtime World Surf League watchers know there is nothing the “Global Home of Surfing” cannot wreck. Be it definitions of progression, the very concept of environmentalism or trusty ol’ ladders, the World Surf League will somehow find a way to retard.
You can imagine the shock this morning, then, when the League’s much ballyhooed partnership with Apple Watches was officially nominated for a Webby Award in not one, but two categories. Apps & Software – connected products & wearables plus Apps & Software – experimental & innovation.
The collaboration was rolled out only last year, promising professional surfers real time heat scores and priority information, though not the time.
Former champion Italo Ferreira allowed the League his name and likeness, at launch, declaring, “The noise of the wind and the waves can sometimes make it impossible to hear the announcers while competing, and that means you miss crucial information. Challenging conditions can make it hard to see the beach and a priority penalty could cost you the heat, so not needing to rely on seeing the beach or hearing the announcers makes a huge difference and prevents guesswork. When it’s all on the line, scoring and priority are critical. You have so much on your mind at that point, so having an Apple Watch helps you stay on track in those situations and is a total game changer.”
The “game changing” aspect of the technology was immediately questioned after the first competition with Italy’s very handsome Leonardo Fioravanti shattering the Wall of Positive Noise, post-heat, sharing, “I just wanna say, our freaking watches weren’t working and that’s pretty heavy. My watch wasn’t working. And nothing to take away from Apple or WSL. I mean, what they’re doing is great, trying to bring in some technology into our world. But if my watch doesn’t work from start to finish and I gotta ask for time, like, I’ve been used to having the time on me at all times in heats. And we’re fighting for our careers so I hope they figure it out because my watch didn’t work from start to finish. So that’s pretty heavy.”
After that moment, the Apple Watches were never mentioned again.
But here we are on the cusp of history. And who do you think will except the Webby, if the World Surf League so happens to win? Will the various chiefs force Fioravanti to the stage, dressed to the nines in Gucci, as a form of public humiliation or will Erik Logan come back from the proverbial dead in order to taste that one last bit of surf spotlight?
The Webby Awards, for the curious, have been around since 1995 though have recently come under fire for “pay to win policies” and called a “money-making scam.”
The World Surf League would never.
Would it?