Time running out to move through stages of acceptance.
Two-time World Surf League champion, and LBTQ+ icon, Tyler Wright is currently sitting 8th on the leaderboard, as the tour swings across the blue ocean and to Tahiti for stop number six. The Mouth of Skulls will host the greatest surfers on earth from May 22 through 31 for the Shiseido Tahiti Pro with surf fans around the globe primed and ready to open thread: comment live. The spectacle will, of course, be a preview of the coming summer Olympics when international sport fans will join in and be awed by the ocean folding in half, flashing its power.
Teahupo’o is, without doubt, one of the most striking waves in the world and Wright, who will be competing for Team Australia in July, opened up about her terrors in a wide-ranging new interview.
“Teahupo’o is a massive wave of consequence. It’s beautiful, it’s raw and it’s a wave where you don’t want to find out the consequences. You want to go in with a really humble and respectful approach to mother nature and what she produces,” she told The Guardian’s Martin Pegan.
She continued, “More than likely I’m going to be scared, but it’s being honest with that and sticking to what’s important for me in that opportunity, that’s all I can ask for myself.”
Admitting fear, of course, a fine and necessary final step in overcoming strife and while Wright will not be a favorite, what with teammate Molly Picklum and American’s Carissa Moore plus Caity Simmers in the draw, speaking truth will certainly be of great service.
Picklum, a fierce barrel rider who has tossed herself over the ledge and into history this year also declared, “Tahiti is a pretty scary wave. Our surfing team is really strong and this team is ideal for this location – the boys and Tyler are such good barrel riders, and this wave is all about barrel riding.”
The ball, now, squarely in timid surf champ Filipe Toledo’s court.
The 29-year-old, who took the year off ahead of the Olympics, will be representing Brazil at “the end of the road.” Unlike Wright and Picklum, though, Toledo has steadfastly refused to paddle into any wave of consequence. Also unlike them, he has taken a defiant stance as it relates to his historic 0.0 heat totals and being out-surfed by two geriatrics.
With less than three months until the torch is lit, will the brave coward have enough time to move through the five stages of acceptance and the possibility of not embarrassing his country on live television? Toledo currently finds himself somewhere between denial and anger. He sill must conquer bargaining and depression before arriving at the truth and putting himself in a position to overcome his fear.
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Or is this still all part of his master plan?
Big if true.
thought you wern’t a fan ?
Toledo seems to be spending this year off concentrating on his weaknesses. As per his Instagram he is working on his small wave game flying to different wave pools and small lowers!
I just hope Tyler’s getting enough oxygen
Tyler,s backhand isn’t much better than filipes, she has a much bigger mouth though
Dorian & Walsh in da tube.
TW & MP in da lube.
FT is watching as a voyuer…
He should spend a month at “the mouth”, in baja. Show these people who has balls!
A triple homicide with 69 different “articles” about it seems to be the best thing that has happened to the fuckboys on this site. Unfortunately we need a few dozen more articles about it until these microdongs will shut the fuck up about it. And even then… There are apparently people so attention-starved that they have 95 fucking THOUSAND comments on this site alone, no exaggeration.
Well, this is where I come for “articles”. My starvation is so deep, I too comment on beachgrit “articles”.
Fuckboy/Microdong is prob the best words I will read ANYWHERE today.
(1001)
Yes, we are all aware that the microdong fuckboys prefer echo chambers than real media. There are studies about you fools.
Why would you want to post comments where a diverse group of people can call you out for being a tool? Much better to surround yourself with like-minded microdong fuckboys.
I kinda like those words for you guys too, glad we agree.
Toledo is hanging in there because Taharu’u is the back up venue.
Media calls Taharu’u “a black sand beachbreak.” But it’s not. It’s a cobble creek peak that surfs much like Trestles but with better ramps and an air-wind into the rights. It doesn’t get big – the outer reef filters the swell. It has a permanent judging tower building at a community center that stares at the right.
If the Teahupoo contest window gets fucked by bad wind, Filipe can sleepwalk to his gold medal. Boo.
That’s dark. Real dark.
I am generally a well-wisher of Mr Toledo but if he is sitting on his ticket to Tahiti with no intention of surfing Teahupo’o then I hope he gets pummelled into whatever reef he next surfs, such that all his worst fears come true and he never again gets the chance to disrespect the noble sport of surfing by competing but never charging.
On the other hand, if he’s genuinely psyching himself up to do it then I’m sending him all the good vibes possible. Go get it lil’ lion
classic … was just listening to them
Rumor has it Filipe is even afraid to take off and dive in to any dish with Tofu, due to its uncanny pronunciation similarities in a thick Portuguese accent.
Did anyone see the Tracks infomecial? holy flip https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Sick. I think I’ll take all my money out of the stock market and put it into becoming a part owner. Those articles about Michael Peterson must be worth a fortune.
Do I get a Tracks changing poncho?
So edgy, so countercultural, so radical.
So poised to redfine surf lifestyle
Charlie’s therapist would work out all fears…minus the alcohol and hookers of course.