"Holding it at Lower Trestles year after year turned Finals Day into a low-stakes hostage situation."
It’s possible to agree, I think, on the following two matters as superficially contradictory as they may seem at a first pass.
One, the sudden-death Finals Day format is a terrific way to build the fevers of spectators and push surfers into hitherto unseen levels of performance.
(Think Stephanie Gilmore, unbeatable, as she mowed through the top five to win an eighth world title and scramble Carissa Moore so hard the five-timer quit the tour shortly after.)
Surfing’s most important voice Matt Warshaw let his opinion known last year,
As fans, we’ve been frog-marched to Lowers. The pros, I’m guessing—apart from Toledo who lives in nearby San Clemente, is scared of big tropical reef waves, and knows Lowers better than you know the opening lines of your favorite Taylor Swift song—hate Lowers Finals Day even more than we do.
The long overdue change to Finals Day will have a profound and lasting effect on the tour.
Toledo, for one, ain’t ever gonna win a world title ever again.
And it opens the door not just for Jack Robinson and John John Florence but, incredibly, to an old man in his fifty-third year and three decades after he claimed the first of his eleven world titles.
The road to Kelly Slater 12 needs a little grease, of course, wild cards, bigger than usual swells, and it’s improbable as all hell.
But, when has improbable stopped Kelly Slater?
Cue, eight-to-ten-foot Cloudbreak, and the last meaningful swell of the 2025 season.
Who would bet against a man who’s been surfing Cloudbreak for almost forty years, whose artistry quivers even the limpest organ?
Dare you to dream?
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It’s not just the Finals Day. Felipe doesn’t become champion without also removing 1/3rd of all the competitors mid-year (competitors who do better during the 2nd half of the tour than in the first, and can make Pips place 25th or 19th). Felipe hardly ever cracked top 5 in the years before FD or MS cuts unless there was a wave pool contest and/or John John or Medina was off from the tour.
Listened to Lakey on Connor’s podcast. After 12 years on tour she thinks she maybe wants one more season, max 2 before she retires at 30. She’s married and will think about kids then. She’s the same generation as carissa who is a couple of years older. Why would she want to keep going any longer?
The PGA tour just gifted Tiger Woods what is essentially a lifetime wildcard. Surely Kelly is worthy of the same, no?
No. I’m a huge KS fan and always wanted him to win when he was on tour.
But the time has come and the sport is ready to move past him. Of course he should be considered for wildcards in Tahiti, Fiji, Pipe and J-Bay but only if there’s not someone else who deserves it more. Maybe 1 or 2 wildcards per season of which one of them has to be Pipe.
That’s just off the top of my head. Maybe there’s a flaw in that thinking. But the tour is amazing now and ready to move on from him now. He got old. Real old.
There go my idle plans for a “95 Theses Nailed to the Door of
Wittenburg Cathedral2201 Rosecrans Av, El Segundo” pieceStill calling finals day bullshit , it could be held at pipeline for all I care , the tour runs a points and ladder leader programme , you get points you get the spot on the top and at the end of the season if you have earnt the points and are on top of the ladder your the season champion.
Ps not a world champion that’s the Olympics gold medallist reward.
That makes sense.
The problem for the WSL was that, in the recent past, you could get someone who clinched the #1 position before the contest started, or who could clinch it just by paddling out.
It’s hard to sell a contest that, in spectators’ eyes, doesn’t matter.
Maybe they could have no throwaway results. But I’m not sure how that might change the dynamics of the whole tour. Given fickle conditions, minor injuries, etc., that might make the tour a lot worse. It could force cautious, strategic points accumulation instead of brilliant surfing.
Many world titles by some of the greats of the sport have been won with “strategic points accumulation.”, as opposed to big wins throughout the season.
I like that. Maybe modern surfing needs something diffenrt. But I’ll always be a fan of the “league” format where a win in Brazil is just as important (when it’s all tallied up) as a win at Fiji.
Oh, it makes good logical sense.
They just want something like the Superbowl, FIFA World Cup, Stanley Cup, World Series, etc. where you have to watch the grand finale to see who wins.
Note that they have gone to real-time rankings, too. They really want to play up the competitive aspect of this.
Personally, I am only really interested in the great rides. If the tide and wind are wrong, I don’t really care about watching the heat that much. I like it when you could click through the results and see just the 9+ rides.
And the best surfer of 2024 was the one with the highest points total. If that was clinched early, oh well. That’s fine.
You’re right about what makes the most sense logically. But they’re trying to get more eyes on more heats. I can understand what the WSL is doing, too.
I think yes, it is not so fair to crown a world champ based on performance on a single day at a single break, even with the seeding and the top seed needing to be beat 2/3 times. But it is entertaining! And competitive surf is entertainment.
They are gonna parachute in Kelly as the surprise “final boss” that you have to beat to win the title.
That would have to be JJ now.
Your way would be throwing Kelly to the wolves.
have not looked at this other than comments but does that mean just final in fiji – or another window event and then final too?
2 x there be epic
I personally don’t think pips trophies are going to be worth the same amount as CJ’s.
Maybe if he puts them on eBay for a two for one deal but I still doubt it
Artistry that would put a horn on a jellyfish!
Xox
KY announcing twins? beatme , Gissele. and Mo’Nique…(external use only)
BIG BLACK HORSE NAMED>need octopussy?
Best $$$ move in WSL history. The cost of running a one day event with 10 surfers will be covered by the Fijian tourism board. So the super bowl of surfing will run in good to great waves for free without spectators or the need of them buying merch to off set cost of staff. This new CEO may be on to something even if JJF leaves and the new school girls take over.
Still gotta pay for the waiting period but yeah
Rumor has it Fiji is down to get the advertising.
Nek Minit final held in 3 ft onshore restaurants.
If there is an ELO the poo poo touch will make sure of it.
Will this bring Carissa out of retirement?
got her 100ton pilot’s license
You know it used to be mad love. So take a look what you’ve done.
claim a land grab and hold the harbors…hostage.
Absolute respect to you and the rest for not getting the Taylor Swift reference.
comment seemed reference-esque but i couldn’t bother to even party pete it. anyway, glad to have aced the test.
Triple over-head tropical death slabs!!!!
Cats Piss appr…..aah fuck him
They knew John was gonna bail end of this year so if shit didn’t change drastically it’d be over… more as the story ovulates….
Very difficult to contain a rare excitement.
Adzy and Tbone will be chairing MrMcGoatyPants for time immemorial.
You got all the letters wrong in that name, its spelt, Gabriel Medina
Who wants to go have a longneck with Fil?
Cause I’m guessing he’s looking for a tall tree and short rope right about now
Great move for ‘CT surfers… Horrible move for Kalani…
Don’t forget poor Lauz Flozz
she ain’t poor
Smartest decision by WSL since it’s inception. Interest was withering at Trestles.
Withered, I’d suggest.
A weak seed, to start with.
Do you know any good jazz jokes?
Xox
What’s better than roses on your piano?
= Tulips on your organ.
And what’s worse than a lobster on your piano?
Xox
Crabs in your pants?
Crabs on yo junk! Cunt!
Xoxo