"...It’s also one of the most terrifying waves in the world.”
The countdown is officially on. The second installment of Olympic surfing is slated to run Saturday, possibly continue Sunday then go on hold for nasty winds to die down be we are here. At The End of the Road. Mainstream media interest in this Olympic surfing edition is certainly strong, what with it being contested nearly 10,000 miles away in French Polynesia plus the sheer magnetic weight of Teahupo’o itself to say nothing about the “deadly wave” narrative. Bleed, lead, etc. And while the aforementioned MSM generally mangles our Sport of Queens with it balky metaphors and past-pull-date cliches, New York Magazine just swung in with the best preview yet.
Writer Adam Elder dances between informing a non-surf audience while dealing with all manner of core surf fan vagaries. China’s Siqi Yang having “not been spotted by French Polynesian locals ever surfing at Teahupo’o before” makes an appearance as well as world champ Filipe Toledo exiting “early in at least three past Teahupo’o contests. He simply watched idly as big waves rolled past, and ended up earning low scores.”
Surf photographer legend Tim McKenna, who has called Tahiti home for 22 years and “knows everyone who has (and hasn’t) visited Teahupo’o in the past year to train” goes on record to state, “It’s such a scary wave that if they don’t feel confident, they just won’t take off. I don’t see them charging just for the sake of charging, thinking they can make a name for themselves by doing crazy stuff.”
John John Florence describes the gorgeousness, and horror, of being in that tube:
“It’s really hard to explain how amazing it is once you’re in the barrel of the wave and you’re looking out at all the boats, and the mountains, and the feel of the pressure in the barrel. It’s also one of the most terrifying waves in the world.”
Carissa Moore on the differences between the World Surf League and the Olympics:
The last Olympics definitely exceeded my expectations about how much bigger it felt than a normal event. There’s just a lot of people who don’t normally watch the WSL who watch the Olympics, and they understand what it means to win a gold medal.”
Surfing’s premier and only historian Matt Warshaw on being both a surfer and a surf fan:
“Contests seem so divorced from what surfing means to me when I’m in the water. But as a spectator, I really like when something’s taking place live and there’s something on the line. It’s fun to see who responds to that insane level of pressure, and Olympic pressure is just nuts.”
And arch surf website BeachGrit co-founder Chas Smith on being a recalcitrant jerk:
“The Olympics are definitely not a good thing for people who surf. I think if the Olympics really pops, it could cause another surge in participation. It’s already a mess out there.”
Essential, as Derek Rielly would pen.
news flash: Bedbugs invade Olympic cardboard beds in Paris while crabs invade pubes on the docked cruise ship at the other End of The World…
I hear Ashton took Gold at the Ozempics.
All of this conversation about the Olumpics is naive. Let’s do a pool on how many stabbings there will be. The French have a new group among their Citizenry over the last 10 years.
The Olympics should be held in Greece, and only Greece.
Something, something, appellation d’origine contrôlée etc.
Not only would the consistent inflow of cash to Greece transform the region, but da kine, l’dat.
Agreed! Athens in the summer Kitzbuhel in the winter.
There’s only one L in “instalment”.
But two in Lloyd Christmas!
Go figure !
Xox
I actually read this because were no comments, and i dont know what the fuck you are even talking about??
the entire article is about “BeachGrit co-founder Chas Smith on being a recalcitrant jerk:”
Esential!
Thanks for taking one for the team Tom.