It's an old man's world.
This epoch was supposed to feel different. Kelly Slater’s 40 year run of surfing domination coming to an end (save 5 – 7 wildcards per year) ushering in a youth bonanza at the highest levels of professional surfing. A new crop of rippers homeschooled on the best rights and lefts in the world grabbing the reins and steering the old horse in fresh ways.
Then it became suddenly clear that surfing is not, as once advertised, a young person’s game, on the men’s side of the draw, but a middle-aged man’s one.
But let us examine the Championship Tour rankings wherein 37-year-old Jordy Smith is some 5000 points above his nearest foe. The big and older South African has been dominant all year, winning in El Salvador and Margaret River with hometown J-Bay still coming up.
And let us also consider the Challenger Series wherefore 41-year-old Josh Kerr and 36-year-old Julian Wilson bashed their much younger opponents in the opening round of the Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest to advance.
Over 100,000 people have now watched Day 1 wherefrom professional surfing’s second tier enjoyed playful shoulder high waves in Craig Anderson’s hometown.
Josh Kerr surfed in heat 2, besting Brazilians Jose Francisco and Rafael Teixeira on his way to the Round of 64. Julian Wilson shattered the budding dreams of Connor Slijpen, Wesley Leite and Tenshi Iwami (from South Africa, Brazil and Japan respectively) on his own way to the aforementioned Round of 64.
The two will come up against the recently knifed surfers Liam O’Brien, Edgard Groggia, Ian Gouveia etc. in the next frame and things might become lightly more difficult. A question for you, though. Are you cheering the old heads along or bored to tears with the same tired song?
More importantly, will you be tuning in today and would you like a live chat?
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Window and door rep would be more their style.
At their level, there won’t even be any surf industry rep jobs available. Unless Daddy owns the company…
With a head looking more like a toe these days Jules won’t be getting any modelling contracts. Time to let the surfing do the talking
This morning about 7am on way to get child to school.
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Is this Kelly slater ? Name your child ! Goddammit
7am- where do you take them, school starts at 9.
I have to be at house for 7:20am to either take child A half an hour across town to a school which starts at 8:10 or hang around house after partner takes child A, to take child B to school nearby at 9ish.
Either way it’s killing my morning surf window. Unless I treat it like a heat and be a total dick to all around me.
I can’t stop drinking Piss.
hmmm, vanilla all round?
vanilla = plain/conventional/unexciting……ordinary…..
The questions should be asked how did surfing get to a point, where it’s World Champions which are decided by the WSL, are :
1) has the WSL enhanced surfings strengths, or been part of the Vanillaization as per Elo?
2) has the Comp system delivered the largest number of journeymen ever?
3) how many of the great surfing identities/personas , choose not to compete but become …ah soul/free surfers……..is it the change in social media?
4) has the demise of the big Surf brands , left no career path for aspiring, after contest career coaches/etc….no budgets/ minimal understanding of previous surf culture….wild/eccentric/creative/pioneering…….??
5) why is surfing the least technical sport in the world……as per Sam McIntosh who asked me “why has the Stab in the darks virtually had the same looking surfboards for the last 20 years….?” is this a reflection on the system or the lack of design skills ……..possibly a combo of both….but perpetuated by a Vanilla media that presents it’s version of surfing ,whereas once upon a time they just reported what’s happening/Journalism…..???????
6) does it matter ???
blaming stagnation in board design on the surf media seems a real stretch Moz.
It may have stagnated at CT level but my quiver has never been more varied or functional.
agree, once upon a time CT was the technical testing ground for all new designs like any other sport…it was the peak of innovation and where reputations were made or lost…..now it’s same old designs a few tweaks with carbon/epoxy/eps blah blah blah………..so for the first time in History( Last 2 x decades) ….all the breakthrus and design work is being done outside of CT environment……so surfers are more varied and so much design work going on in now what we call alternative/free surfing and also catering for an older demographic?
it’s because surfing was better back then – in the eighties, nineties and 2000-years. since then it’s just become more and more softcore.
It has to do with the new schedule. Still doesnt make sense to me. Adding pipe is great, but then adding newcastle a second time basically cancels pipe out. Gives another chance for mid tier surfers to qualify.
This is from the press release: “As both the Challenger and CT schedules transition into their new looks and seasons, as a one-off, for the 2025-26 season, the Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST will count twice in the one season, with Merewether hosting the opening and closing events of this year’s Challenger Series.”
The chicks were so average cept for the Brahitian
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Could but still doesn’t make sense
Newcastle also now on the CS twice for some reason.
But also 18 year old local Nat Fensom took out the women’s trials and subsequently won her first heat. Ladies leading the way as always
who?
The pride of the East End
Julian looking like Colonel Kurtz in that photo.
Just remember, wherever you go, there you are.
– Kojak
“You gonna eat that?” – Cujo
I thought it was Buckaroo Bonzai but he prolly got it from good ole Telly Savalas
Against the narrative from the box the truth was the surf was garbage. And within those parameters anything can eventuate.
forgot to include kolohe and Frederico Morais here. both are comeback kids and won first round
Yeah, I’d like to see Kolohe do well and MRod get himself a classic facesmacking wipeout.
what redeeming qualities does Chloe possess for which you want him to “do well”?
Noone chop hops like Chloe.
the omission was deliberate perhaps?
GENTRIFICATION HAS KILLED SURFING
I don’t think that fits into the general definition of gentrification as I know it. I even tried looking for an alternate definition that would help it make sense but I’m coming up blank. Not understanding how restoration of urban areas and property (even if you include displacing poorer people) could possibly have killed surfing. Its not a poor persons pursuit, too expensive.
What don’t you understand about it?
Property prices for living at the beach go up so working class people with families priced out.
Lots of wealthy boomers buying up the coastal real estate and diminishing vitality of surf communities.
Dave Rasta says the fastest growing demo in surf is the fifty-plus gal crowd.
no doubt- soccer mums with cash.
wealth effect in full swing from 10% YOY growth in house prices.
b-grade/babyfood spots now more crowded than a-grade one.
I call it the great reversal.
post divorce settlement pursuit, lots of anger release
What a coincidence. That’s my favourite demo 🫡
I just think its the wrong word to use to represent the concept. I’m not disagreeing with what you are saying, just the wrong word to use.
once it was just a passion…now it’s a sport?
maybe just a passing pasttime for some …
Two take aways from two heats watched. First…There are kids in the round of 80 that need to start think about the trades. Second… No matter the surf. Any comp is better without Joe Turpel.
Its all over folks. Name one young compelling surfer not named Caity? boy or girl. we’re done here, used to twenty off the top of my head.
It is a pretty sad state of affairs ric.
Not really. It does show that mainstream professional surfing is about to die after a long battle with cancer. Freesurfing is the future.
Im not so sure about that. I think its like one of those cancers that goes into remission…then pop up again… throw some radiation and chemo at it… remission…pop up again…. untill the following happens- The oceans raise to a level where its unsafe to be surfing them or the whole ocean becomes a floating garbage island. Even then it won’t be dead and will become fully pool based. The one thing that won’t change is the fact that the only people affording to pursue this career will be trust fund babies. Now there is an outlier and that is WW3. If that happens all bets are off.
Lately I’ve struggled to watch a full Nate slab tour vid or the rippers at bali for too long, but could watch a few heats even if it’s Joe commenting on 3 turn Main Break just cos I wanna see who’s gonna win :)… but I’d rather just go surf 🙂
We are currently in the transition period from Hawaiian clips to Indo clips. Gonna be a long summer.
Bronson Meydi and Jarvis Earle come to mind
Round of 64 in newcastle?. Bunch of random rich kids entering a vanity contest. used to see people like Julian, Parko, Dane from a mile away
Skinny kid who can’t turn and a potential journeyman.
Jarvis Earle is certainly an odd chick, but good on her for surfing in the mens. (Only going by WSL profile shot)
Occy
Right? Occy, Julian, Kerr, Jordy? Wtf gotta be a bizillionaire to get the beach everyday, These are the most talked about surfers RIGHT NOW, used to be working class, talent pool dramatically shallowed.
Footnote – sans turpell’s unbearable lack of objectivity and Kaipo gone – commentary exponentially better, listenable even.
I’d be curious what your definition of “young” is.
not 30s, or 40s
What about Haz Bryant, he’s 28 I think?
Top 15 at Pipe maybe higher?
Rick Kane.
Mickey Munoz.
Caity summers
Molly Picklum
Sierra Kerr
Milla Brown
Sky Brown
All of these have an X-factor that Steph and Carissa had, and more.
They’re much better ,and much more experienced, than any previous pros at those ages, other than the two listed above.
Sierra knocked first heat.
The two browns will not get within a mile of the CT.
Next.
Brutal but yes.
Gabby Bryan rips
but has no idea how to backside tube-ride.
God help her at 8ft Cloudy.
I know she should have been there this last swell. A world title hangs in the balance