"It's my oldest daughter's birthday today and I'm bringing her home the Bell."
The Brazilian journeyman Miguel Pupo, a surfer who has long struggled to keep his place on the world tour, has led the Brazilian charge, as they call it, or Storm or Hurricane, depending on your meteorological preference, to win the first-ever all-Brazilian final at the Bells Beach Pro.
It was the first time two goofyfooters had surfed in a final at Bells in 35 years, since Damien Hardman and Barton Lynch duked it out in 1991.
In fairytale scenes, Miguel Pupo, who is thirty-four and the daddy of four children, left the reigning world champ Yago Dora electric with terror and squirming like a bacha baz naked under his robe, easily winning the hundred gees or whatever the first place cheque is.
Serial weeper Pupo said, “I was dreaming about this moment and, at the age of thirty four, after fourteen seasons, if you’d tell me I was number one in the world today I would laugh at you,” he said.
Pupo said he’d been hitting the gym three times a day and only resting on the Christian sabbath.
“I feel like I’m living my career in reverse, starting not so well and finishing strong,” he said. “It’s my oldest daughter’s birthday today and I’m bringing her home the Bell.”
Cue tears etc.
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makes me want to get new teeth
Is this his first ct win???
he won chopes
I remember when the Brazilians started coming on to the pro tour in the late 70s
They were regarded as a bit of a novelty then but now they are dominating surf contests
Hunger
miguells bells…
Miguel = no hair bun
Hey. Can you ask Stace how much Mikey C. is getting paid to try and pawn off shit slater design shapes to stab members? Thank bru.
Hahahah will do brother
Looks like the wsl season started with a dud. I watched maybe 10 mins of this event over three heats I think. Checked in, saw the waves were shit, checked out. Wsl really would be way better if they just found a way to ensure it ran in good waves. Only way to do it is cut the tour in half and have events run in a day and then lengthen the permit windows to ensure you get a decent swell. Basically you’d have to sell a pay per view model with a season pass available for viewing and then market the post production to things like stab premium and maybe a Netflix equivalent. Seems that’s not at all the direction the wsl is headed in so I guess we buckle in for more seasons of mostly non title contenders duking it out in marginal surf for results that largely don’t matter. On to Margie’s
Brother. What you saw in this event IS what pro surfing is. It can never be anything different, without losing a tonne of money.
The events where we get 3 days of banging swell will always be the rarest of rare; as rare as it’s always been. Pro surfing, on a screen, by yourself is as boring as watching actual surfing by yourself. Only enjoyable if you have mates to chat shit with. Otherwise, best to just watch the highlights.
In this case the highlights are incredible, considering how average the waves were.
I half agree with this point. I think I’ve just totally soured on the grind and can’t be bothered with pro surfing if it’s not in pumping waves. Long gone are the years where I would have been frothing to watch my favorite surfers battle it out in slop. Also though, doesn’t pro surfing or at least the wsl already lose a bunch of money every year? I guess I’m just proposing another model that could satisfy that actual desire for “worlds best surfers worlds best waves”. The qs for the tour I’m proposing could essentially be the same as what we have now just underneath the elite tour that has longer windows and shorter event time requirements.
Surf was actually really good a few days before the start of the comp (have a look for the pre-event footge). Today (Sunday) the swell is huge though the wind is cross shore (SW instead of NW). Would have been very entertaining to see it held today, it’s way bigger than yesterday, and still in the event window I might add.
close call , but why not respect the going for it and landing it clean like silk
* Hardman and Lynch also surfed in the 1993 final Derek, though if I remember right, that might have been held at Johanna.
My experience as a judge (and a head judge) from club comps to national champs is that a Head judges play a vital role. When its smooth sailing they stand there and don’t said a word as the judges are nailing the scores. Other times they talk non-stop because the judges are all over the show.
Put simply, judges no matter how experienced will have differences of opinion or need help, reminder of a scores & manoeuvers. There’s a lot to take in with replays, waves still being ridden and pressure to get the score out in a timely matter.
A head judge helps bring a collective score to the table by adding comparisons, challenging perspectives or the status quo when needed in a calm neutral manner.
Yeah in an ideal world the judges are so amazing they get every score right. But thats just not a reality, as even here right now we have two experienced surfers disagreeing over a score. It’s the same shit just on a different level. I’ll admit to having worked with overbearing or over opinionated Head Judges (and other judges) but did I listen to them? generally not, experienced judges are fucking head strong. A great head judge really brings out the best in a panel and the scoring, a soundboard to give the panel confidence. It works.
Gabby is a better surfer than Yago, but in that heat did he tick all the boxes of the judging criteria? No he didnt. His 8.67 as sick as it was, was “just” 3 of the same turns.
The criteria dumbed down to its core is commitment & degree of difficulty, innovative & progressive maneuvers, combinations and variety with speed power & flow in the most critical sections.
The heat totals were only 16.33 v 16.17, razors edge close.
Gabby knew what’s up to get the win and tried a massive air two seconds after Yagos, that says it all to me.
Also if Yagos final wave had been justttt under, I wouldn’t have been outraged.
And either way I was entertained by two of the worlds best surfers exploding on not epic, but average waves.
I am glad you acknowledged that Gabby is a better surfer, which is CRAZY when in comparison to Yago, but that does not give him the automatic win.
It was a coin toss for me. Not a fan of the twirlys, but even Sally has trouble with em.
I am just stoked MEDINA IS BACK
Gotta keep in mind that Yago is one of the best free surfers in the world also. We need them on tour, it lifts the bar for everyone. The judging has to reward crazy “twirlys” or its back to three to the beach.
negs for president , ha
Coming Soon to a Bookstore near you-
From the Sewer to the Panel.
One mans inspirational journey of snaking drains to judging waves.
By Derek Rielly
Back to the sewer. Burnt out from the likes of soccer mums like @strayancunt:disqus crying and moaning about results.
I really thought you two had gotten over the hump.
Theres no hump to get over, just another day another hustle.
yeah but you have a historical Global view vs SC’s Gold view….apples and bananas……
What about Israel/Palestine, though? I hardly recognised you without you announcing it as the only reason you get out of bed in the morning.
Is this your 5th or 6th comment in a row about Israel/Palestine? In fact it’s the only thing you’re bringing to any conversation. Odd, as it seems like a complaint of yours.
word up
Medina is fuckn smooth as his arm pits and ripping.
None of this Pump, pump pump, pump, pump, pump bullshit.
Yago is smooth too
23 pumps later the whole wave is gone to punt like you hate so much… you know the ones who I am talking about cunt.
Gabby entertained me more
It was a good heat, and I was entertained.
Got a bit of Wilko charity root about it but what more can the guy do.
Couple of judging misdemeanors that I didn’t agree with. Marking Italo down because he didn’t ride out of it clean (apparently) doesn’t reward balls to the wall “progressive” surfing. Same as that insane barrel Kelly got where they gave it a 3.
Gabriel was stooged on the semi as well.
Cant see the forest for the trees.
I love it when they go crazy and push it.
Even if the they eventually make it out like Mayo in a crab salad, it should be rewarded
I’m not sure whether to say stop thinking or start thinking.
It’s not rocket science, it would be a 10.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Front
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
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10 bucks
I’m cool with it. With some of this shit brazzo stickers rolling around atm (zap or zag or whatever tf), I’m into the nostalgia of the Moramii. Shapes, vibes, familiarity with the JS’s. Yep. All good here. Carry on.
34 is the new 24 –
53 the new 33!!
“27 is the new 17” -Griffin C.
lol
72 is the new 22…said the senile 72 year old!
In your prime!
Perhaps I’m misremembering Gabe’s style but he seems a lot more fluid and relaxed. More rail focused and less focused on wiggle-wiggle-jump. I was very impressed with the lack of multi-pump bottom turns which so many people have.
he’s been like this for years.
And we all missed him
Someone get John off his fuckn boat, so Medina has someone to square up. Total opposites those two, but stick em both in a wave pumping heat, with Kelly on the mic
I reckon “Fluid” describes him so well.
No Pump Pump Pump
Have another look back at his JBay win. Has never got the credit for his surfing amongst purists.
I just self moderated myself again Negs and it wasn’t even that bad hahaha. I am trying mate xx
That’s how you stay out of The Hole, mate –
It puts the lotion on it’s skin, or it gets the hose again.