"Mi posi al cembalo, coi versi di Goffredo sul leggio, e strimpellavo..."
I was not paying attention to competitive professional surfing whilst abroad, I’ll just be very honest. Two contests ran during the not-quite two weeks away, an almost unheard of phenomenon, though I did not watch nor did I care. Today, however, I looked at the dynamic World Surf League Championship Tour rankings, stroked my stubbly chin and thought “Well look at them mele. Leonardo Fioravanti in second place with a fine opportunity to jump Italo Ferreira and claim the top spot.”
The Italian boy has always been a favorite ever since I met him when he was a literal boy on Australia’s Gold Coast circa 2010, or thereabouts. He was there, along with Kanoa Igarashi and Jack Robinson, getting rolled around as the future of Quiksilver. He had a mature quality, even then, looking adults in the eye when speaking, shaking hands firmly, and I thought his path would certainly lead to greatness as long as injury or various carnal seductions did not waylay.
Alas, the entire surf industry broke entirely down in the ensuing 16 years though even that did not bring Fioravanti low. Red Bull, K-Way, Breitling and Pirelli filled the gap left by the traditional surf houses, and now the 28-year-old is staring down the barrel of a championship. Tahiti comes up, after the July break, and he speaks French fluently, Fiji after that and he has quarterfinaled there before. He surfs Trestles well, the Abu Dhabi tank well enough, gets home-ish cooking in Portugal then heads to Pipeline where he has twice been the bridesmaid.
Yes, if I had money to bet, which I don’t, I’d place it all on Fioravanti for the win then spend the haul on a new set of Pirelli tires for my 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon.
Zoom zoom.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
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YOU?
Who are you? You have a brain on your shoulders.
You wanna hang out, and that is awesome.
You are the cunt changing your name so many times.
Just stick with 1 mate. Get some connections. You have a lot of knowledge and insight.
Give as a proper Name to call you, you can do it instantly on Disqus
Changing names non stop is tiresome and really a shit thing to do man.
Please list the reasons why you do such a thing….
It’s the new group of thin skinned Aussies taking over the chat ever since Negs left. Always known the Aussie boys to dole out heaps of shit talking but also able to take the same in return with all seen as being in good fun. The new crew here seem to be able to dish it out to no end but appear unable to take any iota of shit in return. Pretty bizarre cultural shift from the down under boys (more like girls in this case).
Note: only one I can think that is the exception is Bexy but he ain’t Aussie, just wishes he was. I was going to throw out a few other names but you cunts change your fake names so much I hardly know who is who anymore.
Say it barreled, I appreciate you <3
For fucks sake, you forgot the double l again.
Always
I hope you have worked out by now PP isn’t even Strayan and is fact another Seppo? There are three clear factors. One the timezone he posts from. 2 His Strayan writing “accent” constantly breaks down and any cunt from down here can tell its put on. 3 read the live chat wank about the frog yesty and he even says he has never voted. Nearly every cunt down here does cuz of the respect we have for our ancestors dying for our freedom and also cuz you get fined if you don’t
I have no idea what you’re on about now but I do thank you for proving my point, cunt. You might notice I didn’t lump PP (or whatever his name used to be) into the group of soft cock Aussies but is pretty easy to rile you up Cuntstable. Lighten up Francis.
I thought Bexy wishes he was a red meat corn fed right wing American.
I think in reality he wishes he was Tyler but sticks with the pretend to be an Aussie who wants to be a Seppo.
I hate to break it to ya but you are
euro american
As is every other white seppo and white anywhere in the world.
Yep ,you were almost euro mexican
You wish
Im as aussie as longtom
Your seem way more Aussie than Strayan Bitch. At least you can take what you give.
His fixation on mods makes me wonder if he had a dad
that’s a zinger
I don’t even have skin, I have an Exoskeleton being a “Highly Desired” seafloor cockroach.
Imagine if my Exo was black instead of a tasty looking Burnt Orange colour.
Doesn’t matter, Marron, with their Black Exo, tastes awesome too. We are all the same and taste the same on the inside….
And I would love an Expose on the thin skinned Aussies taking over the chat.
We love shit talk (No not you JackOFF)
And why the fuck are your taxes now being used to fence off your “Reflection Pool”
I’m enjoying your “stronzate” again Chas! Must be the Kurig coffee I’m sipping..
Not so new kid on the block! Current darling of WSL, but he’s a nice person and likeable.
Leo surfs good an pumps a 9.7 outta 10 goddess. Get over it.
If Leo is the best surfer in the world in 2026 then the tour and surfing in general is completely fucked and in an even worse state than I thought it was hahahahahahaha fuck me
I’d much rather see the style and power of Leo than Italo spazzing down the line.
Leo charges in the heavy stuff too.
.
Fucking oaf
Loved Italo when he first came on the scene EU leg. But yes his approach needs a make over..
Amazing surfer but nowhere near the best in the world for me. Heaps of people say they hate over coached surfers but Leo has been pushed by Quik since he was a tiny grom and has had everything handed to him on a plate just like Crynoa and Jack
Yeah, like when he broke his back at Pipe, soft.
I don’t really buy into these narratives.
Every one of these guys comes from a different background. Some had more opportunities than others, but they all had to work incredibly hard to get where they are, and they’ve all faced their own challenges along the way.
Leo literally broke his back at Pipe. Kanoa’s parents worked their rings out for years to support his surfing. Jack almost seems to have got where he is in spite of his lunatic dad rather than because of him.
They all still had to do the work — but the idea that one guy is some pure underdog while the others aren’t just doesn’t stack up.
Sorry Trev thats absolute nonsense and you cannot compare the likes of those three who travelled the world getting shown the ropes by Quik team riders to someone like a Callum Robson who has pretty much self funded his career. The three of them have been coming here since they were groms and getting called into waves behind the rock and getting special treatment that most others could only dream of. Same happened all round the world
This is almost certainly true for everyone on tour from a young age once their talent was identified. I don’t know the exact history of Cal Robbo but would be surprised if he wasn’t on Bong, RC or Quik when he was young.
I think he was on Mad Huey’s when he first qualified and he left them thinking he would pick up a big sponsor which never happened.
Anyhoo, we don’t live in an equal society. Some are lucky to be born into advantage but with pro surfing (like most things) you still need to work hard to be successful
Not disputing ya have to work hard but the “chosen ones” or these days the kids from wealthy families have a massive advantage over some of the others. Like ya say that is life but those three were literally chosen for “greatness” by Quik when in their early teens and I can tell ya that is not normal in the slightest
It’s not normal but it’s not an accident. They were picked for their potential to be winners and sell boardies. Kanoa still on Quik probably had the best ROI given his profile in Japan.
So you now believe the narrative? Some surfers are “chosen” for a myriad of reasons over others and clearly have a huge advantage. Callum was playing mostly footy until he was around 15 and maybe google what my mate Crewsy had to battle with to achieve his goal of getting on tour. There are very fucking clearly underdogs on tour and to suggest otherwise is idiotic. Kanoa, Leo, Jack, Erin and others have literally been bred to be tour surfers from a young age
Chosen based on potential. They are not picked randomly or due to their family.
Are we saying the same about JJF? He had a huge advantage growing up at Pipe but what makes him special is more than that. You can have all the advantages in the world but you still have to put your head down and push over the ledge at pipe
It is easier to push over the ledge at Cloudies, Chopes and Pipe when you have been going there as part of a team from your young teens and know the lineup etc compared to your first proper surf there being in a heat hahaha
True. You could say the same for any professional athlete but they all come up through the ranks to get where they are and ultimately only successful if they have the talent and the drive. Look at KS as an example, had a tough childhood but was identified as a future star from young and given a lot of opportunity, we don’t hold that against him.
The other sport/activity I follow closely is snowboarding, have you heard of Travis Rice? He grew up in Jackson Hole and his Dad was a ski patroller and because of that Travis was on the mountain a lot more than your average kid. Jackson Hole is a gnarly mountain, bit like growing up on the North Shore. He had a big advantage to grow up there but there are thousands of kids who grow up in the mountains or at the beach who don’t become pros. You gotta have the drive and the gumption.
Hey Negsnuts are you really the new mod cuz I was reading the beginning of the lice chat and can’t work out of you’re talking the piss or not haha? If you are do ya have any advice or shall I just go lock myself up in solitary and snap the key haha. Most importantly don’t turn into a power crazed, smug cunt cuz you’re far too lovely for that bruz xx
Oh and what’s the go with the live chat cuz I gave up reading through it cuz it was full of shit about a frog and political wank? I always thought politics was a massive no no on the live chat?
c’mon chas and DR…… https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/22/gazas-surfers-seek-solace-from-war-in-the-mediterranean-sea
Damnit Brutus
If Leo continues to wyn
More surfers will be going to the gym –
most already do.
They aren’t on the same programme – Leo is the fittest surfer on tour
I’ve been on a comedic decline recently…and your attempts at it makes it oh so much worse. Like a fucking wasteland.
He’s definitely paid his dues , been underscored and kept a good attitude imo over his career this far. Belly Slater hyped him up a bit. He’s a good pick for the title..maybe. I wish him well. Yew! Would love to see him smash the brazzos.
Leo seems a full on “Pretty Rich Boy” but he fuckn backs it up, and seems cool.
Unfortunately so does Kanoa, but not anywhere near Leo levels…
Imagine being Italian and telling your parent “I want to be a Pro Surfer…”
Negs is currently in 1st for Brazil.
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I wish him well. I hope he comes back and comments. I love the conflict.
He seems to have deleted the BEACHGRIT team From the Fantasy Tour just after you and Plastic Explosive joined…
Crikey
Have you checked your undies?
Don’t wear em.
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Dunno why Negatron just upped and paddled away from everything, when he said he was gonna be part of the reckless crew now.
It is not like cunts are now posting pics of their bloody shits or anything…
Dognuts seems a good replacement.
He knows when it is time to stick his nose into shit
Hey you wanted an accurate and condensed version of todays comp, you got it.
That summed it up perfectly, a full on bloody shitshow, prove me wrong.
Dognuts only got to be MOD for the day because he posted first in the live chat, and self proclaimed it. And everyone accepted it and ran with it.
Maybe that is the essence of Community Moderation….Who ever posts first on the live chat gets to MOD? It is an Honorary Role after all.
I mean he had no MOD powers, but he could still tell the naughty people off.
There was fuck all bloody shit posting or any “Unnecessary” animal cruelty going on (As Derek requested) except from a few offenders…
Until all the Frog shit, where Dognuts succumbed to Jetlag…
Guilty as charged.
Someone had to test the boundary fences….
You could have been banned at any moment, checking for weakness…
Thanks to your suicidal work, it seems “THERE IS NO FENCE” and we are free to go anywhere…
Even though there is no fence anymore, I myself choose not to cross the boundary.
Just be a good cunt?
Shit cunts are still cool though. So much advice for your Diet.
I reckon that Rate my Poo is the fence though.
Words and Pictures are different.
Also, SC we do not need to be mentioning Pickle photos until some unhinged cunt ruins it for everyone….
Omg, I love it. Bless.
Xox
You were the best Moderator ever for the day, till I realised…
Respect my authority, you want to miss the Pacific leg?
Xox
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T.d.i. Jetta?
Does California do diesels?
More than likely a petrol car.
Pirelli so make some sweet tyres, though. Cost as much as a car around here. Fuckin shipping and taxes.
They sold them in Ca in 2013
Not sure where you got your grading system from.
But any surfer outside the top 5 or even the top 10 is not a B-grade surfer. Unless you’re only counting the 34 surfers on tour and giving them all a rating right down to F for those who get relegated.
Leo is as A-surfer as any surfer I’ve seen on tour over the last 18 months, minus the macking air game of the Brazilians and Griff. He’s a proper power surfer with good style. That makes him a an A in my eyes
🤩 🥰
he looks and is getting better results than the Australians/USA……so is it him …or a dip in talent in OZ/USA?
How can that be so with our high performance centre, and high performance coaches, and high performance beach filmers, and high performance helicopter parents, and high performance home schooling?!?
haha…maybe some of the support ….is NOT high performance and just jobs for the boys??
Absolute fucking joke bruz
I’m blaming the food we consume..
Got snaked in the Melbourne tank by one ha! In the tank!
Xox
Not many can say that. Legend!
One in the tank, one in the the stank!
Good to hear you’re voice mate, hope you’ve been good!..
and you as well, kind sir.
Oohlala!
Xox
Quality post. Keep it up. Cash in hand.
Xox
Keep it up? the bloke has 263 posts already. Is this danessushiwhatever the fucken on a meth fueled Australian holiday?
zionism is a death cult
I Wanna Go To Cabba!
Never Exhale.