Semi Pro Shakedown: Putra On The News
Had quite the ride on the way to work today. Running a little late I got the full Indonesian peak hour traffic experience. I gotta say, it's a little exciting, much the way dangerous snake handling is exciting.
At one point a utillity full of live pigs individually wrapped in wicker baskets nearly sent us to hell by way of sideswipe into a perilous ditch.
Someone else accustomed to making the same journey we made this morning got told to put on a comp singlet and get out there.
I speak of Putra Hermawan. One day there will be an Indonesian world champion surfer, and when they collect their ASP trophy they'll thank Putra Hermawan as the guy who paved the way for Indonesian surfing.
Putra made ASP history today: by beating Brett Simpson he became the first Indonesian to win an ASP WCT heat.
His chance came about when Trav Logie got torn up on the Thundercloud reef. Nobody knew if Trav was turning up, and as late as yesterday afternoon his wife Shauna said if today is a layday he could well be out here for a Friday morning (local time) heat.
The entire time the event has been running, Putra has sat under the competitor's stairs trying to avoid the debilitating heat.
I caught up with the affable 20-year old after his heat. Although he lives at Sanur he considers Keramas his home break. He's surfed it since he was ten. He talked about the local crew of surfers who push the limits all the time and call each other into the biggest set waves.
They'll all be on the beach cheering him on when he meets Kelly Slater in Round Three.
Even more amazing to his story, he was only firing on three cylinders as he's been sick with a cold. Not bedridden, but no energy, a pounding headache, and clogged up head to boot.
I asked him if he'll be doing lots of surfing between now and when he meets Kelly. "No," he said. "Lots of rest. I am still sick."
Putra lives alone in Sanur, with his mum a long way away in Lombok. I asked how will she be when she finds out?
"Very happy. So, so happy. I can't imagine how happy."
Will she cry?
"No!"
"Well maybe a little bit," as he pinched his finger and thumb together to indicate a few tears of joy.
We talked for another ten minutes in broken English, as Putra told me about the pride he feels representing Indonesia and how he doesn't fear meeting Kelly in round three.
When I told him if he beats Kelly he'd make the news, he beamed, "The whole news, around the world?"
Yes mate, the whole news around the world.
He threw his head back and raised an arm, "Ah man, that would be the best."
It would be pretty cool.
Comments
Hope he beats the king, but unfortunately we all know how this story will unfold.....
Hope I'm wrong but looks like the King will be slung into Rd 4 without blinking again!
Ol' Putra surfed well but made some glaring errors against Brett Simpson. Toward the end of the heat he took off on a wave needing only about a 6 to send Simpson to Combodia. He got a great barrel from takeoff then went for a ridiculous, low percentage off the top to finish. He fell so couldn't capitalise on the situation.
It was only that Simmo (I can't bear to call him 'Simpo', sounds like clown) had a burning desire to lose the heat that saw Putra win. Make mistakes like that against the King and Putra will look like the court jester.
Didn't realise they could replace a surfer after round one had already been completed? Brett Simpson would be justified in feeling hard done by.
Clearly the better surfer but just didn't get the waves. Normal service will resume in Rd 3 bar a minor miracle but Slater doesn't look like losing.
Is it just me or does he always seem to draw the easier early rounds?
Yeah, I can't remember it happening before, but when you think about why should Brett Simpson have received a walk through? No surfer gets knocked out of the comp before Round Two so the rules are the same as in Round One: if a surfer doesn't show up the next wildcard goes in.
Also, the higher seeds draw the wildcards that why it seems he gets the easier early rounds.
The point im getting at is that had putra surfed rd 1 the outcome of that heat could have been different which would change the complexion of the entire contest.
As for getting a walk through i think he should have. if your opponent in a tennis grandslam gets injured prior to the match you automatically advance can't understand why surfing is any different. Before round one has begun then for sure a wildcard steps in but it just seems a little unprofessional to me to be adding people in once its already underway. But this is the same association that miscalculated a world title...
36 surfers. Every round is elimination -- like playoffs in major sports -- Every heat means something, something is on the line. Drama is increased. If you're not there or injured for your heat your opponent gets a walk through, you’re eliminated. Simple really.
That'd solve alotta problems. Events run quickly (in two days) therefore increases the chances of two epic days in any 12-day waiting period. It'd save the ASP money only running two days, and increase the likelihood of events being run and won on weekends where maximum exposure can be met. With teh money saved, it can go towards holding more events ie more chances for surfers to redeem themselves should they suffer an early shock loss.
At the moment too much is made about the surfers. The surfers don't want to run elimination all the time. The surfers don't want to surf today, but then complain the when the next day is worse and they have nothing to do and the comp is dragging on when there’s better places they could be.
The surfers decide who and when they talk to media -- which equates to rarely or never. We have the inmates running the asylum and due to this, surfing struggles for the legitimacy it yearns.
If surfing the sport -- not surfing the art, which we all partake in -- wants to be mainstream, they have to saddle up the nuts and put the surfers in their place and start running the events from a spectator’s point of view.
Who wants to watch three man heats, where nobody goes home? I can't think of a sport where the athletes determine and have so much of a say. Sport is for the spectators. They're the ones who buy the apparel, pay to view, spend the money on surfing hardware and ultimately bankroll the pro's paycheques.
Bring the sport to the people, and the people will start to turn up in their droves.
Not sure I agree with you there Braithy - think about the guy that fly's half-way round the world to somewhere like Brazil then only gets to surf one 30 minute heat before having to fly home again. As we know some heats are very slow and it's not always the best man that wins - sometimes it's the man that gets the best wave that wins. (Sometimes there is only one decent wave per heat).
Surfing is the only sport I know where the playing field is so unpredictable so I don't reckon you can't put a square peg in a round hole.
I like the current format - get to see guys really going for it in the non elimination rounds.
If we went elimination every round then Slater would not have won Fiji and we would have only seen Parko, Slater, Burrow, Zietz etc only surf once in Bali. Can't see how that's good for the spectators....especially when not all of us have the luxury of watching every minute of it.
Kelly never lost a heat. He would have been in Fiji for round 1... Joel woulda never have gone fishing. Don't get me wrong, I personally love those antics, I'd be the same if I was on tour.
I think with sudden death elimination, it adds flexibility to the schedule. Maybe extend heat times for lulls if they're completely skunked for waves, which would be rare considering...
... if you're only running a comp for 2-days, there's more chance of everyone surfing when it's pumping in the best part of the tides, picking the eyes outta the waiting period.
As far as the poor pro surfer flying to brazil for 30 minutes of water time. If we're being serious about the tour, no one should be flying to brazil unless its for a 'QS event.
Yes OK but Slater didn't lose a heat but he didn't win Round 1 either so he would have been out. Joel only went fishing cause he thought it was a lay-day - not because he had 2 chances. I think they just need to keep the format the same but extend the waiting period - not always possible I know but isn't that what overlapping heats are designed for? Can't recall them ever being used outside of hawaii.
I also reckon Simpson was hard done by - once the comp starts you just can't go putting people straight into the second round - it wouldn't happen in a tennis tournament :). Round 2 is not the same as Round 1 - if you lose Round 1 you get a second chance. Simmo got a walk through cause his opponent was injured - has happened in the past in subsequent rounds at other events and they didn't throw a wildcard in then so why now?
I think the wildcard round 2 replacement rule came into being after Kelly missed Jbay a couple of years back, or at least that was the straw that did the stuff...i think a few guys had missed contests resulting in to many
rnd 2 walkthroughs.