Margaret River Pro: Day 3
Massive day of pro surfing at Margaret River. In fact, the best day of women's pro surfing ever. I'll trademark that claim before the 'Make or Break' kooks can steal it for Season 2, which we learnt today was only greenlit after Kelly won Pipe as a near 50-year old.
Today was at the other end of the spectrum: oscillating between a safe space for ruined rookie girls, our high schoolers who are now relegated, and “war pigs” fighting rearguard actions who were, in the words of Izzy Nichols, “happy to survive”.
It took an age, felt like days and days of surfing during which the tension of the cut was dissipating, not increasing but we finally got down to the business of sport. That being, winnowing down the field into winners and losers.
Two rounds of Women's Elimination heats saw our first tour surfer cut. I have to admit, after this insane build-up finally hearing Ronnie say “relegated to the Challenger Series” was music to my ears. The unfortunate recipient was high schooler Bettylou Sakura Johnson, who will need a total reset. Starting with boards.
Bettylou (Dunbar/WSL)
The judging scale had already been called into question by none other than judging expert Richie Porta who had been called in for his daily explanation of what judges would be scoring. Live action ensued and he told us that Luana Silva's rail turn back to the pocket was clearly superior to Lakey Peterson's half turn.
Yes, no doubt. At least a point and a half better. Problem was judges awarded the rides almost identical scores: 4.77 to 4.67 in favour of Luana.
If the head judge can't discriminate between rides what hope for the mass market fans who will be flooding into the sport in the post 'Make or Break' era?
Four heats of Men's Elimination were run. Drama was almost completely lacking due to the lack of quality in the wildcards and the non-relegation of the surfers involved. Kelly Slater, the saviour of pro surfing with his “closely razored head of the power bald” surfed another weird heat, just scraping past Jack Thomas to advance.
KS (Dunbar/WSL)
No matter really for Kelly. It only became clear to me that making the cut now qualifies a surfer for the 2023 Championship Tour; which seems completely bizarre to me. So Kelly's Pipe win in January essentially keeps him on Tour until May 2023. That gives the incumbents an insane advantage against rookie challengers forced to find their feet in five comps.
I went looking on the WSL site for a presser I may have missed...nothing. Just a bunch of outdated info from 2021, including a now-scrapped plan that the Challenger Series would be seasonal and run after the CT was wrapped. Time to update and explain, please Woz. If I can't understand it, your mass market fan will have zero chance.
The Women's action took flight in a crazy run of Round 16 heats beginning with Heat 2 between Weston-Webb and Gabby Bryan. The sisterhood safe space vibe was axed and 20-year old Gabby came hard at Tatiana, in the end forcing the defending champ to drop her bundle in the final moments. It was a decisive victory and the start of the rookie fightback.
Molly Picklum threw a fusillade of miscellaneous turns at Tyler Wright, which seemed to anger the former World Champ, and left judges non-plussed with a brace of 5 point rides. Tyler answered with two full-bodied laybacks for an 8 - justified IMO.
If you search out one thing from today go see what Pickles did next.
Drawing a shallow bottom turn ala JJF, she hit a hard-banked turn with full speed and full rail engagement. The best turn done by a woman, ever? Definitely top five. Go have a look and judge for yourself. Pickles backed it up and Tyler was out.
Pickles (Dunbar/WSL)
Which led to my fav moment of the day. Pickles debriefing on the stairs with coach Glenn 'Micro' Hall. Ex-coach to Tyler Wright. On the way up the steps with a stormy countenance that looked like it could birth an F5 twister, Micro interrupted Tyler's fury with a cheery “Good effort Ty!”, as if she had just come third in an egg and spoon race at the school fete.
If looks could kill.
Pickles got bounced at the end of the day by Courtney Conlogue - just couldn't find a cupped out wall. Her post-heat assessment was, I think, an accurate representation of reality. “I feel I can match these girls” she said.
She's got three titles in her, minimum.
Accurate self-assessments have always been a rare beast in pro surfing but Carissa Moore was also right on the money after her loss to Bronte Macauley. Judges have been juicing Riss all year despite insipid performances, which she acknowledged saying, “I didn't feel like I was able to perform”. That's bold after a recent Final at Bells. She alluded to burnout after last year, saying it was “tough to reset” and that she was “feeling her way through it”.
Riss (Dunbar/WSL)
No-one would begrudge a time-out for Carissa after last year's triumphs.
Despite a too-close point spread on their back-up waves, it was Bronte's impeccable three banger for an 8.17 that proved a heat winner.
Macauley stayed alive as the sun set in the west, scrapping a 4.73 on an insider to literally scratch past Steph Gilmore in their QF. Steph has made the cut, but I wonder if there might be a touch of “be careful what you wish for”. Steph now has G-Land and Teahupoo ahead and her backside tube-riding is rudimentary.
Unlike Sally Fitz, who has a better skill-set in lefts but got unceremoniously relegated after fourteen years on tour, in which she has never missed a CT. Tears seemed to flow liberally all day and, I do confess, I wanted to see Sally's perma-smile for once turned off. Nope. She was as chipper as ever. No talk of retirement. Thanked her fans and supporters and bravely embraced getting down to business on the Challenger Series with the piranhas.
She will never be done with the sport, but one day the sport will be done with her.
Not today though.
Sal (Hughes/WSL)
The atmosphere became jubilant in the last heat as below the cut line - and my pick - Isabella Nichols, sent backlit spray heavenbound to send Johanne Defay back to the winery circuit.
It was a day “historic in a unique way” according to Rabbit Bartholomew, who would know.
The dual forces, the yin and the yang, the Safe Spaces and the War Pigs, it all came together in a glorious melange. The only sore point will be the lack of truly testing surf for the girls if the Indian Ocean comes to life for the final stanza of the waiting period. With only Semis left to run, the majority of the field has been spared a challenge.
Testing surf lies ahead too. Jessy Miley-Dyer, possibly still bruised from the Pipeline debacle, will not be able to shield the Women's Tour from challenges it clearly needs to thrive.
//STEVE SHEARER
Comments
Great write up FR. Been off SN for a while but your recaps have brought me back, and are on point as usual. A pleasure to read.
love your analysis Steve. the tour this year has been weird and wonderful. I look forward to the evolution of women’s pro surfing through the next generation. I will never ever forget the youthful enthusiasm and grace of Moana Jones Wong at Pipe. Bring on Speedies, Punta Roca, Supertubes and Chopes, can’t wait!
I'm on holidays and in the absence of doing anything, anything at all, I pretty much watched a full days worth of womens pro surfing.
And I loved it.
Loved it to..and that highlighted wave of Molly Ps was Dan Ross power ....Booom !
I’m calling Pickles turn best ever from the woman’s. Faultless surfing, right up there with Steph’s classic snap-stall at Keramas. Hard to imagine either wave being surfed better - by anyone
yes could be best womens turn ever certainly in the top 5...shame she missed the cut but she will be back
No mention of the wine quaffing puritans?
Jacob and Zeke incident?
Feels a little tepid, a little sterile to me.
Or the thong giveaway!
Wow just watched that wave and turn. Phwooaaa. Sick!
Thanks, Steve - marathon day for professional surfing!
Elevated performances from those facing The Cut - isn't that what the decision to have a mid-season cull is supposed to do?
Elevate performances?
If so, then The Cut has been a big success.
easily the best day of women's surfing I've watched, although I haven't watched a lot until recently
Will it be at north point on Tuesday you think?
Think they can only surf the box and Main break this year
Can't surf it
North point is approved (by council) for this year and next year as a temporary location. Not sure if they will use it Tuesday given the swell looks to be coming in more south than earlier forecasts, also coming in bigger later in the day Tuesday. Its not supposed to be used for any finals. It will be a big day at Mainies none the less.
watching two turn waves is suddenly fun now?
Does the amount of turns really make a wave more fun to watch? Can't say it does for me.
Speed, flow and critical/risky surfing is always more fun to me than watching someone belt a lip 17 times.
Each to their own i guess. I found it excruciating.
WSL delivers a great drama filled day. For all the haters it must suck. MollyP’s turn is one of the best ever in competition for men AND women.
know who loves pro surfing? God.
God loves pro surfing!
He / she / it / random nothingness, whatever you choose to believe (I don't judge, we're all working with zero factual evidence) created an infinite universe but with only one (prove me wrong?) planet has covered its surface in liquid water.
John John is going to heaven ... Is all I'm saying ... and all who sink the full rail at top speed, carving open the face of another divine creation, (ie, bring Pickles).
Sorry FR
Yowza, Molly's turn was off the hook.
Quick redirect.
To my eye (they don't seem to spend much time analysing quivers strangely, I guess they like to keep any design tweeks under the radar?) is John John the only one riding a longer, skinnier, thinner, more straight railed gun style board, a semi-gun? His board seems to have a higher top speed.
Or is he the only pro who knows how to actually ride one?
I think they'd be mums the word on that stuff
JJF's board still has the ghost ingredients - wide point forward, low nose rocker, volume up forward, gunny tail, probably flatter tail rocker. If you put the WP forward, you get a lot more straight rail length, more distance off bottom turns, turn that into what your mind can conjure up like JJF does!
We've been picking the EPS from the peanut gallery in-event fwiw
Hmm, yes makes sense. His seemed a less nose width and volume, knifier model. Others step ups look exactly the same just inch or two bigger
Are they going to run the semi and final tomorrow to guard for girls from the juice?
I hope not but if history shows anything it's almost guaranteed. Same will happen at Gland & Chopes. The women should have their own tour.
Wasn't there at the time, but clicked on link to Molly's turn, whoa, I was thinking JJF then began reading again and Steve you've described it including that shallow bottom turn! Awesome. I even thought the arm movements subtley said JJF. Whatever it is, it's incredible, fantastic surfing Molly!
“closely razored head of the power bald”
Was that actually said?! Ultimate bingo term if so.
"she's got 3 titles in her minimum". Couldn't agree more. She's the real deal. She impressed me heaps at Sunset too on a big board, stood out above the others to me.
Great stuff FR. Cheers.
I do not know why the WSL are so hell bent about surfing the righthander (if you wanna call it that), at Margarets. The right is just a big peak followed by a slow section that builds into a crazy shore break (if you wanna call it that). Margarets is a left first, It is a natural (pun), left. Sure it fattens out at the end. But, from the take off it has at least 3 good horse shoe bowls and on double ups can link up to become a pretty heavy barrel. Also, those sections stand as high as the peak, (not like the right). On the big day there would have been some huge moves (pure big carve surfing with flow), on those sections. In my opinion, the WSL should be encouraging both the left and right. They are not showcasing the wave, Margarets (which is a left), and have a weird fixation on 2 turn waves, which includes that all important, Ill say it again, important, finishing turn, rather than pure surfing.
Tuesday looks like being really big, clean, very testing stuff! Surely some massive lefts will be ridden then. And if The Box isn't firing for finals day on Wednesday (which it may well), well, then we could instead see some rare tubes and winning rides being surfed on the left at Main Break, near as good as it gets. Fingers crossed. Go Jack and Bronte!
It's not how you spell Macaulay
It's not how you say Macaulay
Maybe spell check, maybe East Coast centric.
No, just working fast on a Saturday night.
My mistake, apologies to Bronte and the Macaulay family.
All good, it's crazy how often it happens and how underrated Dave was/is. Was 3rd in the world one year, and his heavy wave surfing after his career finished was bloody incredible.
Pretty good father daughter combo also, not many better, maybe mike ho and coco.
Appreciate the write ups also ya filthy east coaster ;)
Dave Mac's heavy wave surfing IS bloody incredible, still rules the loo. He remains a hard charging legend and from the few interactions I've had with him, a top bloke. If you're after a new sled, he's a good option in the SW, I've had a couple and they've always gone well.
Spun out that pickles carve isn't wave of the day picture today... Definitely gave it a nudge.. I'm sure Josh Kerr had a good time on that wave too.....
Seen pickles at my local a few years ago and was absolutely blown away in fun but shit waves..what this girl could do .. the tour needs her back asap
Thanks Steve, lovely read.
Your assessment of Carissa is bang on in my book. She can do check carve and flat cutty and be given a 5.5, they have been juicing her for ages. Puts so much undue pressure on her opponents.
How good would it be if Bronte won this thing?
Yeah the ‘cut’ is a strange one. You have someone like Seth Muniz who did well at pipe and had been going like a busted ever since and he books himself 12 more months on tour. Any rookie or newbie back on tour really needs to be comfortable in big rights (and pipe). I would post up in Hawaii and surf Haleiwa and Sunset non-stop.
Cannot wait to see what they get on Tuesday. Saw a couple of freight train left barrels go unridden the other day, surely someone is tempted to knife them?
Have fun all.
Stoked to see Pickles carve getting so much attention.
I was watching when she pulled it and replayed it back at least half a dozen times and muttered "no way" each time. And no just a 'nice turn for a chick' either, that was blistering.
The way Molly held her rail is so rare. I rewatched that heat and feel like that may be a weakness of Tyler that full rail engaged carve. I reckon she almost masks that weakness with a shorter, stabbier layback that she is obviously more comfortable with.
Whilst on the technique subject, can anyone explain to me why I find Courtney Conolgue’s approach so hard to watch? ……I know she charges and I don’t deny she rips, I guess this is the realm that comp surfing fails to touch - style. Even more subject concept than scoring manoeuvres.
I don't disagree, she rips but there's some flow missing there for sure. On another note, is it just me or is she not the sharpest tool in the shed? Her post heat interviews are excruciating.
Nah, I think she's just a grommet mate. A frothing grom. Seems pretty switched on to me.
Here ya go @surfalot. If you can be bothered listening to it, good little convo with the Pickle articulating her journey pretty well.
Good poddy all round. Yew!
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/molly-pickles-micro-hall-and-jacko...
Miscommunication mate! I was referring to Courtney - Pickles definitely has her head screwed on.
ahh shit sorry!!! Courtney also seems like a frothing grommet!!
Oh tragedy. Johanne goes out on an absolute shit heap round for waves. What were they doing running in that? On the other hand, congrats to Isabella.
Molly proving that the women’s surfing will be improved by going up with the men. Best turn I’ve seen from a female surfer, and one of the best turns outside of JJF and Ethan. Power to her.
My mate wants to give me a STAB MAG subscription . I keep telling him not to bother . I'm not a fan of their editorial style .
The best thing is , I read FR's comp summaries and predictions and when I discuss the CT tour with him , he is blown away with my accurate take on the action . Its piss funny cause he has no idea I'm
just going off all of your expertise . Thanks heaps Steve .
Molly's wave should have been a 10. I can't see how she [or anyone, female or male] could have surfed that wave any better?
How did the judges not elevate such brilliant surfing to the place it belongs? I really feel the judges did the women's surfing an injustice by not giving that wave a 10. Molly would have out-surfed most male pros on that wave.
Not just best carve by the women competitors, but 3 critical maneuvers in a row and all flawlessly linked with style and flow. Just give her automatic wild-cards for ALL events next year please as her surfing is not only world title level, but she could lift the entire women's surfing level by many notches
Funny how surfing has developed. I was surfing Margs in 1994 and the locals
wouldnt let me go left I could only go rights which I thought was super fun.
Admittingly it was only 4-6ft but I really wanted a left eventually I got a left
bomb was really underwhelmed by its fatness and was only too happy to go right.
Now nobody goes left. Mollys turn was insane really wish she qualified.
I remember surfing box around that era, maybe a little later, and seeing Tony Hardy lock into an absolute cavern of a left at mains, looked like Cloudbreak or something, image is permanently etched into my brain, never seen it break quite like that again.
33 heats to run in two days, two of which are finals and need, or at least should have, an extra 30 minutes before them. That's 17.5 hours and means not much downtime once the hooter sounds.
Seems like a lot of work - especially when the official WSL Kookline forecast is calling tomorrow 18-20' and offshore - bahahaha!
It will be pretty close. Looking like easy 15ft. A 4m swell with a 17 second period is big. Big period around this region is super noticeable.
Only question is when the period hits..
That’s massive, how big would Cow Bommie be on a swell like that?
Its crazy when you look at it:
-Women have had 20 heats run and now have semi finalists.
- Men have run 16 heats and have only eliminated 4 (3 of which were local wildcards).
Tour needs less heats for the men for sure. You can come last in round 1 and second last in round 2 and still be fighting fit to take the comp out. Please.
“ You can come last in round 1 and second last in round 2 and still be fighting fit to take the comp out. ”
That seems nuts doesnt it.
The majority of a contest is a demonstration. Simply put, you have 2 full days of demos,
And I'm guessing the men finalists will have to surf 4 times on Wednesday
I'm not a Tyler fan but I didn't see much negative in that exchange with Micro
I stand corrected. Looks like the girls will be tested. Thank you WSL
Great write up again Steve.
It hadn't dawned on me until you mentioned it, but basically a surfer can qualify for the following years tour by making the cut after five events, that is so bizarre, what other sport does that? Then there are those who miss the first five events like Medina and walk back in after the cut. Then others who are injured during the first five events that don't get a chance to qualify at the back end of the year & have to re-qualify through the challenger series! Go figure.
Looking fwd to the next 2 days!
I wonder if "the cut" has really changed anything significantly in the long term or if its just a bit of a reset that feels unfair this year. Once this year is out of the way they'll still need to be in the top 20 to get the next 12 months on tour. Just at a different time of year.
Does anyone know the draw format after the cut? I imagine its similar with ER going to R16 for men and women go from ER to QF
Jack Robbo looks like a home and away star these days, like Chris Hemsworth or whatever that guys name is....hope he wins...lucky bugger getting a latina gf
Is it just me or do others out there have to turn the sound off when that yank Shannon talks ? Herrrrrrr accent is sooooooo annoynig , especially the way she draws out herrrrrr rrrrrrr's . She sounds like Alivin the chipmonk's sister . Surely there are better sounding and better qualified woman ex pro's out there to take her place ?
can anyone tell me why margs is on the dream tour? Complete dog shit..... its a left and they going right...
raglan, snapper, fiji,skeleton bay. fuck.
Die
Skeleton bay is too fickle and would cause lots of perfect double 10's as scores not deciding the best surfer imo.
I wouldn't recommend Raglan.
Thank you.