Olympics 2024: Day Three
Olympics 2024: Day Three
Men's Quarter-Finalists decided after a morning pre-storm window of light winds allowed the 8 heats of Round 3 to be completed in hardcore west bowl conditions at Teahupoo.
Historically, we see Teahupoo ridden with longer range southwest swells or even west swells from the top of the North Island. This was the first time we had seen a local storm swell from that acute angle coinciding with winds favourable enough to conduct competition. It led to stunning heats and a plethora of insane massive pits and crushing wipeouts. Some of the most memorable vision was from a ski mounted rear facing GoPro which showed wide-eyed athletes getting rescued before a lagoon run, grimacing and gasping for breath as they death gripped the handles.
36-year old Jordy Smith has likely surfed his last Olympic heat after being bested by new dark horse Alonso Correa from Peru. 18th ranked in the South American Qualifying Series last year, currently 19th ranked, Correa showed nerve and competence to take off deep and weave through wide open tubes. Jordy came off a vicious wipeout with fear in his eyes and could not recover.
(ISA/McKenna)
The next heat was our current World Champ Filipe Toledo, against non-ranked Japanese surfer Reo Inaba. Inaba had one swing at the Challenger Series in 2022 for a 59th place. He's currently not in the top 100 in the regional Qualifying Series rankings and his last ranking was a 24th in the Asian Qualifying Series in 2023/24. His best place finish in a left reef was a 49th at Krui in 2023.
How did our dual-World Champ fare against this unfancied opponent with a paltry resume?
Catastrophically, comically, badly.
As they sat in the lineup waiting for the clock to tick down, five thick beasts heaved onto the ledge and spat their guts out into the channel. We can only assume that Toledo looked at these waves and became frozen with panic.
Writer Malcom Gladwell in a 2000 article titled 'The Art of Failure' analysed the two main modes of catastrophic failure which we know as choking, and panic. We saw both today but in Toledo's case it was a clear case of the latter. Panic involves a physiological response where intense stress shuts down the perceptual systems needed to perform at a high level and reduces responses to instinctual ones. Namely, survival.
Eight minutes into the heat, two medium-sized waves approached and heaved up on the reef. Toledo did not move a muscle towards either wave and Inaba caught one. He got horribly smoked. On the wide vision from the ski ride we saw more sets smiting the inside reef with biblical fury. Toledo did not budge.
Reo Inaba (ISA/Ryder)
Fifteen minutes elapsed. Toledo had not paddled for a single wave and held P1. Not a single word had been said by the commentators about this incredible lack of performance from the world champ. Nothing. They simply ignored it as if it wasn't happening.
With Toledo holding P1, Inaba paddled straight past him into another mid-sized set for the best ride of the heat. No mention of this was made.
Eighteen minutes elapsed - twelve minutes remaining. Toledo paddled into a mid-sized wave with a rare south angle. This enabled an easy entry and Toledo stalled hard with his body to try and get in the tube. He failed to release the stall in time and was gobbled up by the whitewater foamball coming out of the tube. Broken board.
Filipe Toledo (ISA/Beatriz Ryder)
The ski picked him up on the inside ledge. Toledo held on, then released his grip, went to the back of the rescue sled and jumped off. Right on the shallowest part of the reef.
He jumped off the ski!
Why?
The only intelligible explanation with reasonable probability attached to it, is he was trying to chew up the clock and buy more time before he had go back into the lineup and deal with the source of his panic.
Not a word was said about this remarkable occurrence.
Cote said he fell off, despite the clear ski-mounted footage showing him jump off.
That was Toledo's best ride, for an accurately scored 1.43. If he didn't fall, it would have been a mid 3 or 4. Two further paltry rides on small non-barrelling waves netted a 0.97 and a 1.43 for a combined heat total of 2.46, the lowest total of the round.
Four absolutely banger heats followed. It's hard to describe them. They featured that stunning gun metal-grey sky and glacier-blue caverns.
Kauli Vaast nailed an absolute bomb and accounted (quite easily in the end) for Colapinto, who did account for himself well.
Cleland/Duru was the heat of the round for mine with both surfers knifing into bombs, Duru with more calculation. His tail fluttering and skittering across foamballs as he surfed on the edge of control for two 9-point rides.
Medina went into a feeding frenzy and had Kanoa totally outclassed within the opening ten minutes after riding an almost tow-sized west bowl for a 9.90.
Gabriel Medina (ISA/Jiminez)
Actually, scratch the Duru/Cleland heat as the heat of the day. It was Ramzi and Joao who provided that high point. Nine waves made, all insane. Five for Joao, four for Ramzi.
We saw again that super late, tippy-toe drop from Ramzi, a slight over-balance and recovery which put him inches away from being guillotined before regaining control deep in the tube. That was the best wave of the heat for a 9.70.
Joao needed an 8.40 to retake the lead and paddled in slightly to ride one of the pure west sets that seemed to almost be in the channel. Easy 8.80 for the well deserved win.
Ramzi Boukhiam (ISA/McKenna)
No doubt John Florence saw that unfold and was salivating. No chance of panic from John. What we saw unfold instead was a classic choke. If panic involves a shut down of the cognitive systems and an emphasis on pure survival, choking involves the opposite. According to Gladwell, skill mastery involves moving from explicit learning to implicit learning. Implicit learning is faster, below awareness – you can see it when athletes are at their best performing in flow.
In a choke, that implicit learning breaks down and sufferers revert back to explicit learning: slow, deliberate, not capable of reading and reacting to conditions as they occur. John himself has implied on many occasions his main motivation for competitive surfing is to get out of the way of his own head and find that instinctual flow. Panicking is an absence of thinking, choking is thinking too much.
The super heat between John and Jack started slow. Conditions went weird, sets stopped coming or went even more west.
Both surfers sat too deep and started with wipeouts. A second wipeout from John involved the worst mistake of the heat. He entered no hands and failed to grab rail from a super deep position on a makeable wave. As a completed ride it was a 9. As a non-make it was a 1.77. John was underwater for a long time. By the time he got on the sled his face, normally relaxed and docile, looked stressed and needing oxygen.
Halfway through the super heat the score read 2.94 to 2.07 with no makes.
What did John do?
Sat there frozen, stuck to a plan of waiting for a bomb.
What did Jack do?
Realised the clock was running down and required a score. He paddled in and speared a mid-ranger. Manufactured some extra drama with a no hands entry into the tube and a very technical high-line inside. The 7.17 was the crucial ride of the heat.
Not what they had imagined, but exactly what was required.
Jack Robinson (ISA/Jiminez)
John failed to respond. There were three minutes left on the clock before John finally did make a small/medium tube for a 6.50.
That left Jack in perfect control of the heat and a 4-0 win/loss record over JJF.
Barton in a metaphysical moment yesterday described a type of intuitive response to the ocean, whereby conscious thinking was bypassed and a deeper level of awareness was accessed. He tied this to our deep evolutionary past with a common ancestor in the primordial ocean. Whether you favour this mystical approach or the more modern psychology of choking and panicking there's no doubt Jack has been superior in his responses to these high-pressure situations than John. Four to zero in pumping surf is a hard stat to argue against, if you deny that, and would require a very well calibrated counter argument.
Last heat of the day saw the storm front approach and winds swing to the side-shore, putting vicious chandeliers into the gnarliest of pits. I don't know how he did it, because O'Leary Connor was charging like a mad man. Almost kamikaze in his approach. But somehow, Ewing found two scoring rides, including a deep pit for an 8.67.
Connor O'Leary, above, and Ethan Ewing (ISA/Jiminez)
Competition was called off for the day. Rightly so.
And now we wait and hope the women get their moment of glory, like the men did today.
A spinal tap, 11/10 day of Olympic surfing.
// STEVE SHEARER
Comments
Beautiful day of surfing. Superb synthesis.
Gunna make the call....there will never ever again be an Olympic surfing heat that's better than what we saw on this day (Ramzi vs Joao) . Ever. Full stop. Case closed. That was and forever will be the peak Olympic heat of all time.
Agreed.
Thanks fr.
I havn't watched a snippet.
Your report and the accompanying photos put me right there.
I've snuck a look at a few waves from day 1 yesterday. Otherwise ,freeride76 is all I have
He is neither panicking or choking
Flow state.....
the remaining playing field is STACKED and if we get even a fraction of what was on offer today it'll be rad.
Strange how the quarter match ups have 3 where it’s countryman vs countryman
Is that planned through the seedlings so medals are spread across 3 countries or purely coincidental?
Great to see a day where the swell was good and not predicted
Would have been a travesty to see small 4ft crap like part of day 1 and telido walks away with the gold
I suspect with griffin and John out might be more discussion on choice of 2 aus coaches?although really do they need a coach
Very diplomatic I feel. Interesting moods in the dwellings after these match ups were posted .
Let the mind games begin.
> Strange how the quarter match ups have 3 where it’s countryman vs countryman. Is that planned through the seedlings so medals are spread across 3 countries or purely coincidental?
It's just a coincidence, the seeding is based on results in various contests. The full details on how it works are here: https://isasurf.org/downloads/Seeding_order_Surfing_Qualifed_Athletes_an...
Fantastic write up for a fantastic days surfing. John john is one of the best surfers we have ever seen but I’m starting to think Jack is the better competitor. Just rewatching the heat now so I might change my mind.
Cheers Steve, another epic summation. I haven't watched a single wave of this event yet feel like I've followed it closely thanks to your nocturnal commitment and vivid prose.
Your psychoanalysis of what was going on in Fil and JJF's heads seems pretty on point to me. Sport is such complex, wonderful theatre.
such a shame u can only get replays of heats involving aussies on 9now
photo's look epic
I think on an early heat of Molly's 9now only hsowed her waves, no other waves from the other surfers. And molly lost. Parochial! Painfully so.
any other free or free-to-air ways to watch replays not involving aussies? It seems not...
Try NBC on YouTube for a more broad highlight package.
Thx Lanky - I'll give that a go
exactly, they should have all heats to watch at 9
Can also pay $15 and get Stan Olympics channel. Full replays not just a Aussie highlight reel
Did Medina make that wave in the above photo? Insanely far back
Excellent summary.
Would have been hard for Italo to stomach Felipe sitting idly.
Yes he did. Stunning
on his toes (both feet) on that photo after the pump. what a phenomenal physical balance an mind control in a very heavy situation, so late...
Anyone know how to watch the full replay of day 3? Not the 10min highlights
CBC (Canada) - but you will need a VPN.
awesome, thank you.
i just watched the 9 "highlights" and they showed waves out of order... one wave from massive scoring heats or something, who knows? absolute rubbish by 9. g'ah! probably a feature not a bug for the rapidly expanding subscription model on everything.
Mate you have to pay for StanSport is the only way I've found.
sucks.
It’s $15 for the month. Cheaper than 3 blocks of wax
It’s $15 for the month. Cheaper than 3 blocks of wax
Amazing. Wish I got up earlier.
Given the iffy forecast coming into the event... and even 12 hours out from this day, they've been so lucky to get what they got.
Prediction:
Vaast vs Chianca battling for gold
Robinson vs Correa going for bronze
The counter argument, would be if you’ve been oxygen deprived and heavily beaten down at Chopes , your will to survive might be greater than your will to win!
agree
Awesome FR. Great breakdown of our world champ. He needs to hand back the trophies IMO
He won his years fair and square, with or without Trestles. There's no rule requiring surfers to be good at heavy lefts to be a world champ. Blame the WSL for that if you wish, but any other surfer who won in the same years would have been subject to the same waves. Ability in heavy stuff had no effect. Not Filipe's fault.
The only force more present than Filipe's concerns with Chopes is burleigh's concerns with Filipe.
nice to hear a fair comment on Toledo.
it's a bit much to constantly read such negative bs about a guy who is obviously the most talented surfer in the world in smaller waves (which do require a lot of skill to surf)
he's won all his events and titles fairly. yes he's not as good in big barrels as most of the rest of the field, but so what?
he still deserves respect as surfer, and if he were Australian we would all be wearing t shirts with his face on them regardless of the conditions he won in.
I disagree, do you remember Damien Hardman ? He copped a lot of flak from the public and journalists. He was never comfortable at big pipe or sunset . The most people I have personally heard bag Toledo are his fellow countrymen . I think everyone agrees he’s one of the best in 1-8ft waves during competition.
Could you imagine how Dooma would have copped it if social media existed back then in less PC times.
The counter, counter argument was that Jack also got beaten within an inch of his life and was able to improvise, adapt and overcome.
But you didn’t mention Jacks obvious oxygen deprivation,and jjf having 2 wipeouts,and 5 more years of hold downs . I guess it’s hard to comment if you haven’t had a near death experience at Chopes!
I've had my floggings out there mate.
No but your observation of jjfs obvious oxygen deprivation would have to have some effect on his surfing performance. It’s probably hard to debate who had the worse oxygen deprivation , out there without physically examining them , tachycardia etc
We don't need to mate.
We only need to see the results.
Jack recovered on every level and won the heat.
John did not.
I’m an Aussie too, so it doesn’t really worry me that much, but you’re the one who pointed out jjfs oxygen deprivation
You're becoming an imbecile, this and the Picklum carry on earlier. Get a grip man.
Patriotic wokeism
You'd literally argue two flies on a wall mate. As evidenced by your meaningless rant on the day two wrap-up. Grow up, Steve constantly puts out the best reviews in surfing, but there's always one knob looking for attention that wants to take the contrary opinion. You'd be the zombie rights activist during a zombie apocalypse, right? BTW as soon as you went to the "wOkE" call you lost all cred.
Yes you’re right, you can’t argue with politically correct patriots.
Dribbling can easily be fixed. Shut ya mouth for a minute
Go back to Russia , that was yesterday!
Go back to kindergarten, you’re the only woke knob.
Advice, make sure your ‘brain is engaged before putting mouth into gear’.
Might help you in the future. AW
Go do another anger management course AW
Figured your were brazzo living in aus by you comments
Growing up here is different of being a new Australian hoolio
Figured wrong, grew up surfing Kirra when it was good, don’t worry that’s all been resolved now and we’re on to day 4
Figured wrong, grew up surfing Kirra when it was good, don’t worry that’s all been resolved now and we’re on to day 4
Seems like Barton Lynch must have had a gag order so no one was allowed to comment on telido lack of intent
It was Cote and Jess Grimwood in the booth.
But yeah, absolutely extraordinary.
Imagine any other professional sport where such an inept performance from the World Champ would be completely unremarked upon by the people who's job it is to call the action for viewers as it happens.
Gotta be gagged 100%.
Can understand the WSL gagging commentators from speaking about such things, but not sure who would order such a gag at the Olympics and why. Maybe these commentators are just used to it from their experiences with the WSL and didn't wanna appear negative.
Must be, self censorship.
Imagine a boxer not throwing a punch for a round and commentators staying completely silent about it and pretending it's not happening.
They would note it, advance theories as to why it was happening etc etc., recall past instances of it happening before at elite competitions and so on.
Maybe there's more to Flippy's story than we know. He may have taken the onslaught of online bullying to heart when he pulled out of Pipe. He could be fragile right now and those commentators know it. Maybe they don't want to push him further down than he might already be. Let's just leave the bloke alone. He's out of the comp now so lets move forward and enjoy the rest of the action.
Elephant In the room.com
It's the Olympic Games mate, not a therapy session.
He had months to prepare, or alternatively, if he wasn't confident in his physical and mental state, withdraw.
But sure, he won't be mentioned again.
Spearing a bomb takes on a different context when it’s double the size of the day before.
Wonder if anything is being said in Brazil about his lack of performance?
Especially when we all know Italo would've charged!
No one made him compete mate. Step aside and let the big boys go. Italo, and I'm generally not a fan, would have thrown down for sure
Critical commentary is now viewed as “Bullying”
Channel 9 has Owen wright giving commentary.did he make any remark of telido?
I was watching the clean 9Now Feed, no Owen.
I'd be surprised if he did though- he has a poor record so far of calling the action, IMO.
could of been worse, could of been Mark Taylor
In Fil's round two heat one of the commentators went on (at length) about his lack of ability in heavy lefts. I forget who was in the booth but distinctly recall one of them being very critical and the other trying to defend him somewhat.
This response is not directed at you Yodai as you appear to share a consensus view.
I'm curious, however, about what good comes from publicly shining light on/calling out Felipe's fear given:
1. Its clear to anyone who watched that Felipe was scared/out of his league,
2. Filipe has already acknowledged mental health issues - at the very least these cannot be helped by the vitriolic online comments targeted at Filipe
3. Filipe has devoted his life to surfing and appears to take his leadership role seriously. Despite his obvious fear he decided to face them head on. Can you imagine the shame he'd feel, in front of the world, clear for his friends and foes to see including those of his kids? Brutal.
Its plainly unrealistic that he should have given his spot to Italo - he did the work and qualified fairly - and none of us know the mental battles he went through to be there. I respect him for facing his fear. Yep, it turned out catastrophically for him and was a fail.
What good comes from celebrating this failure? Filipe aside, it sends a message that we should not strive and should be afraid of failure. That diminishes us all.
I hope Filipe doesn't descend into mental darkness as a result of his failure. Ultimately, we are all human, most of us trying to do our best . . . and the world could do with more kindness and acceptance.
The world could also do with more stoicism, humility and being honest with oneself.
Agree re honesty and humility - and this applies to Fil.
I just dont accept the view that people at the pointy end should have to put up with public humiliation - even when its dressed up as scrutiny.
I like your considered views Nolan. Cheers mate.
This topic really rankles most doesn’t it?
I’ve started to feel as though it’s ok not to have a strong opinion.
I always used to defend the guy’s ability, I think he’s likeable and felt he has had a reasonable go at times, however I now acknowledge his limitations.
For me that’s ok. He’s playing the game as he wants. He’s not hurting anyone.
@Nolan
I agree with you that vitriolic comments are not helpful and people should try and refrain from making them due to the fact they aren't helpful at all.
I feel the reason Fillepe is getting such a hard time is that we don't just look up to pro surfers because they can surf better than us. We also look up to them because they are brave. Surfing 10ft pipeline, chopes, the Box, Cloudbreak is extremely scary and dangerous even IF you have the skill-set to be able to surf these waves. Surfing is inherently scary and it's a big part of why we all love it. To prove that point Nathan Florence won the most popular youtuber this year with his fear inducing exploits. Lets face it, Nathan Florence would be lucky to make a go of it on the QS let alone the challenger or CT tours. He's an average surfer in average waves. He's an amazing surfer in heavy waves. Same goes for Nic Von rupp and all the other Slab/big wave surfers.
I feel you just can't remove the "Fear" from surfing and especially when it comes to a world title. To be the best in surfing, you should be forced to face your fears at some stage. I'm not talking fears of failure, etc, but fear of being feed to the reef or drowning.
I especially love when guys like Jack Robbo talk about how despite all his skills, he still has to face his fears when paddling into a 10ft wave at pipe. He knows it can hurt, mame or kill him.
It's up to each individual to choose their path in life so I've nothing against Toledo's choices. I'm just trying to give my thoughts on why people judge him so harshly.
Peace out and thanks for pointing out how people are not helping the situation with online hatred
Took a year off Tour.
Financially rewarded for performing but Toledo hasn’t tried to improve his glaring weaknesses.
Professional only when comfortable.
Hey I reckon Felipe should feel comfortable to say I value my life and my health more than surfing insanely dangerous waves so I’m happy not to compete at these locations.
The problem is that may also rule him out from being a world champion (arguably something should be in the rules about mandatory attendance at key events like this) and that would be career and reputational suicide.
epic morning of surfing, and kudos to the water patrol who did an amazing job keeping everyone safe. I thought Jordie let a couple go in the choking genre as well as JJF who was perhaps pining to spend some quality time with Darwin. Lots of options today other than staring down a black wall of heaving ocean. I have written of FT from any further participation in pro surfing, life is too short. The heat between Joao and Ramzi will stay with me forever, a perfect heat. Thanks for the write up FR giving us CB pause to consider lessons learnt from the whole Olympic behemoth. Glad the waves were surfable today against all odds.
Maybe a deeper level of awareness was accessed, and they thought F…. That
If forecast is now accurate since the onshores have hit I think in smaller choppy conditions for finals day picking a winner gets tough
Could easily get down to which surfer has priority for best wave of the heat
Surfer mag had article on kaona vs Leo.Leo gracious in defeat and said even surfing crap chopes was so much better than the dreadful surf of Tokyo 4 yrs ago
Short highlight vid here if you want to see some of the waves:
https://www.9now.com.au/surfing-olympic-games-paris-2024/2024/episode-12
I must be missing something obvious but I thought his name was Conner O’Leary.
Still charging though.
He's surfing for Japan so surname first.
Funny the commentators using the linguistic convention when the name is clearly not Japanese
I’m wondering if it is cultural to call the surname first in Japan, and as he is representing Japan perhaps they go with that.
But his name is Connor O’Leary, and calling the other way grated on me. I hope it is for the above reason, otherwise it was so unprofessional commentary.
FinkBat.
Steve. I am watching the footage. Filipe was told to jump off the ski and the ski got washing onto the dry reef. Filipe immediately waved for the other ski to pick him up.
That was my take on it from watching it live (although I haven't seen a replay).
Once he was back in the channel he was slow to get back into position. Took his helmet off and played around with it for a bit. Didn't look like someone that was racing to get back out there.
if you're going to write entertaining pieces you're going to need to be able to read athlete's minds and know what they're thinking. otherwise you're just making it up.
10 minute highlight package on 9now shows pretty much all the best waves of the day for those who don't want to give Stan any money. None of the floggings unfortunately though.
https://www.9now.com.au/surfing-olympic-games-paris-2024/2024/episode-12
Floggings at: https://www.9now.com.au/surfing-olympic-games-paris-2024/2024/clip-clz7n...
all clips at:
https://www.9now.com.au/surfing-olympic-games-paris-2024/2024
Commentators have got a wikipedia version of notes in front of them they are mandated to use: "foam ball is the term given to ..."
Good write up Steve of a fantastic day of surfing........... that will go down as one of the better days of competition I've seen at Teahupo'o.
Filipe was embarrassing.........again and Italo and Yago would be spewing they didn't get a start. If he had mental issues before about heavy waves, they certainly weren't resolved and will no doubt be worse now.
Joan Duru was great as was Kalani Vaast.
Medina and Chianca should be a great battle after what they both surfed like.
Great to see Jack and Ethan get through and it's a shame they have drawn each other but hopefully we'll see one of them win Gold ???
And for the commitment award, although he came up short, it has to go to O'leary Connor ! He through himself into some absolutely hideous waves trying to beat Ethan and if he had've stuck the last one it would've been a different result but not to be.
Great day of watching for sure, fingers crossed we get a good finals day too !!
Was great seeing /hearing Ramzi and Chianca hooting each other. Duru and Quinonez same. Surfers realised how insanely lucky and perfect the Waves were in those heats.
What i couldn't understand was Filipe's final wave. He could have surfed a very easy tube for the 4.6 he needed. I don't know what happened there.
I agree - he straightened out of that first section. Otherwise it would be a very different story.
May I have a whinge about the front on angle?
It seems almost unicorn like in the coverage, I'm pretty sure I did see a couple of them, but they were so rare I'm now questioning whether I did.
Barton constantly saying it's hard to tell how deep he was there. Read - where's the far king front on view you muppetts!!!
Quite enjoyed watching Filipe's heat. The Japanese guy didn't get any bombs but he was buzzing even after he got a 9.5/10 flogging. Couldn't wait to get back amongst it.
Joao and Ramzi, what a heat.
Great write up FR, as usual, but would have been happy not to quote anything from Malcolm Gladwell. Charlatan science journalist imo, an example of marketing over substance.
"The ski picked him up on the inside ledge. Toledo held on, then released his grip, went to the back of the rescue sled and jumped off. Right on the shallowest part of the reef.
He jumped off the ski!
Why?"
I'm gonna say that he wanted to injure himself so as to get an "injured" against his name for olympic books rather than "terrified".
Why do all the commentators in our sport catagorically refuse to address/discuss the elephant in the room when it is clearly on show for all to see?
sorry guys but Pip was instructed to jump off as the ski got washed up onto dry reef
I call BS BarbB.
no BS cobber. The clips are below. Pip was told to get off the ski just before the ski washed up on the dry reef. Pip then waved for the other ski that collected him.
No comment
It looks like Gabe is backdooring the peak.
Some of the waves that came through today were so west it looked like a pipe/backdoor set up
Really dislike the fella but there’s no doubt he gets deeper and generates more speed than anyone out there. Was really noticeable during the WSL event a few months back as well. Going to be hard to beat.
Judges seemed to take everyone's advice and held back .10 for the presumptive claim, otherwise it's a 10 from me. Chasm
Joan Duru too threaded a snake
Gabe's take off/mid-face pump got him too much speed so he wasn't deep enough... maybe? absolute next level technique though. f$%k he's good... and as strong as an ox.
Joan's waves were the deepest and most critical i saw (from 9's turd of a highlights package....). "he was in there, talking to someone, they just let him out"
Incredible wave, he's a freak
Anyone know where we can watch all the heats? 9Now only showing aussie highlights
I paid $27 for a monthly scription to Stan. Its worth it. Incredible stuff. Just cancel the subscription any time
https://www.stan.com.au/
Stan is so worth it! Nice break from the same 3 ads the WSL runs every 15 mins too.. Full replays then fuck it off after the olympics haha
Thanks mate yep just got Stan. Worth every cent, just to watch the surfing!
I'm catching up today watching Ramzi vs Joao. What a heat. They are having the time of their life.
THE COVERAGE IS THE BEST EVER OF A SURFING EVENT. THE FILM DIRECTOR KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE/SHE ARE DOING. ITS PHENOMONAL.
Again I've not seen one wave of the Olympics but another podium write up.
I used to be a big defender of Fillipe but it's getting kinda hard to defend the indefensible.
Maybe his ski ride might have scored higher?
Well. Firstly cheers Steve, loving your insight as usual.
I have to confess a turn-about. Couldn’t haven really cared less about Olympic surfing in relation to the rest of the show. But this contest has me pretty intrigued now.
As with the Woz though, good waves certainly have a lot to do with it.
Let’s hope they can finish with a bang. Proper gladiators out there today, the Olympic gods (Phelps and Thorpie) certainly gifted us that morning.
Showing the JR and JJF heat on Gem now, but they’re only interested in showing the heats with aussies in them. Parochial as all get out, but I suppose that’s what they do in nearly all the events.
They said EE’s heat next, so we might see a bit more than just the highlights (though probably not).
I have to say, watching some of the wipeouts today, it really is a miracle nobody was badly hurt.
Had to get Stan sport today just to be able to watch a complete replay. Worth every cent.
Agreed, worth every cent to watch João v Ramzi in full
I gotta say, this has exceeded all my expectations now.
Watching complete unknowns taking out world champs in pumping reef surf is amazing.
Wasn’t he in the Pipe Masters?
Duru went freaking nuts
.
Great write up' FR - coz I'm not paying Stan for the pleasure.
Sad day for Toledo, what more can be said about his lowercase "w c" status.
As much as Gladwell is a populist sage he's not a neurologist (neither am I) but my understanding of the relevant science, trying to add to your segues FR is this:
1. Fear generates a "fight or flight response" in our relatively new mammalian brain, which is then codified within an emotional context into our memory bank.
2. If neither "fight or flight" are available then we "freeze"; this third type of response to fear is a reptilian response, from a much older part of our brain that has no emotional context, or consequently memory. This type of response is the equivalent of "playing dead" 'coz you can't imagine what else to do, other than really dying - which is a common response from reptiles in my experience, when we come across them in the wild. Incidentally, this also explains why rape victims often have no memory of the event.
Not sure if this adds to your analysis of Toledo's or JJF's behaviors today.
"Great write up' FR - coz I'm not paying Stan for the pleasure."
Your loss mate. Just pay the $35 to watch what were some of the best surfing conditions and heats you will see in a long time. Joao and Ramzi heat was worth the money on it's own. The rest were just freebies!!
A few weeks ago we were wondering wtf happened to Robbos season, why was he so inconsistent, now after a couple of days at Chopes he’s our wonder boy again!
Kanoa great wipeout
fucken epic wrap up FR76.
Stan sport tonight it is. Sounds like such a good day of waves.
Blows me away people still try to defend Toledo.
Fearlipe, how embarrassing.
probably better to analyze the jack and john heat simply as Owen did on telly,,,2 great surfers pushed eachother deep as super wary of each's scoring potential in those conditions, jack guessed right at the right time ,,,both then out of position for the best scoring waves of the heat. jack got the choccos....Go Jack.....this whole time waste spiel of what a choke or panic is doesnt seem applicable,,or in fact even generally accurate in any sense. But hopefully Medina reads it and also gets so confused as us readers and forgets to get slotted.
Would have loved to have seen that set roll through a minute earlier at the end of JJF heat. Had 10’s all over it. That’s the one he was waiting for !
Yep . If surfers in position for that set it wouldve have been on like donkey kong.
Iconic capture of a master.
Love or hate his competitive nature, there's no denying this mans mastery of the moment. As he stated seconds before this shot, he deserved a 10 - not sure what else you have to do on a paddle in at Chopes? Only Matahi & Eimeo match him out there in my opinion which is an incredible achievement given Gabe wouldn't nearly have their number of reps out there.
" not sure what else you have to do on a paddle in at Chopes? "
maybe not claim it ?
Indisputable evidence
Medina is the Messiah
Not a naughty boy
Imagine being the photoG that takes this…and the image is owned by the Olympics org.
I think that is how it works? Can any advise who does own this image?
Excellent write up. I think the comment above about Toledo being brave to face his fears on the world stage is a good one. I won't jump on the Toledo beat down wagon
Toledo clearly in a dark dark place when it comes to this wave. I’m not going to load on him for that. No one else should either. But the question is what the hell
Is he doing there? He needs to be honest with himself and his team need to honest with him. He should have passed and continued with his year off to deal with demons or just move on with his live. I reckon its fine for him to say “this waves not for me”.
The commentary silence on Fils shortcomings is mind boggling to me.
In what other sport do commentators nurse the egos of their top competitors.
I doubt BL would've completely held back.
I'm not into the personal attacks, but if a couple of critical words about his performances is going to send him over the edge, then he really needs to reassess whether he should be competing or not.
His bruised ego is up to him to manage, not the commentators or the spectators.
I'm no Fil hater either.
Personally, I was hoping he'd get this monkey off his back.
It wasn't to be.
But a spade is a spade.
I think it was a selfish act from Toledo and not really thinking of his country or team , Yago or Italo would have charged in those conditions. Toledo knows he’s not up to it and needs help in overcoming this, I actually like the guy but he’s fucked up here .
I agree. He could have either given his spot or put in the time. It's a phobia he hasn't overcome, much like some people are claustrophobic (only more explainable)
100%.
Fil has accepted the millions of dollars in prize money and endorsements as a world champion surfer, he has to accept the job of a professional sportsman also comes with public pressure and public scrutiny.
Especially when it doesn't measure up.
That's the game.
You want the money and the accolades, you have to take the public scrutiny with it.
Olympic Athletes train like demons to be ready for their once in a 4 year shot. Sometimes once in a life-time. They honour their sacrifices and the sacrifices of those around them by giving their all to show prepared as best they can.
There are no excuses at Olympic levels.
The only proven remedy for panic is preparation and putting in the hundred or thousands of hours in hollow lefts to allow training and experience to over-ride the fear.
Pip had literally months to do this, and every conceivable aid available to facilitate that. Money, expertise, local knowledge.
Everything.
What has he done to prepare?
We have one confirmed trip in between swells and a single Insta post on a 4ft wave.
It seems his prep was to stay home, surf Trestles and hope and pray Teahupoo didn't get over 4ft.
In any normal sport, these basic questions about his level of preparation would be front and centre.
The modus operandi from Pip and the WSL and now the Olympic broadcasters is to deny, look away and just pretend the problem doesn't exist.
It's just not a viable strategy, and no help to his mental health. In fact it's compounding the problem by continually exposing him to public ridicule.
At some point the man himself and his team are going to have to face reality and make some calls, and let the public in on it.
He will receive nothing but support once this whole pretence is done away with.
Couldn't have said it better.
I honestly and genuinely want to see Pip step up and overcome this. He is an amazing surfer and has the ability.
#puposwouldhavegone
100%. Nobody complains that I don't surf Chopes well. But I also don't get $$$ millions to surf, The $$$ are only "gettable" thanks to the existence of supporting/complaining fans
Great write up as usual with a factual comment........well said.
Agree with the crew...Above and beyond Steve...when the goin' gets tough...
Not a lot to work with, but delivered the goods in spades...great wrap indeed!
Was pickin' up on the enormity of Brazil earning the extra Olympic spot only to blow it so early!
Why is that odd & Why also Japan trio have only their lowest scoring Card in the deck?
Almost as if an overriding ISA / IOC plan is in play...Huh!
Had Toledo put out just enough he would have gained 100% advantage for Brazil
Think about each nation paired off for 3 SF spots...
Almost awarding Toledo arguably easiest QF to Brazil for the 4th SF spot
That is huge with 2/4 SF Brazzos Guarantees 1 Medal & 'Only' chance at 2 medals.
But now just 1/4 Brasso surfers has a maximum equal chance ...zero advantage!
From extra 3rd surfer they can now equally lose all 3 by SF & may Finish 4th.
Few would predict that all 3 Brazzos would miss out on a medal > That's now an even reality!
Already lost the extra 2 & 3 surfer advantage effectively by R3...that's a huge kick in the Guts! Wow!
That's the enormity of not representing yer nation with require effort!
Ok! Seems odd that Best ISA Teams also pilot dud IOC tanks?
Almost as if ISA #1 Fernando & IOC #1 Fomie Tony have a deal going.
If cooked then ISA Fernando's (Peru) vs IOC Foamie Tony's (France) are Silver/Gold #1 Slab Godz ever!
But Bronze was guaranteed from Round 1 ...Here's how they baked their Olympic Hero Medal!
Peru
Correa draws #1Piker + IOC Silver Medalist of 3 Japs > (Swears he's most hungry for Gold but Tanks)
Scores his gifted free ride to R3 vs (7.6 + 9.5 SA Guy - Who's a little Slow to his Feet)
Next in QF against the lowest scoring 2024 Heat winner with even lower Combo of [6] Tough Gig huh!
C'mon > Correa was already gifted SF (With IOC Foamie Bronze or Gold /Silver upgrade option!)
France
Commentators called Duru loss to Jack in real time but was later massaged by judges into 3rd Round.
R3 Scores 'Highest Comp Score' just to make sure he wins QF into SF by default?
Guaranteed SF with Team Player...Boasts Foamie Tony > I'll have a word with Fernando's Medalist Ok!
R3 & Fernando + Tony have already banked a Medal
Should France (vs) Peru in SF they lock in a medal
Should France not meet Peru in SF they lock in a medal
We already know this Medal is mandated via the draw...All see that!
Either way this contrived Olympic medal was locked in from the R1 Late inflated Judges overrule!
All knew it was well overblown & suss > We know as fact Both commentators were shocked...
Both by Inflated late Score & a both had comfortably called Jack as winner into R3.
Exactly! From little things big things Colonize all 7 surfing seas = Godz!
Did they unknowingly call out these Corrupt ISA / IOC officials or did they play it up as a light joke?
Who here thinks these #1+#2 Unsportsmanlike Gods earn't their 100% Bankable medal fairly...
By cooking Post heat Scores > Posing Highest Scores + always lucking safest of easiest draws!
tbb Protest > calling out this contrived ham fisted Colonial Birth of Surfing Conquest.
why are the Brazilans allowed to have three male surfers and three female surfers and all other countries only 2 max
Came here to ask the same question. Can't find the answer anywhere.
The women and men both won an extra place by being the top male and female team at the 2024 ISA games. Massive effort from all of them to pull it off. Japan men’s and US women won the extra team places at either ISA 2023 or 2022 games.
Just watched the highlights: Fucken hell, Slater shoulda pulled the Syria switch ay.
It’s been really pleasant not hearing about him in incessantly, and seeing his old heats replayed over and over. So great seeing all the other talent instead.
100 percent agree. I could stand hearing him after a losing heat talking about his foot, or back, or not feeling it or (insert 100 excuses) and completely ignoring someone with skill and talent beat him again.
Great write up Stevo - thanks. And thanks for the 9Now link Jono - that's all I need - fuck me that Gabe wave - the drone shot of the wave forming over the reef is awesome - he's a massive Brazildo but how was that not an 11 :-0
I couldn’t find the footage of JJF getting pulled up on the ski out of breath and rattled. Never seen him like that before, must have been a next level hold down.
Re Filipo, there is so much wrong with his non performance it’s hard to know where to start. I’m the first one to pull the pin when it gets big, heavy and even vaguely dangerous but as you say FR, he’s the one accepting millions for being world champ, not me, I’ve got a full time job doing other things.
It throws in to question everything about how the WSL crowns a world champ, let alone Fil’s character.
I’ve often thought I’d be prepared to take on a whole heap of crazy waves provided I had a helmet, inflatable vest, jet ski rescue and video/walkie-talkie guidance picking me up. Hell I’d probably give heaving Teahupoo a go with that level of back up. Fil had all that and still didn’t give it a go.
I just don’t think he can come back from that on any level. How can he turn up at any future professional surfing event with anything resembling confidence, swagger and bravado?
In regards to the commentators and the coverage in general, it’s actually the story of the the entire Games: world champ freezes, panics and refuses to compete. Would stop the world if it was the 100m sprint final
Ironic the only actual Japanese surfer makes it into the quarters.
Maybe something to be said about surfing for your actual country rather than for your individual gain.
I don’t think that’s fair. It’s a reflection of who he surfed against. Connor absolutely ripped out there today and threw himself over the ledge if some massive waves. And both he and kanoa had much tougher opponents in EE and Gaby
I never said they didn’t have a go.
But both of them couldn’t make their countries team. So they chose to use the rules available to compete for Japan. Both of them if they were good enough, would have been competing for Aus and US respectively. So they chose another country for personal gain.
They both got the hardest draws.
Reo got Flippy.
Irony.
So Philipo Toledo is currently the world champ???… seriously!!. Should he be barred from competing?
Fair to say Toledo’s up yours everyone claim yesterday was a little premature.
Seriously where were you guys on the forecast for the greatest morning ever. I am actually convinced that the only explanations are that you are entirely incompetent or heavily gambling on the event being such lucrative odds available and with such inside information at hand. It doesn’t add up at all for you to not get us excited for what transpired as the greatest competition day in history.
Xox
I think this is the first time I've read a recap and really felt like I've missed out by not watching!
Surely Toledo is done after this. I wonder how the brazzo fans feel about him embarrassing their country? I agree with the above about how selfish his actions not too pull out were. Italo and Yago charge.
When things are expected they aren't a surprise and don't hurt as much. He did what all Brazzos expected. Unfortunately Brazil has far more important topics to be embarrassed about than Toledo's surfing.
Expectations were always with Gabriel and also João for the Olympics.
Yes Elliedog, Filipo is the current world champ.
But many years ago Jeff Rowley, Ryan Hipwood and Reef McIintosh charged 15 ft plus Cloudbreak while a lot of the top professional surfers sat it out. It's not new but particularly poignant given Filipo had at least a year to prepare for this wave and also had every safety aspect at his disposal, something Rowley, Hipwood and Macintosh weren't guaranteed of.
He's got options, although none of them are particularly pleasant. He can acknowledge that he prefers to not risk his life for the sake of surfing, a world title, an Olympic Medal or anything resembling public recognition that signifies him as a "hard charging hellman". If he did that then I'd be 100% in his corner, sport is simply not worth risking your life for. Unfortunately then he's got to live with that and it throws the whole world champ thing into doubt, given that as long as professional surfing has existed, the world champ has generally been able to match it with the big wave surfers to some degree. He's pretty much destined to immediate retirement from that point on.
His other option is to dig deep, overcome his fears, potentially risk his life and take on the challenge of surfing life threatening waves. Russell Bierke and Jamie Mitchell have done it so it's not impossible.
I'm guessing Filipo's in a bad place at the moment, the bad place of knowing that he probably is not the best surfer in the world and the whole thing is a farce, a farce he's benefited from and at times gloated in
Shame that for such a prestigious competition like the Olympics they've brought back that American woman who sounds like Alvin and the chipmunk's sister . I cringe every time I hear her talk .
someone is getting something left sometimes
even a cameraman went over the falls today & survived
Watched plenty of the heats on replay now.
What stood out was just how many bombs went unridden during the breaks between heats.
So many potential 10 point rides.
I watched the whole thing last night and the only thing I thought would have made it better was not having the break between heats.
It seemed like every break the best waves of the day came through. Watching bombs explode while surfers were in position waiting for the countdown was a massive tease.
Yes that’s probably the only negative of the coverage for me. I loved having commentary audio only. I hope WSL takes note and gets rid of their big studio setup. I only want to see the surfers and the waves in screen. Hopefully it leads to some improvements and reimagining of how to do things.
Sorry double up and haven’t figured out how to delete it yet
I've now watched the Toledo video closely. To be fair, it looks like the ski patrol guy tells him to jump off as they're about to hit dry reef. That's not to say that he didn't dog the rest of the session. Panic is a pretty apt description.
Steve great write up and yep sometimes it's all in the head.
Jordy, Toledo and JJ all choked on round 3, and really no surprise especially Jack sending the world champ home..
Mate I had a mate who was national heavy weight Judoka Champ, represented Straya in 2012 at london and Bronze in 2014, he could tell you olympic competition isn't your standard international meet.
Here in Australia we actually value olympic gold enough to spend the dollars to buy it, so really watching Jack send JJ the world champ home round 3 is no surprise. Just imagine the Aussies have been in an elite high performance training programme since qualification.
I coached Swimming, Surfing, Sailing, Sailboarding and Kyacking professionally, let me tell you watersports at Team Australia is beyond competing, that is our tax Dollars at work.
The froth from the Aussie surf public after Tokyo '20 sent $ toward the sport and even at a basic level Aussie Coaches are taught about the mental aspect to executing the skill on a competitive stage. Aussie water sports coaches are regarded as the best the world over. Tylers interview dropped some tiny secrets about preparation of the Australian Surf team, they been bloody privileged to be included to coaching platforms from the Australian Swimming Team, it's a national travesty for our swim team to not win regularly.
John John being himself, would have been going 2 weeks yeah I'm a World Champ I got this. the start of the comp you find out the Aussies have left no stone unturned and refined their ability to perform to the narrowest possible margin just for this single event, That commitment level would be foreign to JJF, I mean JJ's day was cooked probably the moment he found out how Team Australia operate pretty collaboratively, we have specialists in everything sport and use them to get Gold regularly. That includes Sports Psyc, Jack looked like he just found out the attention to detail Australia invests in getting their hands on the yellow stuff.
I can just about point out the moment on the Boat where the surfers are introduced to the crowd that imploded JJ's head and filled him full of negative and destructive headset. The Jack vs JJF heat was run and won before it went in the water, and Robo probably needed to do nothing but follow the program to achieve that.
So imagine your a USA world champion surfer feeling pretty happy about your prep and you look over at Team Australia and there is some crazy trivial stuff going on, which you never seen before. Like Blood Pressure being taken, foot massage on the go coaches pouring over the wax job on Jacks quiver.
Comes to the introduction boat time and you see the Aussie Olympic Team in action (Australia 2 style), Something different to the usual, you look at Jack and he seems oblivious to your presence running through a different prep than usual WSL comp, doing this warm up which wouldn't look out of place at a winter olympic Freestyle Ski Jump final. Man your head is gunna be cooked before you even get in the water.
Makes you proud to be Australian
Surreal.
hahaha, god this response made me laugh.. on you Lanky.
Me too! Definitely a surreal experience working through that lot. Good stuff!
I’m all for patriotism, but put it in perspective, That was one heat in lucky to survive conditions. Jjf is presently number 1 on the CT and would have had it won if it wasn’t for the anomalies of an unfair finals day . He’s also already won 2 world titles .Jacks was doing well this year , but has dropped off recently. So criticising Jjfs preparation after 1 horrendous hold down, is a bit flag waving.
So what happened to Pickles?
...... maybe 45min & overlapping heats.... great Olympic show & summary.
Italo would go....
Massive awesome day. After watching the Jack JJ heat it really looks like JJ had the stuffing knocked out of him. There were multiple chances for him to go and he just didn't. I wondered if even the great JJ lost a bit of confidence today. And O'Leary Connor wow he seemed to have a death wish.
And Felipe was seriously scared but I for one don't blame him. Kanoa wasn't much better
when your brain get rattled that hard , it takes 15-20 minutes to stop seeing stars and be able top focus again
Wow,
Just got home from work!
Some heavy comments above!
Hope everyone has a great surf
Next session!
Cheers.
You cant do the biggest claim in history on a 4 ft day and then refuse to catch a wave the next in the biggest surfing event in history without being scrutinised . Phil needs to learn some humility or learn to charge hard enough to back up the machismo.
Go Jack Robbo !
Crazy day of surfing. Highlight for me was watching semi pro underdogs Cleland and Inada give the WSL pros a run for their money in giant conditions. Inada clearly out of his depth but gave it an amazing crack. Inspiring stuff. Also that huge wave at the end of the Medina Kanoa heat. You know it was giant when Medina allowed kanoa to go, under his priority! Props to all (except Toledo…)
If knew about Cleland's local where he grew up, it would be no surprise. Jamie O'Brien wears a big arse float suit when he goes there to do his step offs!
I've spent the hours since round completion, contemplating the question, Which heat was the best heat?
I can only conclude that the last 4 heats of the day were the best. But to truly appreciate the grandeur of the spectacular, round 3 should be watched in its entirety from start to finish. The day had it all.
Hats off to those out there facing and challenging the rising wall head on and to the rescue crews.
Cheers Steve, entertaining write up as always. Your well thought out response to Fillip just above here somewhere is pretty much about where I sit on the fence. Poor bugger just could not get over that ledge.
Here's really surprised nobody died today. Yeeeeew.
What a bunch of bitter cvnts the writer and most of the commentators here are. The best stage competitive surfing will ever have with the gnarliest day and all you can do is gossip about a scared small wave champion out of his depth. Medina, Colapinto, Duru, Chianca, Oreily, Ewin and others have put on a show that will probably not repeat itself on an Olympic stage ever again, that’s what you cvnts should remember
Sorry mate, you don't understand sport.
Sport is about success and failure.
Agony and ecstasy.
My guess is people will remember (in 10 years time) Toledo and Medina, for those very reasons.
Example being Greg Normans epic choke at the 96 Masters still being the most remembered aspect of his highly storied career.
Agree, no clue! Great summation Steve. I've got personal experience competing in Worlds in what is now an Olympic sport (Slalom Canoeing) and your summary above in the comment is spot on IMO. Fark if I was Toledo I'd be spending a few weeks a year at Kandui or Cloudbreak with all the resources he has!!
Watched the whole mornings mayhem @ Scary Chopes! Took away from it the fact that I wouldn't have a go @ this leve( above 4 to 5ft) ,butttt I'm not the world champ! Fearlipie went M.I.A. in that heat & the Japanese surfer(who I'd never heard of B4) charged it! As far as JJF & Robbo's heat went they both copped severe floggings for the first 15mins or so then JJF waited with priorty for a high scoring wave which didn't come till afta the buzzer,whilst Jack got busy under priority to pick up enough mid range scoring waves to get the win! Can't remember much about the other heats (on the nod I reckon) as I was fatigued from taking on my own demons @ a regional point @ 6ft plus. Pip needs to take a good look @ himself in heavy Left reef breaks. To his credit though he blew me away @ J-Bay with the double Alley Oop's@ 6ft+ in an ASP comp way back when??? So I'll go back & watch the heats I missed & maybe Pip should too!
Thanks for the write up.
Saw the JJF , Robo heat. JJF did look rattled after wipe out, but think his tactics let him down more than fear???? Stoked for Robbo to win, as for EE as well.....
Go Aussie!!!
Glad they got the swell needed to have the chargers shine.
the author got a bit carried away with his own momentum with the drama add on the Jack JJF heat, it was simply a case of first chess move won in that game. Though in his defense, the style he's going for is clearly along the lines of never let the truth get in the way of a good story , shame he cant provide either. :)
Write your own recaps mate.
I've now gone back and watched that Jack/JJF heat in it's entirety 3 times and taken detailed notes on each occasion.
They both had the head rattling wipe-outs on consecutive waves at almost exactly the halfway mark.
So both had to regain composure at the same time in the heat.
I'm going to call that a wash both physically and mentally- both men have taken hundreds or thousands of wipeouts in heavy reef surf in their lifetimes. And would know exactly what to expect and how to calm the farm afterwards.
In the time it took for JJF to paddle for his first scoring wave (with 3 mins remaining) Jack had caught 3 waves, 2 under JJF's priority and put JJF into combo and took P for the last 3 minutes of the heat.
That's a stunning level of passivity from John.
A monumental choke.
If you see it differently, I'm all ears.
Re-watching the heat, I think Jack's waves were underscored- they had insane degrees of difficulty attached to them and pin point execution. Very few people on this planet could have made his 7.17- and one of them was in the water with him. He did not make a wave of similar magnitude and plenty came through that offered similar scoring potential.
Jack also took two more heavy wipeouts in that heat than John did.
I have to kind of agree with your take, I only watched the heat once and you are in a lot better position to judge than me
Heavy wipe outs but surely JJF has been copping them since grommethood??
It would be great to hear JJF thoughts as he comes across as a humble honest bloke, met him briefly once and he was a nice bloke.
Robbo well deserved win and was barracking for him.
Hope an Aussie can claim the Gold!
I have to kind of agree with your take, I only watched the heat once and you are in a lot better position to judge than me
Heavy wipe outs but surely JJF has been copping them since grommethood??
It would be great to hear JJF thoughts as he comes across as a humble honest bloke, met him briefly once and he was a nice bloke.
Robbo well deserved win and was barracking for him.
Hope an Aussie can claim the Gold!
I’m not sure how you can say that any two wipeouts are going to be exactly the same. Mark Foo drowned at Maverick’s, when I’m sure others out there would have taken similar wipeouts but survived.
There no doubt that 7.17 of Jacks was underscored , Critically late drop , bottom turn under the guillotine lip and then fading up the face to exit the barrel a la Slater in the epic heat with JJ a few years ago . If that wasn't in the excellent range at minimum then I'll go hee .
To say it was less than a point better than JJs best wave in that heat is just poor judging .
And Pip ..... why didn't he just stay home and look after the billy lids .
Yay
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-30/paris-olympics-where-is-the-surfi...
Knowing how proud Brazilian’s are of their sports stars , Felipe has done himself no favours by excepting his spot at the Olympics , knowing full well that more than one of his fellow countrymen are far far better at handling chopes . He would have gained a huge amount of respect from them and the world surfing community if he had put his hand up and owned up that he’s currently not up to the task . I spent some time with some Brazilian’s on a surf trip earlier this year, one of them is Yago’s godfather. Some of them didn’t believe Felipe deserved to be world champion as he hadn’t proved himself at pipe and were hoping he would give up his olympic position .There’s a huge difference between Toledo & Medina when it comes down to their faith in themselves and their God . Pride before the fall .
"He would have gained a huge amount of respect from them and the world surfing community if he had put his hand up and owned up that he’s currently not up to the task ."
100%.
And as someone above pointed out, the day before he claimed like a madman in small conditions (to Chopes standard).
Surfing is inherently a selfish ‘sport’.Try surfing Snapper when it’s good, so why not toss the coin that the swells going to be smaller, when Felipe would have been up to the task . Obviously didn’t work out that way , but that’s the problem with the ‘sport’ of surfing. I think most Olympians would be pursuing gold primarily for personal fame and fortune, ahead of national pride.
Where to now for Filipe?
Does he just show up at Pipe in 6 months time and pretend nothing has happened and bring the same skill set? Hope and pray he won't be exposed again in the brutal spotlight of competition?
With Cloudbreak closing out the season?
It's really hard to see a pathway forwards for him that doesn't involve some very uncomfortable truths.
I'd say all options, including retirement as a Dual back to back World Champion would be on the table.
A Gold Medal, is still on the table too. If he qualifies in 4 years time, he would go to LA and surf (most likely) Huntington as a red hot favourite.
Surely he can't show face now. He'd be so easy to mindfuck.
Flip with priority at 2ft burger Trestles, "You want me to take this one mate? Bit out of your league isn't?", and that's polite. Imagine him copping sledges at an Aussie cricket level, he'd off himself.
Great write up, I haven’t seen any waves from the day as every link I click on is banned from playing in my current location. The write up on JJF’s heat was so clear and explained it perfectly….as was the rest of the days action.
Ps…I was kinda looking forward to reading FR about Robo’s near death experience which has had a bit of coverage here but no real surfer understandable explanation.
I still love FT. Even if he is scared. Everyone has limitations and everyone knows what FT’s is. Would suck to be in that position as a world elite sportsman.
Me too, really. I would love to see Fil overcome this. If he could you'd be hard pressed to find a more 'complete' surfer. I love watching him surf. But, Free very succinctly summarised it above.
What was that saying in the old Billabong vid- 'if you wanna dance, you gotta pay the band'. Fil got free entry and a backstage pass.
I hope he can come through this and out the other side. Incredible surfer, if not the complete package. He knows that deep down. Taking the Olympic spot was a gamble. Conditions called the bluff.
The biggest irony is Fil has made his decisions to avoid pain
Great day of surfing. Did anyone else think EE's mid 8 against Connors 8 was a bit funky? Didn't make a difference in the end but Connor's wave was a beast and I thought a good point or two better.
Shame the wind come up - although I did fear for some of the ladies about to go out. Very few people on this planet have the skill to take that on, and it is extremely dangerous even for them.
I actually though Connor's opening 3 was pretty harshly scored.
bizarre score
Probably the best 3 I’ve ever seen !
Full standup barrel on a pretty heavy wave and only a 3 ??
His 8 was also a really hard wave to ride and deep, so could’ve gone higher also.
I’m glad EE won but there shouldn’t have been that much difference in the scores
Bizarre score ! It looked double that from the channel. Don't remember seeing a front angle for the depth !
Agree I didn't think there was a huge gap between Connor and EE's first waves
This was a really nice exploration about failing on the big stage.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-31/olympics-biden-politics-shows-ris...
i just watched the Joao vs Ramzi heat. So many waves surfed. I thought Ramzi's highest score was 0.7 points better than Joao's corresponding wave but then i think the judges evened it up with Joao's final 8.8, which appeared underscored. All time heat.
Wow. What a great article. Thanks for the recommendation. Speaks to the very theme's you seem to pointing at re Felipe - Garside's transparency about his feelings in the context of his (lower than he expected) performance help him chart a course through, and engender empathy, respect, and admiration. Beautiful.
I liked EEs first better, but it was more like 5.5 vs 4.5.... not 3.
Connors opening 3 had to go down as one of the gnarliest 3 point rides in history
The Olympic Day of Days
Disappointing cut through. I didn't see it on any mainstream news?
The 10 best waves would make one of the greatest highlight reels, nowhere to be seen?
Just skimmed through Nick Carrols surfline article on the first 3 days . Very interesting comparison from Steve’s articles . Seems the commentators at the event weren’t the only ones gagged .
I read his latest.
Pretty shocked actually, to see him not even mention Toledo's capitulation at Olympic level.
Imagine any other Olympic sport where the current World Champ was so non-competitive against a complete unknown on a day of days.
Would think even the most incurious journalist would want to know why, how etc etc.
Just as important would be to find out why the reluctance to report / commentate honestly on what unfolded before everyone’s eyes. Talk about an elephant in the room .
Stab reported that Filipe put in ‘a noble effort’.
I think the Mainstream surf media are well aware of how thin his skin is and don’t want to have access restricted in the future for interviews, novelty photoshoots etc.
The comments are pretty much on point though and tin he wrap up on Ain’t that swell, both Jed and Vaughn absolutely rinse poor Fil.
Mikey Ciaramella was basically praising Fil’s effort on the latest stab podcast (even after fil snubbed him for a post heat interview). So weird
It has to be frustrating to be a surf journalist, forever beholden to interests within the surf community. In my view this has long been a significant barrier to great journalism in the sector.
Carroll is a great surf writer, but he could have been greater if he was able to write more candidly.
I appreciate that your work is not anchored in the same way freeride, thanks for all the great articles.
Surfline and WSL are in cahoots
Surf forecast? When is likely to be on?
Maybe Thursday, more likely friday I think
https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-analysis/2024/07/30/forecast-2024...
See jocks clinging to rails strapped up tight to Merbau Decking Boards life-lined to escape shuttles!
None of these Olympians are athletic enough or game enough to manhandle a Teahupoo beastie.
tbb will back his 5 year dry docked morbidly obese senile senior bashed up body to steal their gold.
Piece of piss...that's how fucked up this buy me a pony circus is...only see a sea of pretend blowhards.
None could surf to save their own life...No Athletes on show...a war cabinet of moulded Toy Soldiers
Dead from the Waist Down strapped to decking boards in Showcase Arena... Crowd ask : 'Paralympics?'
General public would equally label any / all these woke Olympians as cry baby Divas.
No athletes on show can manhandle the smallest Teahupoo waves of consequence...
True Olympians are Majestic Ocean Serpents surfjustsurf...not yo-yoing ebay ai shop cart clientele!
Barton : But they're Artists I tells ya & the wave is their Canvas...(OMG!)
Yeah! Well how many artists sculpt wave faces with their feet strapped and cemented to 6ft palettes
Then kick flip Bunnings Planks inside Mother Nature's womb...Ouch! Stop that!...
'Where's my medal...for wot the fuck ever laziest unsportsmanlike $50m display that ever was!'
tbb's sport of brutally honest bashing equally flips to reward an artist's touch! Huh! Where's that tbb!
tbb will Tag Team an equally brutally honest prog-caster Chris Cote.
Chris calls out shit as he sees it...squishes nuggets for dullards to trip over...still goes over their heads!
Biggest arena and Chris ignores the Majesty to drop beautifully honest progressive calls of the ages!
Goes over everyone's heads as it's meant to...but tbb is on message & salutes his brutal honesty.
Within 5 minutes Chris made 2 defining ideal Teahupoo calls.
1. Called an obvious low scoring wave as not enough to knock Jack from an honest heat win & R3 spot.
All now know IOC Delayed a well overcooked score to have French secure a podium finish!
Chris never had to stick his head on the chopping block...but feels the heat & stokes it...lets rock!
2. "Hands free Backhand tube riding is one of surfing's most difficult maneuvers!" (Brutally Epic Call!)
Chris articulates dead from the waist down cave dwellers morphing into reluctant sea serpents.
He is charting the coming down from the tree people morphing into real life artzy sea serpents.
Where as Barton ain't got the smarts to call out the Boot polish Palette > Brush stroke revolution.
Like Pinocchio morphing into an Arm waving Surflete being slightly more worthy of an Olympic medal.
tbb is obsessed & enthralled by priority high pressure high speed raw hand surfing.
The Decking Board is now relegated as a stage prop for artist's signature surfing...fuckin' drooling
No longer ONEOFUS decking boredz...now morphing as new rare breed sea serpents of consequence!
Shh! Judges know shit about new dominating frontline risky no holds barred surf technique.
Not one word about it...Taboo it is...Fuckin' luv this wave of Anarchy...stick it to the man...My way!
Just saying...tbb is equally stoked by Boardrider's new wave of Artistic Endeavour...
Come Alive they have...and tbb is more than stoked to Salute this up close & personal surfing .
Let it Rip..make shit up & make love to the wave without the Gum boots! Just do it crew! Drool!
So yeah...tbb sees cowardice but equally within all Teahupoo ebay ai Olympians refusing to surf.
But tbb has one eye on IOC rorts +Toy Story pool toys morphing into sea serpents...that's cool!
Hard to criticize any boardrider morphing dead from the waist down into fuck'd up artistic sea serpents.
tbb is openly rewarding a new wave army shaking off them Moulded Factory Slave hand models.
Still proper to Salute yer VIP Slave Empire when ya Claim...of Course it's their medal also! (Cough!)
Go for it > Just do it > Whatever Floats yer Boat...that's the kinda boardriding that fires up tbb.
Love the new waving Board riders...starting to feel the ride come alive! Yer keeping tbb engaged!
Fuck the Jock numbers...dream up yer own ever morphing unfathomobile Sea Serpent!
Show us the surfer ya never thought possible...go off the rails unleash the beast...set yerself free!
Be anything ya wanna be all at once & never the same to celebrate each 'n'every wave as WOTD!
You’ve lost the script again?
Just saying Olympic athletes should be able to back themselves in/out of any line up without assist.
Without risking another's life...tbb will back himself to comfortably do just that.
Also score a higher combo than $50m Olympians without a dollar or a board...
Reckon 5 year drydocked tbb or any basher would manhandle 2x [5]s in 30min empty lineup...no assist!
They do it at Pipe...why not here...that's the simple truth of it!
2024 Olympic judges rate Olympians with $50m assist as well less than average [9.4] combos.
Only need a pair of [2]'s to win 3 heats & yer wheelin' & dealin' a medal.
Nothing to do with what tbb thinks...that's the sad reality of Surfing's finest hour.
All wanted their Dream Comp but now Fernando would be praying that none are watching.
Imagine explaining away athletes in arena with a truck load of shit still can't pull an average score.
Pull the plug on it...turn off the lights > Demand their money back...
Exactly what we got now...a $50m no show...again...tbb never ordered that...that's reality!
tbb views the sub par comp in best light & seeks progression and happily shared & rewards such!
Darn sight more positive than Olympic Judges, who rank Comp as shit! Take it up with the Judges!
Or are the Olympic Judges off script as usual...most likely wot it is...
Trying hard to salvage something from nothin' but a Wipeout Bloopers Reel!
I think the way forward for Filipe is to win another world title. He can pick up points at Pipe and Chopes if it is not bombing. He can win at most of the other venues. I don’t think Cloudbreak would hold the same fears. People don’t seem to hit the reef there and the wave is more like a big point wave than a slab.
I don’t think he cops the same flak from his other competitors as he does from the commentariat. His work colleagues and rivals primarily know him as a top bloke and a brilliant surfer.
Maybe.
Thats the status quo option.
Carry on, pretend it's not an issue and hope you can win enough heats in between heavy days to win another Title.
Doesn't seem to be working for him though.
The status quo option this year led to a failure at Pipe, a withdrawal from the Tour after a massive public reaction citing mental health and a pledge to come back ready for the Olympics.
That failed too.
So, he keeps doing what is so clearly causing him immense distress and hope the cause of the distress (heavy surf) doesn't show up at his work site?
And on the days it does?
He doesn't seem to have a thick enough skin for that.
And amazingly, if he didn't fall off on one of his mediocre waves on Monday, then he would've been a good chance for an Olympic medal (if the rest of the comp now gets run in small or medium size waves).
Gold medal waves for the 2024 Olympics in Tahiti and those brave surfers; power & the passion wins.
Mens R3 Highlights below
https://www.9now.com.au/surfing-olympic-games-paris-2024/2024/episode-12
Medina magic
https://www.9now.com.au/surfing-olympic-games-paris-2024/2024/clip-clz8g...
closeouts & wipeouts
https://www.9now.com.au/surfing-olympic-games-paris-2024/2024/clip-clz7n...
Will the women go tomorrow, doubt it?
Hope Molly gets to free surf with the locals
Put a soundtrack to the 30minute highlight reel on Stan and youd have one of the best surf movies ever. That was ridiculous!
Wow!
Just got home from work
More heavy comments above!
What say you FR,
Should we feed Felipe to the lions,
Or maybe a week in the stocks,
Rotten vegetables hurled at him!
Shame on him for being human!
Cheers!
We stopped mentioning him yesterday!
Historically, there is a strong evidence for natural selection in ecological terms, based on human experience, intuition, logic and intellegence using the precautionary principal; creating famous fables, proverbs & prophecies. Well documented for at least 2024 years.
This human attitiude has & is now often distorted by fast bucks/money, ego/fame & the 'selfish genes' desire to reproduce offspring.
eg. Global warming was forecast in 1970's by Exon / Caltex scientists. Buisiness as usual (cheap fossil fuel, fashion & profits ) has provailed for almost 50 years..
until it has now become expensive... or unfashionable or both.
Marine scientist now warn on another threat from mining; deep sea, uranium, tar sands, etc....whitewashed by many, except those with intellect and considered advice by those employed by major world leading businesses...with a long term earth survival plan.....eg.
&t=1sMay Philipe Toledo & everyone else live long and prosper ...? its up to us all.
I enjoyed seeing a couple of different video angles from Olympics camera crew. Chopes footage always seems to be from the tower or the channel.
Me too. They nailed it.
Anyone know how big Medinas board was? Looks like 6’6 or 6’8 to me
Gabe is 5'11 so maybe 6'1 based on the viral pic below?
Looks bigger than that in the second pic, lots of board either end of him.
Illusion I reckon.
These two boards on that day don't look that big to me.
6'0 thru to 6'6" according to Warchild comment
@goofyfoot, @lostdoggy
Hi to you both.
I’m calling complete bullshit on that Medina photo.
How is it that he’s standing on a horizontal cloud, and there’s no other cloud like it within the vicinity of that snap, his right leg is cocked at the knee, it would not be if he was descending under sheer gravity.
Obviously some kind of promotion to flog boards or t-shirts.
Just my opinion, could be completely wrong. AW
A bit of AI (not the late great Andy Irons) you reckon AW?
On the replay you can watch him doing it.
He’s a master.
Goofyfoot. Where can I watch it ?
Have you been getting a wave ?
Plenty of size and good winds over your side of late. All the best. AW
Hey mate I’ve been watching the replays on Stan Sport. I was already subscribed to Stan so just a bit extra to get the sport coverage.
Takes a bit of looking to find the surfing.
Not many waves, work’s pretty nuts at the moment and had a few other things going on so definitely getting pretty irritable and need to get in the water asap.
You?
Gf. I have been fortunate, I managed to surf 5 out of that seven day spell last week.
It was very nice, last Saturday surprised us all, 4ft swell slightly bigger than forecast, light wind fell away early to not even a puff.
Not too many where I surfed, rode my new Arakawa 6’6” twinny rounded pin, had a blast, 4 hour session. Life’s good. Been doing a few small landscape jobs, there is work everywhere, if you want it. All the best. AW
AW here's a short clip of the wave:
https://x.com/rhuaan17/status/1818288170980503772
Jono. Hi mate. You’re a champ.
How’s things ?
Thanks for finding that, I’m a bit of an IT dinosaur. All the best. AW
White noize?
please spare us from this garbage. thanks
consistantly great maneuvers in comp's that most can't do ...or they would win.
TBH ,he’s still surfing good, definitely could have won it if it didn’t pick up, his biggest problem is he doesn’t like big waves.
eg. a historical lands called 'Pwnt, or Poont'; mythologically known hip society also known as the 'giant golden serpent", with Incredible wealth & global trade 6000 bc....near Adulis, has diasappeared from most historic records. Palm trees and gold...
Give peace a chance... says John Lennon.
Get a grip on intuition, science facts or go for it blind f'wits...if you desire fast bucks & dare risk the children of the future.
you ever tempted to come down to the forums, bbbird?
benthic is as low as I go...without support from above.
My guestimate is Medina's board maybe working for him; dim's approx... 6'6 x 19" x 2.5".... if that means anything, to anyone, atm.... on 30/7/2024
the forums would love a bbbenthos thread..
(miners disturbing million year old oxygen batteries would go off)
how cme Brazil has 3 male surfers and 3 female surfers and all other countries have max of 2
they won extra places by winning the ISA Games or similar
Have you been dropped in at Ulus' in Bali in the last 20 years...
I went somewhere , somewhere else, where there wasn’t any one else to drop in on you ?
most dont give a f***
Chapter 1
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--"
Ch3
"A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other."
references Charles Dickens, Tale of Two cities, 1859.
Chapter 1 & 3
https://www.dickens-online.info/a-tale-of-two-cities.html
Wow what an entertaining thread.
I watched the replay,
chopes looked savage
Not as thick as usual, yet more of a peak style wave.
Savage
Gabby wave, could be the wave of that man's life can't believe they didn't hive him a ten .
O’Leary Connor switched countries for the opportunity to win a gold medal, so why aren’t we piling on him for being a traitor. So why should’ve Felipe given up his opportunity to win a gold medal, when he had every chance of winning one if the swell hadn’t picked up? Horses for courses.
Nothing similar at all. It seems like you just enjoy arguing on the internet. Having dual passport/citizenship and competing for another country is very common practice:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sportspeople_who_competed_for_more...
Very ironic, your the one who sent me an email , wanting to argue?
Yep, here we go. Although I'm confused why assisting you to login is very ironic.
???????????
Apparently the World's biggest Drama is how to Fit Gabz #1 Toy Soldier Claim on to a T
https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/unbelievable-olympic-surfing-imag...
Q : Who's gunna cut The Chord ...need about 2ft Leggie reduction. Oh the Humanity
Protester : [Please don't bugger up a perfectly good leggie]
Q : Will the Photographer sell out for an Uptight T...or is it a Wrap for a Fathers Day Mug Shot!
Best Meme Claims : ...[Surf Taxi] [I'm with Stupid]
Gabz fav version :
I think AI has crept into this forum topic.
@Juliang, @Thanos S, @Adrian123 all the same entity,, sharing a third of a brain each.
Go back and read what you’ve posted. Make sense ?
How does it sound to you ? AW
Salute AW...tbb will wait it out with you!
Well...tbb or any crew ain't ever likely to comment...
"You lost the script again ? or How does it sound to you ?
e harmony Commissioner..."You gotta problem with my pick up lines!"
Yes! We do actually!
tbb was brutally honest & expects the same sportsmanship..
What slap tbb got was a little too bland & blunt!
"You lost the script again?"... Like What's with the ? Just give it a bash & say so!
tbb is open about his mental illness & the crew are cool with that.
Often thank crew and again now for never questioning any Mental disability...All say Aye!
Please play fair and don't pretend to kick tbb or other crew!
Say wot ya wanna say...just keep it to that!
As a swellnet mental health sufferer & supporter tbb is obliged to offer Lifeline [13 11 14]
Again...It's a frontline swellnet health initiative that the crew support & recommend.
tell' em tbb recommended you guys.
Yes! AW we do get ai bots during peak events...
After all that Comment booth drama we gotta expect further infiltration during ideal silly season!
On past occasion tbb has reported one maybe two to the boss if it's constantly suss!
Strange how AW mentions Thanos S...reckon that's a do over...well spotted!
Pretty sure we've had that one before...
AW ain't gone off script...thanx for teaming up and sniffing out these many open ended IOC rorts...
tbb is proud to award fellow swellnetonian AW the Gold Medal for vigilant cyber super powers
How does that sound to you? AW
Like AW is free to return his Gold medal...it's not mandatory!
tbb will gladly tag team AW to flush out the bots...surf hard open and honest to out any pretenders!
Will even back up AW & take the wrap & post Forward Apologies on behalf of AW...
Coz tbb feels the same way! Don't muck with our crew!
Please return comment to tbb on behalf of our ideal crew...but only if you want to...Ok?
"Are you talkin' to yerself again tbb...soon find out won't we!"
Come Out and Play!
TBB.
Hi mate. I hope you’re well.
You’ve flattered me, thank you for your kind words, yours are always kind.
You are kind hearted and thoughtful all the time, such a gift.
Nobody works harder than you on Swellnet
Take care of yourself.
I/we, have always got your back. AW
TBB, a wise man said to me once 'be a rock and let the waves crash over you'.
Don't sweat it TB- wankers are gonna wank. You're all good.
"Wankers gonna wank"
Zenagain classic.
Cheers zenagain & Stu & AW & crew...this exploitation of polarizing events is now the new norm.
No harm in any of the crew touching base, taking stock & backin' up...thanks for the advice.
Yes! Exactly...don't give in to the mania & Just chill > should all blow over soon enough!
Wise words indeed zenagain ....
Thanks for the ideal zhooshing of the swellnet couch cushions...kinda feels dreamier it does!
It's Ok to jump up'n'down a bit...Oopsie! Pass the vibes on and take it easy...just flow!
^ farknell, haha, 'wankers gonna wank'.. @zen gets it @tbb. whatever its name is is just scattergunning.. and missing.. I feel quite sorry for bozos that stand in the middle of a room and expect an audience to their good, bad and ugly entitled bullshit. we all see SN crew always having your back tbb, they just ain't online at the moment.
remember lickwid misreading your ndis & chix wave therapy posts, may 7th last year? a dozen supportive messages.. and what a stand-up guy lickwid ended up being, owning his misread, and acknowledging having hurt someone's feelings? we'll just see if this unit has comparable character and line up respect.
Yes sorry my mistake, didn’t realise you had issues, or I wouldn’t have said something so unthinking, insensitive, hurtful . But at least I replied , even if it was out of line, which no one else ever does. I’ve actually had issues myself , but got over them .That’s why I wouldn’t have said that . Us bots aren’t perfect you know
Not sure where to slot this...about here maybe...
Thanks so much Juliang ...tbb owes you an apology on behalf of the crew just as promised.
Not saying tbb or we had to do wot we did...can't defend that either...it's just in our nature.
Just that Hodad tbb has clocked up a few hours & feels obliged to assist when things run awry.
Mostly coz only tbb perhaps AW would know if anything was...'awry'...feel the wrath!
It may help if tbb shares Elder is central by name & therefore central to being! Born that way!
If tbb puts both sides of case forward...that's by default!
Coz we operate as a frontline mental health unit today & every day...so it's least about tbb's issues!
If you must know...you replied to a perfect bout of tbb's bipolar...
Crew can read both extremes in that Comment...hope that explains why it provoked your response.
Sure...crew are kind & give tbb enough rope no matter what level of disability...
tbb salutes your prompt & kind reply & honesty + crew wish you & your family good health!
It's who we are...can see how we support one another & that ain't ever gonna change, nor should it.
Exactly why tbb posted [lifeline] support just in case others are in need of the same.
Yes! You bet tbb and all thanks the crew often for their frontline support.
Being honest...they've saved my life...many of times over & happy to openly share such!
Several times Govt cut tbb's services without notice resulting in emergency Lifeline assist.
Here's how #1swellnet Frontline Mental Health Volunteers operate...we all pitch in to save a life.
https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-dispatch/2023/08/17/swellnet-life...
Welcome to the crew...your baptism of fire is shared by many...that ain't gonna change either.
tbb and all recall similar welcome here or other lineups...we all still cop a sidewinder.
Yes told often enough to sort this & settle that by many crew without much drama.
Ya free to speak yer mind with crew in mind.
Here's the one golden rule that all abide by & may be pulled up on...this is the line...
...................................................................................................................................................................................
*Use common sense. Have Respect...No personal attacks against other users.
Make yer point without making things personal or insulting other people...
....................................................................................................................................................................................
Crew will vouch to self policing one another as demonstrated here & now.
Also...please never post confronting insults / swearing that provoke hate on the dashboard.
In other words never post those quips up front on the Forum Dashboard...
That comes with a warning to boot!
Relax! We all stuff up & generalize & it's tolerated if individuals shirt front as sport.
But if ya don't want that...just say so...AW & tbb just said so...that's your bad timing!
Ok! See now it's not personal...just 2nd nature to check on each other.
Peace & goodwill to all & speedy recovery to others that need support.
Yes thanks for your reply tbb , just glad it wasn’t a negative one, sorry if I caused you an issue but it wasn’t deliberate. I’ve known a few guys with your problem and know it’s not an easy road. I definitely know I do overreact to criticism , but sometimes I feel I need to push back on it or will end up with issues again. All the best with everything. Juliang
WOTD ~~~~^~~~~/\~~~~/(~~~~/(`~~~~/C........./(C`[ Juliang )
Curious,.,don’t really get it , thanks anyway
'Never more alive'
You're a gem TBB. Said it before and i'll keep saying it.
One of a kind gem and Swellnet and the planet at large would be much poorer without you.
Keep shining legend. Always froth on your posts. A very good egg.
Here's one for the both of you you crazy diamonds.
?si=8Qwiql18tBSrKbKiWelcome to the Machine
Cool. I brought oil.
Actually the Pink Floyd video doesn’t bother me, but could be seen as offensive to other people, not that I’m going to have a rant about it!
Or assume that that was your intention.
Here's one for the both of you you crazy diamonds.
?si=8Qwiql18tBSrKbKiFrom Taylor Swift to Pink Floyd , the Zen of reactive assumption!
Who's Taylor Swift?
Is he any good?
No , but he’s good looking has sexy legs and too many fans .
Sounds like me without the fans.
TBB !
Holy heck, I only watched this now. Anat would have won against Fil!
Juliang.
Hi.
Well done , at least you didn’t bury your head in the sand.
Taking ownership of your actions highlights your steel and mettle in the long run. The mind can be corrosive, to yourself and others,
We all fuck up at various times, me included. All the best. AW
Agree
good man, J-lang : )
trial by fire, and a total win. (tbb's a gem).
anyone getting up at 3am?
what's the go?
Yeah I probably should have been surfing the last few days, instead of becoming comment obsessed, but I’m allergic to sweeps, all the work takes the enjoyment out of it for me.
I'm currently in a painful stupor. Had the longest surf-cos-it's-fun sessions today (not surf-cos-I'm-forcing-myself) that I've had this winter. Makes all the difference : )
Dinner and a coupla reds and I'm wiped. ..and to all, a good night.
@Basesix, @GuySmiley. Hi guys.
Well, the Olympics are up and running.
Coincidentally or deliberately, unbeknownst to all of us, there was a bit of ‘in house’ Swellnet Olympic action happening right under our very own noses.
Yep, it is true.
I have it on good authority, that there were two of Swellnet’s finest competitors participating in ‘Synchronised Surfing’ yesterday at two different coastal locations at exactly the same Eastern Standard Time .
Yes, GuySmiley was ripping it up on the Mornington Peninsula at around exactly the same time, Basesix was gliding through the brine on a stupendous wave on the Limestone Coast, SA.
The MP and Port Macdonnell town folk reported an ‘endorphin slick’ longer than any oil trail left behind a school of Southern Bluefin Tuna.
The dual winners were toasted with carafes of red wine until their salty eyes gave way to darkness. AW
haha, yep AW, sleep of the dead last night clutching my little Obelisk trophy. The awards ceremony at the Black Swan was a convivial affair. From the fireside I gave a cheery wink to the sad old black dog tied up outside: 'see you next winter, mate'.
Spoke to @Guy, we agreed, time to crack out the paints.
Cool, only got to Port Macdonnell once, and it was blanketed in a sea fog . Couldn’t see the waves or the view or anything. Didn’t hang around as I was on a sickie from work in Northern Victoria. Did the full coastal loops from Melbourne to Adelaide and back to Northern Victoria. Pity heard there’s good waves there, looks like it would be a nice remote place.Had more luck West of Adelaide though.
I suggest introducing into the vernacular "doing a Filipe" or "doing a Toledo" in the same way we have "doing a Bradbury"
I saw that Winter Olympics comp live watching Steve and LMAO when it all went down.
Could be used to tell others when the waves are getting out of ones comfort zone- "I'm doing a Filipe!"
and either not paddling out or sitting wide out the back not going for any waves...
These epic stories, trials and tribulations contribute to varied discussions & responses to critical moments of surfing in the Olympics. They can be an epithany, rationalisation, emotional ride, cathartic release, didactic solace, often humorous & momentarily tragic like any heavy wipeout......most seasoned surfers have experienced.
thank you Steve for your concise expression of considered thoughts, Swellnet for hosting these great stories, contributors and praise to all these Olympic surfers alike.
AI may have a lot to learn about humanity.... or,,,,, will just feed us plebs in the future what want we want to hear, 'ombuk bugus,,,.critically endangered oranges . tange.".. ...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-02/paris-olympics-surfing-judge-ben-...
Ozzie judge gets the flick because of photo on social media and meanwhile this is allowed in women’s boxing. Fucking opening ceremony crap now this shit .
So many transphobes jumping on this story like flies on shit without reading past the headlines....
I’m willing to be educated .
Well firstly, what exactly do you have a problem with?
Do you think this is a man pretending to be a woman? Or someone who has taken something to become stronger? Or is it just really hard to believe a female boxer might not look particularly feminine and be able to throw hard punches?
Do you believe this person was born a woman ? Plenty of articles on this controversy. I just don’t find all things are equal around this issue and believe transgender should have their own division .
Firstly, by all accounts she was born and raised as a woman. From her wiki page:
"Khelif grew up in a rural village.[2] Her father did not approve of boxing for girls and prevented her from practicing sport.[2]"
"Khelif is not transgender.[11] In Algeria, the country that Khelif represents, transgender identity is prohibited, changing gender or sex on identity documents is not permitted, nor are medical or hormonal treatments allowed to transition to another sex."
She has been competing as a woman for a long time and has been beaten by other woman many times before. She is not some unbeatable testosterone fueled behemoth.
The IBA refuse to disclose what the actual test was that she failed. "The IBA issued a statement Wednesday in which it said both boxers did not have a 'testosterone examination' last year but were 'subject to a separate and recognized test' for their disqualification. The IBA said the test's "specifics remain confidential" and refused to explain it."
Also, the IBA president is a bigoted friend of Putin who is under sanctions as a member of the Russian mafia. Make of that what you will, but they don't really seem above board as an organisation from what i'm reading.
Seems to me like the Italian woman took 1 good punch to the face and called it and now the transphobes of the world are stirring up controversy because this woman has a masculine look about her. “I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘enough,’ because I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to, I couldn’t finish the match,” Carini said.
I agree that the issue of transgender people in sport is a complex one. But if she was born a woman and any differences between her and other competitors are naturally occurring, then I don't see what the problem is. And if you can't prove either of these things aren't true, then it's probably best to not to join the pile on with all the other reactive bigots of the world.
Thanks for the education , I did read the articles stating that Kehelif wasn’t transgender , none of the articles mention her birth certificate just that Kehelif is not transgender was born a woman and is a woman on her passport , wouldn’t a copy of Kehelif’s birth certificate clear up everything ? Strange that Kehelif was banned from the last world championships , different rules for different bodies. It just doesn’t all make sense but what does lately ?
At the end of the day, I could be wrong. But that was what I was able to find out by searching around a bit.
I think if she is in fact transgender, then she has managed to trick both the strictly anti-trans Algerian governing body and the IOC into allowing her to compete..... which seems unlikely.