Finals Day 2024
Finals Day 2024
That's it. We're done with Trestles now as a Final 5 location after its fourth iteration yielded world titles to the top seeds and now undisputed world champions John John Florence and Caity Simmers.
Holistically, you'd have to judge the day a success: the right people won, asterisks remain safely under lock and key for another year. Dramatically, if I'm honest, it offered some scintillating entertainment. Judges completely lost control, offering an example of the famous quote from Walter Scott, 'Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.'
Not that they meant to deceive, this was moreorless a case of innocent fraud. Errors and confusion compounded and in order to stave off manifest injustices scores had to be manipulated to justify determinate ends.
The 'problem' was Italo's air game. If Trestles, as the myth goes, is the ultimate skatepark, then it would seem fitting for surfers to treat it as such and take to the air. Apart from a few failed attempts from Jack Robinson and some low altitude fins-free surfing from JJF it was remarkable that only Italo was willing and able to employ that strategy.
Italo (WSL/Nolan)
After losing to Ethan last year by sticking to the face, for example, Griffin Colapinto repeated the same losing strategy against Italo. Judges had shown they would go excellent or close to it for a single air, yet Griff persisted with cutbacks and got kerb stomped by an angry ant of a performance from Italo.
If this was combat sports, Italo's barely contained display of wall punching, mirror spitting, self-muttering would have warranted an immediate visit from a man with a plastic cup. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it was nothing but taurine and sugar syrup fuelling the hyper-kinetic performance. Whatever it was, Italo mowed through Ethan in a close display that could have gone either way. Ethan's first ride was close to the best of the day. Three huge turns for an 8.33 while Italo scored a 7 for a million turns. Given a judging signal like that you couldn't blame the boy from Bahia Formosa of establishing a point of difference by taking to the skies.
Italo (WSL/Diz)
He had the signal fully sussed by the time he hit the water with Jack Robbo. What can you say about Jack's third consecutive showing at Trestles, other than that it was another complete dud of a showing. All the zen woo got smashed by fast twitch Red Bull surfing. After multiple failed attempts where Jack failed to broach the 3 point barrier he tried to go iron on iron with Italo in a physical paddle battle. He seemed to win that battle but the physical contact somehow left Italo with priority. Italo's lowest two scores would have been enough to get the win over Jack and that pretty much sums up another hapless, inept showing at Trestles from Jack. Cloudbreak can't come soon enough for a man who is burning through prime world title years with precious little to show for it.
A shit day for the Aussies, while we are on the subject. Molly too, looked lost and out of sorts and laid down another tepid, single-figures performance against Tati. Ethan knocked in the first heat of the day.
Italo was mowing through the meditators, the mindfulness loons, the journalers and lifestyle coach purveyors. Flick was certain she detected “Big Griff Energy” as the number two seed entered the water, but by the time the clock had wound down it was obvious that cutbacks and a few bogged lefts wasn't going to be an advancement on last year's showing. Italo pantsed Griff on the opening wave, faking to go right from deeper then going left. He consistently split the peak with Griff, distracting the San Clemente supporters and offering a speed differential to the judges which could not be ignored. Even with a very generous scoring from judges on a buzzer beater exchange they could not get the hometown hero into the Finals match-up with John.
Griff (WSL/Heff)
Onto the Men's Final. A long lull kicked off the heat on a beautiful, hot and sunny Southern Californian afternoon. A lubricated crowd was in a rowdy mood. We know that John was in a state of high anxiety and stress, that every day he had “felt sick thinking about it” and he'd had an inordinate amount of time to think about it, since Brazil wrapped in June to be precise.
Which made his two-wave performance even more remarkable. Italo kicked it off with a mid-4 then a 7.33 for a messy backside rotation to recovery. John's opening gambit featured a low altitude but perfectly executed air on the opening strike then a series of solid turns and stabs. The score, when awarded a 7.17, drew loud booing from Team Florence and the crowd. The first time I have heard a judges score heckled in real life. The exchange should've favoured Florence by a point, at least. The madness of crowds, the hot sun, the pressure of seeing John lose to a few messy airs: many things could explain the over-correction on his last wave, which looked weaker than the opener but turned the heat on the buzzer and was awarded an 8.33. They got the result right. Does it matter if it rendered individual wave scores meaningless?
JJF (WSL/Heff)
The madness continued into the women's final. Caz Marks had overcome a scrappy Tati Weston-Webb with the exact same repetitive backhand attack she employed to take the title last year. By the time she came up against Simmers, also in a state of high anxiety and psychological distress, the judges were eating out of her hand, dishing out high-7's for waves that earlier in the year had been given mid-6's. But there was no reining in the excesses of the panel now. Caity had bought a tremendous sense of relief for fans as she offered style, repertoire, and ragdoll claims where the relief from the tension she had been holding suddenly tranquilised her like a heroic dose of ketamine. An exhange on the hooter decided the heat. Simmers ripped it a new one for an 8.37 and then had to watch Caz go ballastic on a right. Judges had nowhere to go but near perfect dishing out a 9.66 for the first heat win.
Caroline (WSL/Heff)
How did Caity, who had been “crying four times a day” recover composure? She employed what I call now, the Simmers Paradox. Realising that even if she lost “the universe won't end” and that in the grand scheme “it doesn't mean much” but that it “means a lot to me”. It's a variation of NFL Hall of Fame Coach Vince Lombardi's prescription for success where you have to be “smart enough to figure it out” and “dumb enough to think that it matters”.
The Women's Final went to three sets. Caity took the second with two 9's that were outrageously high-balled and drove a young crowd into a frenzy. To be honest, to see the Bacchanalian lack of restraint from the crowd felt refreshing after all the buttoned-up corpospeak and beigewashing from the Woz. They were here for Caity and she acknowledged their support fulsomely, declaring the win was mostly for them “and a little bit for me”.
Caity (WSL/Heff)
The decider was a dud.
Just prior, John John Florence had claimed his third title with a comprehensive shut down of Italo via a massive layback snap across the coping that had one judge needing both hands to count the score. An 8.43 back-up and John had put himself into company with Gabe Medina, Mick Fanning, Andy Irons, and Tom Curren. By reasons of decrepitude, death (RIP AI), and retirement, only Medina is in a position to advance on that number and now John can go with him.
Caity told us later, she didn't want Caz to “have it all”, saying, with respect to her ability to rattle off big turns without falling, “that chick is so crazy”. In the end though, the tears and the anxiety and the near perfect surfing of Simmers was aided by a somnolent Pacific, which simply went to sleep and refused to wake up and offer Marks a second scoring ride.
Both Simmers and Florence were emotional in the aftermath thanking family and supporters.
“I just wanted to dance and surf,” said Simmers, “surf how I want to surf”.
Both Florence and Simmers showed by their performances under immense pressure that the Final 5 concept will be with us for a while yet. They were wins to melt the hardest of hearts.
// STEVE SHEARER
Comments
Fair to say Italo will be will be running 100 mtr sprints against horses in the in near future .
How come no one has mentioned that the Final 5 Format is Flawed. The top seed has way too much advantage over the other seeds.
The Correct way of doing it would be to have a Final 8, 1 Vs 8 2 Vs 7 3vs 6 4 Vs 5. and so on like a traditional event, Then everybody has the same Physical and Mental Out put to deal with. Alternatively have it like The AFL in Australia where its Final 8 but the top 4 seeds get a second chance if they lose the first round.
Secondly Winning the World Tour should be the highest place surfer at the end of a Tour. Not a one day event. For example F1 world championship is a collection of events to find a true world champion in all conditions . I think it was better before .
Maybe have two seperate comps a world Championship Tour winner and then have a World Cup of Surfing day at Trestles. But If you are going to keep it . Make it fair for all who qualify.
Imagine the 10km Run at the Olympics and the 5th Seed had to run 10km 3 times just to reach the final and then had to run 10km best of 3 to win a gold medal. CRAZY
yeah but ... steph was like 5th seed last year and just kept rolling on
"Italo was mowing through the meditators, the mindfulness loons, the journalers and lifestyle coach purveyors."
hehehe. Some of your finest there FR. Great work.
Saw the last half on the mens and the womens and to borrow from this mornings chit-chat- bit of an 'anti-climax'. Nice waves, sunny, looked fun but it ain't no Pipe.
Why do people have to fuck with tradition?
So nice to not hear God mentioned by Caity and JJF
Dear Wozl, please look up Chesterton's Fence.
More core lords and less lord cores movinf forward please!!!!!!!!
100% Gillsy. It's fucken maddening to hear grown adults thank Zeus or Baal or whatever name sky daddy gets this week, for a win that takes hard work and commitment. Militant atheist rant over, for now.. oh yeah, congrats to Caity and JJF, lol.
Bless you delay.
Amen
Zen they've crowned champions in San Diego, Puerto Rico, manly , pipe , Brazil, sunset, peniche.....
They seldom crown champs at pipe.
Even less were crowned in the water.
I was kinda alluding to the penultimate contest being held at Pipe regardless of when the title was sealed. I'm kinda more about the spectacle of Pipe. It's a special place and there's a lot of history there. Of course those spots have their history too but they ain't Pipe.
Agreed - could you ever imagine the All England Tennis Club saying let's can Wimbledon?
How about the Masters moving from Georgia to Mar A Lago?
The final 5 was a push by an ex-tv producer that didn't need to happen - bring back the traditions of finishing at Pipe and a proper Triple Crown.
He won't sleep for 2 weeks after his red bull consumption today!
Thanks for the write up FR.
So glad the nerves didn't cost the 2 yellows in the end. They both took it to where it needed to go in their 2nd finals. Great stuff.
Sounds like Caity didn’t need an
algorithmicly similar wave to. ‘practice’ on
she just went and had a free surf at her local break ,to get over her nerves
“Heroic dose of ketamine” did me. Cheers FR for another excellent year of coverage
It's been another fine year of comp writeups. Thank you, Steve.
Drove straight to Wardell for a pie and having a couple beers now.
Enjoy the beers and the season break. Your write ups are solid FR, keep at it!
Well deserved. Great write ups all season
write ups were more entertaining then a few of the comps! Let's hope for better conditions next season.
I only watched the first two heats of the finals - both in pretty ordinary and boring conditions. Highlights suggest it improved a bit.
that's the last time that will happen, two absolute naturals winning by beating the anxiety of this format (don't mind it as a consumer, if it were top 10 over 2 days, as suggested by SN.)
'crying 4 times a day since fiji' (fuck, what kinda freaks do we want elite surfers to become for a bullshit gladiatorial corpo piss-up). Officially the end of an era where the two champs managed a free-surf spirit, against the formulaic odds. well done jj and caity. (thank christ caity has good people around here, and colleagues that appreciate her caity-ness more than her commercial value).
Great point @basesix. They're either gonna end up psychologically damaged from chasing their 'dreams' or just walk away to avoid the shit show. Can't be healthy.
we still love piling on when they they take a break, reserving Toledo for a special booting. i have zero interest in AI but in this context i half wonder when he got into self medication.
Yes Basesix
Under the normal fair format
Caity would have been celebrating everyday since Fiji!
Yeah, such questionable judging...yet the manufactured results produced the two most worthy champions. That said, for all the negativity the break gets, I still think Trestles is really good performance wave, and that it should be kept on the tour as the USA's leg. It's good for such a boisterous and knowledgeable home crowd, and it certainly produces much better performances than beach breaks in Brazil do. But jeez WSL, can you please make an effort to get the tour back to a Pipeline finish with the Triple Crown? We all know and love that there are deadly serious lefts and rights at Pipe for both goofy footers and regulars alike. No disadvantage, everyone is challenged. That's what we want to see. Anyway, am looking forward to next year in the meantime, and more of your excellent write ups Steve, thanks. Challenger Series to enjoy soon. Cheers.
Right. I actually like Tres as a finals venue----once every five years. Rotate the thing: cloudbreak, pipe, puerto, somewhere in indo, trestles, etc
Luckily the right people won this year
but it still remains a flawed system
which puts way too much pressure on the best surfers , who should have already won it
Exactly
Yep. Historically, the good thing is that apart from poor Carissa, all titles went to the deserving ranking leaders.
Thanks for another fantastic year of reports FR, mostly better than the comps themselves. SN lucky to have you mate, cheers.
+1
+2
+3
+4
+5
Thanks for putting the hard yards in, FR.
Great writing,thanks.
+3
+6
Great result...
Thought surfing was losing its cool, and then Caity comes along....
Just read Joel Tudor on another site pointing out Margo Oberg was actually youngest female world champ.
Anyway stoked for JJF and especially Caity...
+7
.
Agreed - I don't even watch the tour, but I've religiously read every one of your breakdowns.
while the journey has been shite at times- gotta say congrats to wsl - the two best and most deserving surfers came up trumps- thx steve and sw for great insight and depth
*sn
Caity went alright, despite our criticism of her ambivalence. , and lack of commitment towards competitions , a few weeks back
Maybe it’s that attitude that gives her the
free flowing style, which sets her apart
Legendary style master Wayne Lynch
Said he always disliked competitions, and
couldn’t wait to get away from them !
Yeah ,so ?..
Yeah so
Competition , mentality doesn’t always produce the best surfers
Some see it a serious pain in the arse
And become much better surfers enjoying free surfing
As is evident today
Sounds like you surf in a crowded wannabe environment, and think hassling is more fun than surfing
That’s why you can’t work it out
She showed a similar lack of commitment towards free-surfing when she wanted to leave early before they got the perfect wave in Maps to Nowhere
A young girl, didn’t want to hang around a strange country with males and no waves
But when it did get good, she did say it was better than any competition
Absolutely agree. And with such limited time off, competing 9 months of the year was it any surprise she might want to go home and spend time with family and friends if there were no good waves. I don’t think people appreciate how much they travel and miss time at home
she was with family
Yes and there were no waves and it looked hot
and she probably didn’t have any faith in the guide
If there were waves from the start she wouldn’t have wanted to leave
It was remiss of me not to mention as well- superb writing and coverage of the events Free.
I’ve said it to Stu before, I really think SN’s legacy is going to be that of one of the most important voices in surf media history. Right there with Tracks I reckon. It’s the no bullshit regime that appeals to the core surfer, it’s refreshing, so thank you.
I just want to add that if all the final 5 era titles that come from behind have an asterisk next to them, then the ones that are won like today from the front deserve an exclamation mark.
It feels better when it is as it should be
+1
Great point shore-dump.
I had never realised it until your post… but SN to me is the voice of surfing in the 2020s that Tracks and Surfing World were in the 1980s.
There’s every reason to think that in 30 years from now people will look back at what we have here and revere it.
Happy for Caity n JJF. Have watched the 2 min wsl highlight reel n think that’ll do me. There were some great moments through the year I felt. The ‘finals’ for surfing - meh.
The voice of Tracks was provocative , witty , political , uncompromising and damning of all who didnt surf . I dont see SN throwing out any hard balls for its punters to grapple with .
Yes you’re right
but it still puts an immense amount of stress on the front runners , who know they should have already won it, by now.
I was thinking of writing something similar. This place is THE voice of surfing.
Italo absolutely smoked Robbo, he had no idea
Yes
Robbo ‘s a masterclass strategist
and then he isn’t
Feel for Jack, years are sliding by and he probably should have a title by now .....only so many chances are available in a surfers career .....hope he nails one in the near future......as for Griff i thought he was surfing well but can't understand why he didn't go to the air......and as for the winners well they were the best but we all knew that .
Nice write up ....now you can have 5 months off fr
Time ticks on hey. Jack is possibly the best tube wrangler on tour, though I think JJF pips him for natural shockey jockey talent #Hawaii. I feel style still counts, and while Robbo is 100x the surfer I'll ever be, he's kinda formulaic and doesn't particularly excel at any one thing over anyone else on tour.
yes Sprout i agree to a certain extent and if the Triple Crown and Title were back where it should be in Hawaii im sure Jack would give JJ a run for his money there ...but lets not forget Medina and EE.....anyway that's for the future i suppose ....Cloud break next year so we will see how that pans out.
Big thanks for this year’s writes ups FR. It’s always good to get a breath of fresh air from my cynical mind towards the WSL.
But alas, I have to ask a tin foil hat question: Slats bad mouthed the final 5 format and thus wasn’t spoken of nor shown, whereas at events can suck him dry?
Some Wally in other thread noted this
"All four Trestles WSL men’s final days (2021-2024) have been won by the number one seed i.e. the points leader going into the event."
I think thats a good thing.
Hope Robbo gets one world title or more, but if he doesn’t Taj could give Robbo some tips on how to be an independently wealthy retired pro surfer with no titles to his name.
Bacchanalian. What a great word. I had to google it. I’ve learnt a few good words from FR the SN wordsmith. Thx.
I expect JJF will do another year or two. His loose mellow demeanour on and off a wave gives the image of a free surfer for whom comp heats are not a natural fit. But, everytime he is asked about it, JJF tells us no. He says he is a person committed to the contest and desperately wants to win on the WSL stage. He’s about as competitive-minded as anyone on tour.
We should believe him.
He has a brand to promote. He invested a lot into that. He cant go anywhere, its too big a financial risk to lose all that free advertising the WSL brings.
He is competitive but he likes being low key off the radar most
I agree Wally- you could see in those claims today how much this meant to him.
Would be so awesome to see him Gabe and Jack battling it out at 8-10ft Cloudy next Sep.
Likewise, tbb backs up the crew's comments!
Salute #1 swellnet 2024 Tour / Olympics forecasts, form guides & coverage + Steve's Comp Wraps.
Cheers to swellnet crew's wild booth calls & score corrections + Ideal sportsmanlike Comp comments!
Not come upon better...bloody jolly good ship shape crew...take a bow!
Any crew...'d be stoked to pull a job at swellnet...best wishes to any blowin' crashin' our Cloudfront!
John John ,shows us that surfing isn’t everything
by naming his son “ Darwin”
There’s a lesson in that for everyone
Amen to that!
JJF's comment about using visualisation and meditation puts an asterisk on this title (and him) for me.
thank f*ck he was there to stop Italo.
Looked like Robbo knew he was beaten,
before he paddled out
For a few hours I lived in a distopian universe where a drunk clown doing quadruple bottom turns with the back knee facing out was about to be declared best surfer on the planet... Thanks god JJ brought the world back to its track.
Hear, hear.
A toast to JJF for saving the day.
Oh, and winning the Title.
Watched most of last night as working nightshift...
Stoked JJ put Italo away, the way that idiot was carrying on when he beat Griff was embarrassing, honestly go to MMA if you think you're some kind of beast, you'll get beaten to a pulp in minutes
As for the women, great surfing, yeah they wont be doing layback power hacks on JJ level but i think this next gen of girls the style/finesse will not be that far from the guys
where you have to be “smart enough to figure it out” and “dumb enough to think that it matters”.Beautfully put FR sums it all up ..had me in stitches
Why does it finish in September? I remember when Pipe was always mid December and then it was Christmas and it FELT like the end of the year. This is just weird ending here.
btw concur all sentiments above. FR your comp writeups are the cherry on top of my swellnet subscription. Thanks SN and FR.
This is the bit that everyone forgets when we all talk about the evolution towards the final 5 and how much it sucks. It was the surfers themselves that wanted the longer break and I think that motion started back a fair while ago, but implemented more recently
Right result in the wrong conditions. Like nostalgia for the 80’s the last four years it certainly didn’t advance the sport considering it dished up two world titles for Phil Toledo.
Thankyou so much for all your writeups Steve.. cheers.. you deserve a bonus for watching this season.. I reckon I maybe watched 4 or 5 days of the entire season. Bring on a hopefully new and exciting format.. cheers mate.. respect
It's nice to see Bacchanalianism appreciated! In the past I have see comments stating that in some other CT venues crazy-fan-like behaviour is not appropriate, indicating that surf comp crowds should celebrate like an opera or tennis audience. I loved the beach crowds today!
I guess I got something different from watching the jj italo heat from most here.
I thought italo won easily.
He’s always been a cock but judges should just score the surfing.
Jj over scored and italo under scored.
Just saying.
his surfing was spastic and completely predictable by the time he got to JJ.
I like the hate for Italo---how boring would this comp have been without him? Not the best style but man does he murder some sections and keep the action going....Jack looks so slow and boring in comparison. As a fan of Italo, I can fairly say I thought EE beat him and I thought Grif beat him even more. Grifs first scoring wave was so underscored. And again I love Italo's wild style but a hail mary recovery air rev shouldn't be an 8.5 when EE does six sick turns and gets a 7 something.
Then the judging in the JJF IF heat 1 was absolutely ridiculous. Anyway, the event was fun if not corny and cringy at times
Yes , people criticise Italo when he wins with his air game
but he surfs pretty well when he’s not using it!
It ain’t pretty though
Great write- up as usual; although, I would have chose Dionysiansism, instead of Bacchanalianism.
End the season with Pipe before Christmas -Southernraw; makes too much sense?
Nostalgia for the 80's again... questionable break and conditions -Dukowski; I only saw one like finals day, at 2' windblown Sandys with the commentators trying to explain championship surfing and surfers (apparently was on TV - ESPN?)
Back in my day (long and leashless) no one even surfed the reefy east end of Sandys shore break; the comp was beyond miserable.
SN - my first year coming aboard SN after YooToob's insufferable chat got 86'ed; looks like permanently, for good reason, seeking rational discussion; I'm lame enough as it is.
I wonder how many strictly JJF fans are subbed here.
Disclosure; After suffering along with him the last 6 years I could hardly watch a JJF heat preferring to be jazzed if he won and then watch replay. Like many here some of the comps weren't interesting anyway.
Super happy he got some just dues, and I will be subbed for another comp year! MAHALO.
well it was better than i expected
JJF's impeccable style is all over what appears to be a seemingly fully-stocked Italo's somewhat, dare I say, sometimes poo man like incarnations! Caity's reflex muscle memory surfing is by far the most pleasing of any of the women on tour & her 'I have nothing to say' statement to Strider is just classic Caity being Caity! As for you Freeride, you had me resorting to Google 3 times to decipher your jounalistic freeform rant! Good on you mate , I learn something everyday! Just as an aside what goes in Red Bull these days or was it that 'BOLIVIAN Marching Gear' that Italo was bouncing off the walls on after his demolition of Guru Griff??? Till nx't time FR!
Is that board flex or buried so deep it’s light refraction?
Wow! Maybe a bit of both?
Incredible.
Thanks for the great write up FR. Love your work and style. You had me with “Italo pantsed Griff on the opening wave”.
I’d like to thank Swellnet for providing a space such as this to connect, laugh and learn through our common interest yet our vastly different walks of life.
I’m very grateful to be able to read Steve’s articles; he truely is one of the finest writers in the business. I read or listen to a fair bit of related content and no one produces such thoughtful, insightful and creative work as Steve.
Same could be said for the rest of the team in their respective roles.
You and the CT enjoy a 5 month rest Steve. Good luck with the flatheads and small windows of sanity saving, spring grovels.
+1
Don't forget the nescafe award
As for the big dance. I’m still not convinced it’s necessary. It’s apt that the two best surfers won on the day but at what cost?
John has been stressing out of his mind since Brazil despite waxing the field all year. Caity has been curled up in the foetal position, rocking away this week, in juxtaposition to her outwardly, nonchalant demeanour.
A normal CT season is already pressure personified. To ask surfers to perform at Trestles like dancing bears for 35 mins in a sport that is rank with the uncontrollable (Mother Nature, subject judging, etc) seems perverse and unnecessary.
I will grant the WSL that it is entertaining, but I get little pleasure in seeing young sports people psychologically suffer to this extent after a year of blood, sweat and tears.
Italo was an absolute beast wasn’t he? Outside of the hyperactivity and mania, Italo showed one of the best moments of the day when he kicked out of a wave and hugged Griff in the water. Showing unrivalled sportsmanship and what a true champion he is.
Groundhog Day for the Australians. Julia Gillard was prime minister last time the men won a title and it seems the women are no closer to arresting the North American assault on surfing. What to make of all your tax dollars and the Australian HPC?
And John. What he did today was incredible. He finished second in three out of four attempts this year in the pressure cooker that is a CT final. Trestles akin to being thrown into the sun, him coming out with a tan and blond tips. To win a title with 5 waves, in conditions you could push your kid into, confirms without doubt he is the best surfer on the planet.
If it wasn’t already obvious the new guard of women has arrived. No further titles will be won with safe surfing. You will need a stylish, varied and an advanced barrel riding skillset to challenge the pointy end. Caity the epitome of this, well done girl.
Well done all.
100% Sol.
And thanks for the kind words all.
Spot on write up. Great outcome with rightful winners.
Italo is a absolute frothed out beast, fuelled by redbull and God knows what and could have easily been the eventful winner, and as I watched live, agreed Johns 1st wave was underscored and 2nd overscored in comparison.
I think everyone is looking forward to the final day returning to heavy water, ie; Cloudbreak, Pipe. Trestles is a good venue for a contest, but not the finals. Huey and not God made everything right in the end, Thank Huey!
Thanks for the write ups freeride.
Took more out of them and the comments on each one than watching the actual surfing.
Enjoy the break!
I’m going to play devil’s advocate regarding the pressure on surfers.
What pressure?
They’re in a nothing sport being watched by nobody competing for relative peanuts.
Seems like there’s millions of other sports people, both professional and amateur who appear to be coping a whole lot better.
Don’t know what that says about surfing and surfers.
That sounds a little simplistic @AndyM. Like everything in life, it's all relative. But it's a fair question to ask considering it is just surfing.
It might be relative to the individual, but I still think there’d be so many competitive sportspeople from other sports who would fair much better in similar circumstances.
I’ve had a bit of a think about it, and I suppose it could come back to The question of surfing being art or sport.
I figure there’s quite a few artistic souls who bail out and go surfing because it’s an isolated individual pursuit, and then they just so happen to find that they’re really good at it.
The history of surfing is littered with those characters, from Pat Curran to Nicky Wood to Clay Marzo and I suspect John John might fit in there somewhere to an extent.
Maybe when these type of characters find themselves under the spotlight, they don’t cope as well as a tennis player or basketball player who has done nothing but purely compete since the word go.
Nah i think it's a fair question and pretty fair points.
Tbh i struggle more and more with what professional surfing means.
That Padang cup the other day to me came across as a bunch of privileged surfers from Western countries partying and taking what they could out of the place. The commentary by the aint that swell lads was no better,....just reeked of being a drunken orgy of excess, right in the backyard of what is a pretty sacred place to the locals that live there. (although that horse bolted a long time ago).Also that Maldives comp that Taj won. Made me think....who's this for, who's it benefitting, and as me and you the average punter, what does it do for me when i go surfing and when i travel. All i can see is that it makes another place more crowded and a place i won't visit just for a few pros to get their vids and pics shared, their profiles enhanced a little. (don't get me wrong, Taj is a legend).
Anyway getting off track there but when you point out that compared to the pressures of other sports, surfing is a lower stake pursuit, there's probably alot of merit in that, especially in time invested and expectations upon the athletes in those other sports. Anyway. Good thought provoking stuff @AndyM.
What pressure?
Surfing is all they’ve known since they were single digits. The culture they’ve grown up in value winners and titles. It’s the value sponsors see in their athletes and most of these surfer’s self worth would be very tied to their performance in the ocean.
It’s not nothing is it? The two winners are millionaires with 100’s of thousands of fans around the world.
In addition, the pressure comes from having to perform in a dynamic environment that will often minimise opportunities to do their best. The often outrageously subjective adjudicators only add to this. They are not Arriane Titmus with the same pool and same stroke or Lebron James on his known and unchangeable arena.
Socio-demographics, popularity, colour, creed or gender have little relevance to the ability to withstand ‘pressure’. Whether you earn $20 bucks an hour stacking shelves or an amateur lining up for your first fun run, pressure or stress is unique to the individual and occasion.
Good post @Solitude.
I think you might be generalising there
The 2 leading surfers were under pressure because they were the best and should have already won it
But the other finalists were probably happy to get a come from behind chance
The surfers who didn’t make the final were probably in Indo or somewhere free surfing good waves
A bit like having a raffle at the end of the week for your pay packet. You’d be nervous but nothing to lose for everyone else
haha. Nailed it @shorey!
Mentioning tennis players and other players ,
Did you ever see John McEnroes regular tantrums on the tennis court
And they actually get fined for racquet abuse , which happens quite a bit these days as well
Also Qlder and Bronco’s NRL legend
Alan Langer reckoned he used to dry reach
before every game!
Little poofter.
Might be a good cockroach point
But he wasn’t a pro surfer
And I used to think he was so butch.
I think I need a Valium
This guys coping pretty well with everything!!
Another superb, stinging, summary Steve. So many pokes & laughs, thanks for your efforts, your have a great gift of phrase. I hope the athletes appreciate the jokes.
If your naturally talented, trained hard, competed & won regularly, financed by family, then sponsors, listened to coaches, mentors, advisors;... it can support that driving force, the dream to succeed, ....win the championship... & another &...... ?
it is not many peoples achievable 'field of dreams'.
Oz Mentors required for youth https://www.raise.org.au/
I can recommend watching the movie Borg vs McEnroe as entertainment, insight into gifted, driven athletes, the support & the circus.
P.S The real finals of this tennis match was 4 hrs straight of sweat, strategy, muscle memory, endurance, drama & heckles from the crowd. Left vs Right.
Definity not a game for everyone. Love all.
reality vs movie trailer
P.S.S. Have WSL created an extended Christmas holiday in.... Sept 2024 (or maybe run out of circus sponsors?) That could be a job many may want to apply for....
Serious Andy?
It’s 2024. There’s no place for that kind of comment, not that there ever was.
Thanks for the epic write-ups this season! If I don't watch the events and I generally don't now the WSL has pushed commercialised comp surfing over the cringe line for me (noting that it only takes a barreling point break to win me back (with a muted TV) - I always jump on here for a read through and get your insights on the sport I love. Thanks ya'll. Fingers crossed for XXL cloud break finals next season
"They got the result right. Does it matter if it rendered individual wave scores meaningless?"
It does to me. It feels like you're the deserved expert observer on these matters FR but to me; that's the Achilles heel of an aspiring professional sport right there. It's hard for me to comprehend that after 50+ years of competition, the criteria can be so vague and open to interpretation that we can conclude the year's competition this way.
Massive thanks to the boys at SN this year for all the write ups and discussions around all things surfing.
That locker room behaviour from Italo was WILD. Pretty sure he was on more than just a few cans of Red Bull, his eyes were popping out of his skull. If it wasn't a bit of the ol booger sugar then my money is someone putting a bit of Lance's Armstrong in his bloodstream.
not a perfect solution, but i always thought heats should be surfed, then judged afterwards once all the waves have been surfed. that way it will be easier to score the best wave of the heat, and then score every other wave against that. it would of course remove some of the drama along the way, but it would also remove situations where judges paint themselves into a corner with some wave scores then have to over or underscore other waves to compensate. in reality, most of the time its clear to viewers who got the best waves of the heat and who won even without live scores.
That would use up a lot of time
And would be a real anti climax , after the heat , not knowing who won .
Regarding other competitive sports mano e mano, winner takes all, the variables are talent and strength, but unlike surfing, the venue is consistent and uniform.
John's story notwithstanding, the stress factor in the Final 5 comp as we have said, is on the two No.1 leaders. Wearing the yellow jersey at the tail end of the season is a big deal. It represents a high level of performance over a number of different venues and conditions.
Winning (or losing) the World Champion title, based on one particular final venue defeats the purpose of tour competition. Am I right?
Ken Oath
If you're some kid from remote WA or an isolated point stuck out into the ocean, and you like flying under the radar, there would be nowhere to hide at Trestles.
Thanks for going excellent for us Steve.
SwellNet: everything you need
Yep, Swellnet has won the day once again.
Caroline marks 1 wave effort in the final says it all about the Trestles venue!
Absolute joke
And italo airs the same
Tied of contests judged on power rail game for 95%of an event ,goes on shore for final then judges say ok airs a fair game and whole thing changes
Years ago airs were quite amazing
Now just bread and butter stuff but still judged as amazing
Thanks FR (SS). Another fine year of reporting.
A bold move raising the question of Italo's energy enhancement from a man who has managed to say awake and interested through Rio, El Salvador and Trestles..
What is the WSL policy on testing? Surely after Andy they'd be all over it?
Simmers should have just been handed the World Title after the clip of her surfing that right point dropped.
I used to think Italo has the demeanour of a coke head, Now I'm certain.
Also, that circus show environment must be absolutely cringe worthy as an Australian male.
Great event wrap Steve, the overnight ones are the ones I miss and your recaps provide a most enjoyable catch-up.
So stoked JJF won, and to couple it with Caity, even better!
Sure, it will be announced in a couple weeks, but speculating on next year’s tour stops. Look like Sauidi wave pool is added, Sunset will be dropped, and i’ve read Snapper Rocks and J Bay might return.
So will tour be:
Pipeline in January
Portugal??
Saudi Wave Pool
Bells at Easter
Snapper Rocks??
Margaret River?
Tahiti?
El Salvador
Brazil
JBay?
Trestles
Cloudbreak Finals
Pretty much right from what I've heard, though Snapper is supposed to be before Bells, and El Sal has supposedly moved forward. Post-cut is expected to be just four regular events.
Thanks. But if snapper, jbay and wave pool are added, one more besides sunset will have to be dropped to keep tour at ten events plus final.
There's no rule, that I'm aware of, stipulating the regular CT season has to be ten events.
Admittedly the CS tour boxes them into a corner (surfers cut from CT need to jump straight onto CS, so co-ordination between tours is paramount).
It'd require some quick turnaround between contests, but maybe they can take a breather during their five month Christmas break.
That’s good
The Saudi wave pool is a much better wave than Sunset
And it’s so close to lots of other iconic waves