Would you rather see raw talent succeed, or surfers who know how to stitch a heat together?

Perhaps it's always been the way, yet in recent years there's been a growing disconnect between the performance level on the CT and the means to reach it. Too often, surfers succeed on the Changa only to get eaten alive on the CT.

Something's not gelling between the two tours.

Barron Mamiya is an example of this. In 2020 Barron came 100th on the CS, then 87th the year after. Destined to be a distant backmarker on the Changa, Barron scored a wildcard into the 2022 Pipeline Pro and was narrowly defeated by eventual winner Kelly Slater. Subsequently gifted a start in the next comp, the Sunset Pro, Barron won it and received injury replacement starts at the next three comps. Two 17ths and another 9th meant he escaped the cut and qualified for the tour, finishing 16th.

Barron's been on the tour three years now and has made the cut every year. Hasn't surfed a Changa since.

Proof of a flawed system or a statistical hiccup?

Whatever the case, there ain't no coloured vests in this clip. No savvy priority strategy. Just big Baz wrangling heavy pits in Hawaii and Indonesia. At fifteen minutes it goes on just a touch too long, though skip on not out, as some of the better surfing is towards the end, particularly the Kandui section.