Tell Us What You Really Think, Gabs
And there we were thinking the new Gabs has been chilling with Kingy. Smiling, calling people "mate", probably eyeing off twinnies in the local surfshop.
It's good to know the fire still burns inside, and the old Gabby can fire up when he wants to.
As was commented upon by Steve Shearer in his recap, Gabs was in a judging limbo at the tub. Those with the clipboards didn't know where to score him, and subsequently the guy who can do almost anything on a wave didn't know what to do.
Then there was Griff in the Final being rewarded for twelve consecutive identical turns as if he's Kalani Robb seeing how many spinners he can do on a Beater. Meanwhile, Italo surfed like a degustation chef, serving up a little bit of everything, and came away with the very same score.
It was clearly too much for Gabs to handle, so while Kingy went to grab a double serve of loaded fries, Gabs fired up on Instagram.
Dear WSL,
Please understand the importance of this discussion.
Surfing has been my life and my love for this sport is unconditional. I have put all my heart into and and want to leave a beautiful legacy one day when I look back at it.
However the surfing community, especially in Brazil, is mesmerized with the poor clarity and inconsistence of judging for many years now, but lately it has been even more shocking.
It is quite clear that judging is now rewarding very simple surfing, seamless transitions and have taken critical turns in critical sections off the criteria. This is very frustrating and is stagnating the sport.
Fans and sponsor will not accept this to continue and will in a near future be draw away once all they want is equal and fair judging to the sport.
Also, important to note that many coaches and managers have had the opportunity to speak to WSL after heats/events to ask about PROGRESSION and VARIETY in the criteria and the lack of reward for this space. The response given by them is always quite defensive by giving poor examples to illustrate THEIR point.
WSL needs urgently to clarify judging and apply equal and fair judging to save the progression of the sport.
Thanks,
Gabriel Medina and Brasil.
Comments
Guess who won't make the Top 5 now. But well done, Gabe.
I just watched the Gabe V EE heat.
Much closer to a 50/50 decision than Italo V Griff but yeh I can see that the EE 9.07 could be slightly overs compared to the rest of the heat, but not a howler.
I agree with Medina.
they have to make pool surfing entertaining to watch somehow
Agree Mike, I watch most CT events but only 10min of this one. In the first heat it was the same turn maybe 10 times, and a cover in the middle. The issue is there are few variables to make it interesting. The ocean provides these variables to make it interesting. I vote for Gabe too :-)
yeah mate the lack of variables makes it very dull, even just things like the buildup waiting for the call/forecast adds a lot to real comps
Took balls to say that. Good on him. I would say it if I cared enough about the wavepool and anyway, who'd listen to me?
Not just Gabe, he managed to get the whole of Brazil to join his tweet! 215 million unified in their disapproval of the WSL judging.
Lula can forget Bolsonaro, President Medina is coming
@rubicon
Yeah, that proves he is still a "scared, angry little boy" at heart. The audacity to think all 215 million Brazilians think the same as him. What a fucking tosser.
Damn Gabe, you almost had me fooled you were becoming a man until all this.
I don't have a problem with you disagreeing with the WSL. I have a problem with your cry-baby tactics when you don't get what you want. Very much like things kids used to do/say when they didn't get their way. "Well if you think I was bowled out, then I'm taking my bat and ball and going home"
Only problem is that you don't own the bat and ball Gabriel! The WSL does.
If you don't like the shit show then just leave. You will be replaced very quickly and Most won't miss you one bit! Show some fucking balls for once. Take your 215 million Brazilians and start your own fucking world tour if you've got all the answers?
Oh and please remind yourself that you are rich and powerful thanks to the WSL. If it weren't for them you would just be another fucking poor kid living in a favella.
Yeah I reckon that's a bit of miss bud. Sounds to me like Medina, his coach and others have tried to raise their concerns behind closed doors and their advocacy fell on wooden ears. Next step, which could have been the first step but rightly was not, was to make it an open plea. In my view that does "show some f***ing balls". But even this letter is respectful and reasoned while rightly emphasising the urgency of the situation, even if it is spiced with a little hyperbole. In term of the surfing population though he is possibly right on the mark.
He has not threatened to leave, but I daresay if he did that would be more than passing news. Its effect on that nation and credibility of the WSL would be profound. He would be deeply missed and you're mad if you think he will be replaced very quickly. He's definitely not bigger than the sport but I daresay at this juncture WSL need him more much than he needs WSL.
agreed, rj-davey. i reckon medina's on the money here
You're right in quite a few ways RJD - but he's no Roger Feder is he?
An alternative is "the players association" or whatever they call themselves could write a letter that leads to a constructive discussion with the judges and WSL management on change. A part of that letter could be a review of judging over the year that passed; and every year hereafter.
Personally, I think pulling the race card - it's Brazillian surfers vs the rest is antithetical to all of us bowing to the beauty of being able to connect deeply to nature..but maybe that's what a "high-performance tub" does to our sense of self-importance.
@rj-davey
Unlike Medina, you have shown grace and respect in your reply. Thank you
Which was the whole point of my comment about Medina , that is, It's Ok to disagree vehemently and passionately, just don't be a disrespectful dick in the process.
Toledo has had major issues with the judging over the last year and has shown his opposition to the inconsistency of the judging many times [which I agree with by the way] He just didn't come across as a self-entitled God whist doing so.
I feel Medina has a right to be unhappy with the scoring over the last year.
But biting the hand that feeds you is never a good idea. The WSL are the people who dragged his sorry arse out of the favella and he would do well to remember that. Before Medina became a pro surfer, he was a nobody, just like the rest of us. Yes, it was RipCurl and his other sponsors who made him rich mostly, but would they have handed him a single cent if it not for the fact the WSL was the platform ? Nope, he would just be another average person who lives in Brazil .
All respect to what Medina can do on a wave. No respect to the way he acts like he is a God, seemingly above the rest of us "Humans"
Medina doesn't, nor ever has, come from a favela.
Stu, from memory I think you posted a great article by a young Brazilian journo that compared Gabe and Italo, referencing backgrounds. Maybe around the time of Italo's WC?
Quite possibly Julio Adler.
If it was, then I reckon Julio would be thrilled you referred to him as young.
Ha! All things are relative!
Cheers, I'll go hunting
Yep, Swellnet Dispatch on 24/12/19
Young and restless.
@stunet Thanks for the clarification.
I should have said the WSL brought him out of average-suburbia then.
But it doesn't change the fact he is still having tantrums/hissy-fits and acting like a self-entitled prick, [where ever he is from.]
By the way, wasn't this the premis of the article anyway? especially with the story title like that?
Yes, he got a free pass for that shit when he was younger, but now he is supposed to be a grown man who knows better. The guy even took a year off to get his head-space right. Obviously that didn't work.
I love the passion of the Brazilians, but I have no time for the ones who can't control their attitudes/ego.
surf.rat, Toledo came across as a massive flog and dummy spitter when he was carrying on at the Bells comp after Jacko Baker got a high score.
Lets get Gabe and Bobby on the Piss together.....
yep pretty bad when the competitors and fans recon its a setup.........shamful wsl and well done Gabs for speaking up
Maybe style has been re-introduced to the criteria and that's hurting some competitors.....what would have been interesting would be if someone raced 90% of a wave in the tub to do one big "whirly bird", land it and see what the score would be because that's what seems to happen at a few locations and they have generally been rewarded heavily which in my opinion is bad judging.
Also not sure I would describe Ethans surfing as "simple". Cheers
Fooking sooks. They cry when they win, they cry when they lose. Whatever. I wonder if someone pointed out that six of the last eight men's world titles were won by Brazilians. Maybe they are just evening up on the unfair advantage of the finals in 2' onshore Trestles?
Pretty simple. They are better surfers in competition. By far.
I would still rather watch Dane Reynolds or Jordy Smith free surf, but the brazilians are the masters of the competition.
Let's not forget the tour being skewed heavily to their advantage now, but yes, in the jersey they are beasts. Mostly it's the supreme self-confidence. Italo in particular really, truly believes there is no better surfer in the world than him, added and abetted by his sycophant team. Most core surfers I know would rather poke themselves in the eye than watch an Italo edit though, and therein lies the big issue with the whole tour now, it rewards the kind of surfing that surfers don't want to watch. Great for inland Brazilian soccer fans though. Griff must be booking his security detail for Craparama now and that's pretty sad
EE put up a screen grab from message he got from a Brazzo fan. Death threat saying he'd be killed in Brazil and that Saquerama will be his funeral.
Seriously.
Same thing happened to Griff after he knocked Fil out of El Salvador. Remember, this a nation of gronks that punch chicks in the surf. The local Brazzo fellas that have been here a while are cool AF, but it takes a couple of years training to get that shitty attitude out of them. The Burleigh boys call it baptising them on arrival
@surfalot67
Yep, I find the attitude and audacity of most Brazilians who come to live on the Gold Coast beyond astounding.
0% Aloha . Not even a smile.
I don't know what they are afraid of? Making friends? Being vulnerable?
I understand there is a big cultural divide, but we are all humans who need love and friendship aren't we?
“ Remember, this a nation of gronks that punch chicks in the surf.”
You forgetting about the scumbag from Lennox who was in the news the last couple years?
No GF, I haven't forgotten that at all but in Australia, he's at outlier. The behavior I see from Brazzos in the water everywhere is appalling, full of macho wanker energy and not an ounce of humilty or respect. Maybe you don't come across them often where you surf, but most travelling surfers have an experience or three to tell you of interaction with these perennial pains
Yeah I’ve had some unpleasant experiences with them O.S, but not at home. They mustn’t enjoy surfing cold, rippy closeout beach breaks!
My point with that comment though was that every country has cunts that abuse women, you can’t say Hawaiians are a bunch of women bashing flogs just because JBG used to do it.
But yes, I agree, they can be fucking horrible to surf with.
@bnkref
That shit is just messed up!
Are surf fans the new soccer fans who torch a town when their team looses?
Just curious if any Brazilians came to his defense? (as I don't do the Social media thing)
In fairness @surf.rat Yago was a big online defender of Griff when the soccer fanboys went at him last year. I wonder who will chime in for EE? I also wonder if the real Brazilians are a different bunch, the ones we get on the Goldie are definitely the privileged upper-middle class, the 40% of Brazilians living on less than $10 a day sure aren't travelling internationally to surf
@Surfalot67
Thanks for that info. Much appreciated.
Always a huge Fan of Yago Dora and now an even bigger one. He seems like such a kind & humble guy.
He is such an amazing surfer and can do all Medina and Italo can do...but with style and grace!
and minus the inflated ego.
Don’t worry about it Gabe.
You’ve got enough cash.
Leave the tour and start dropping edits.
A 5 min clip of 8-10ft Cloudbreak would supersede every minute of WSL coverage for the whole year.
Be like Bobby…
yup
Gabe and Ethan should've been given the opportunity to have a surf off after a drawn heat! Doesn't take much time at the Ranch does it?
Well it would of been written by someone else, and he wouldn’t of read it , it would of been “read out loud “ to him. And he would of smiled and nodded and said that’s good but what about this? And then whoever wrote that would of said to him, I think it would be wise to leave that out, and then he would of said “Ok send it”
But what would Charlie have done?
Huh …. Was there a ct comp on ……
Just like when the brazzos bought their style of comp surfing to the wossle the judging changed to accomodate this new style of contest surfing as it is happening now.It's been a while since they awarded rail surfing proper and it's putting a few noses out of joint....
This is rich coming from one of the most juiced surfers. Didn't see him complaining when the judges gave him the Snapper win over Parko.
Of his air knocking out Fanning's title chances at Pipe.
Removing Style from the judging criteria was a regressive move. And the judges have generally discounted Flow from the criteria too. It seems like it might be coming back a bit, and not a moment too soon.
100% Stamos. Short memories these guys
1000% Stamos
They were the 2 worst decisions ever in pro surfing I can think of
For me, the Gabriel's left was a clear 1.5 points better than EE's left. EE's right was 0.5 points, at the very most 1 point, better than Gabriel's right because EE did the additional reverse in the middle of the wave, which had a element of risk). Gabriel easily won due to the left. Both rights were fairly conservative. But Gabriel went to the air three times on the one left and EE's feet never left the water.
Gabriel's left was penalised because he pumped past the left barrel section to do an air. The barrel still scores in the pool and his air wasn't that exciting. Simple as that.
Well said Gabriel. More should speak up now. Please! The sport, judging in particular, needs clarity.
Good on Gabs speaking up. There was clearly an issue at the pool.
Overall CT... Style and flow, progression and variety, technique and balance, 'wow' factor, should all be on display at a high level, through whatever sections a wave presents to achieve a maximum score. Or even just a high score.
EE (and some other aussies) are an example of efficient timing, style and flow. Gabs is another example.
Someone like Italo, generally speaking outside of the crazy wave speed of the pool, can deliver the same manoeuvres as Ethan on any wave, and have the commentators saying 'wow look how fast Italo is', But my eyes see fast clunky manoeuvres mistimed with the finer points of how a wave presents. Like timing to the pocket and maintaining a fluent speed.
I don't know if Brazzos think this, but if they want one crazy air scoring higher than 6x of Ethans' smoothest rails, they should get stuffed and be told to improve thier game.
ok, lets give this a shot, move the WSL to place that is ok with it, you know way out there, then let the fans choose how and what they want to see the Pro's do for the semi and finals.
Put the finals back in Hawaii, everyone likes to see waves of consequence after all they are PRO"s
Agree
everyone bitches more when they aren't winning just a shame they forgot they have been over scored for years on the exact same air reverse or some other chop hop that all looks the same and made competition surfing all that more boring to watch
Is criteria still venue related? GM dodged the tube a couple of times to set up 'progressive' manoeuvres. So it is confusing to me. A couple of air landings were really ugly and clunky.(compared to EE's) Although it was tight I thought EE had it. On the other hand Italo got stiffed.
100 % correct
If the water is making him sick, he should get out of the pool.
Good riddance to Medina.
Brazo hypocrisy…so funny.
It
I remember Gabe and Parko at Snapper a few years back. No cry baby wrote a letter after that piece of judging.
So true..I saw it also and Parko just sucked it up.
Griffin Colapinto is making Finals day at San Clemente, WSL guarantee it.
I haven't watched it, didn't know/care it was on. The fact that anyone even cares about a surfing comp in a tub... Will the winner's speech celebrate and Dream Tour and dedicate their victory to the memory of AI?
Gabs probably has a point. He can join Mark Webber's facebook group 'I was robbed of a World Title cause a win to the other guy means more money to the sport'.
Gabs, you're better than this, you don't need pro surfing, go live a life as a legend chasing great waves and making great videos, and take Smelly Skater with you.
Jeez, it's made the mainstream news and Ethan got some death threats!
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/aussie-pro-receives-death-threats-as-bra...
Didn’t Ibelli get threats from Medina fan boys when Medina did the deliberate interference a few years back?
Yes you're right. Clearly, they're not above eating their own
Most comments here are mentioning EE. I think what triggered this post from GM was the final heat with Ítalo, not GM's heat.
Home town guys have always gotten juiced, and it happens in Australia too. Although they usually try not to make it too absurd.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-05-30/australian-surfer-ethan-ewing-rec...
How's the last few paragraphs
The WSL rejected the criticism and said Medina's comments were "unacceptable".
"Surfing is an ever-evolving, subjective sport and we appreciate a robust debate around the progression of our sport and the criteria used to judge our competitions," a WSL spokesperson said.
"However, it is unacceptable for any athlete to question the integrity of our judges who … are elite professionals."
What other sport in history gets so much hate (check their last few instagram posts) but completely ignores it?
Surfing as a sport is DEAD.
In the voice of Cartman from South Park
"you will respect my authority"
Gabriel Medinas attitude is the problem here NOT the WSL Judging. It is this same entitled attitude that is contributing to the end of professional surfing and why so many lifelong surfers, I personally know (40-70+ years) are walking away from supporting professional surfing. Where has the RESPECT gone? and We just want to see good surfing in great waves, how hard is that?
It's escalating. Now the surf coaches are weighing in:
So Micro ain’t going to Brazil anytime soon then
Epic piece of trolling though.
Both offering advice to his young charges how not to act while shoving a poker in the ribs of his old adversary.
Brilliant!
So, the WSL has basically said (from surfiebums link, and Fitzroy-21s comment) that Gabe can jam his opinion up his clacker and the judges are beyond reproach.
"The WSL rejected the criticism and said Medina’s comments were “unacceptable”.
“Surfing is an ever-evolving, subjective sport and we appreciate a robust debate around the progression of our sport and the criteria used to judge our competitions,” a WSL spokesman said.
“However, it is unacceptable for any athlete to question the integrity of our judges who ... are elite professionals.”
Elite professionals? FMD
Surfrat ya spot on mate 100% agree with that comment..!!!!
There is a time and place to comment and let your opinion be known..not to advertise it as gripe to the whole surfing world. Professional sportsman from many different activities over the years have felt dudded at some time but true to their character they take it on the chin and move on and learn from it. Why got my hackles up was the so called threats coming from the Brazes about any one they don't like being "looked after" when they go there. This shows more about the attitudes of these guys that we see around the world...whinging, bullies and cowards that also like to assault women. Time they grew up.
it happens at every level of surfing, unlike big business where it filters down from the top, in surfing it filters up from the bottom...unless u r part of the hpc talent id group or hpc qs special crew you can't get through heats...dont even think of competing in a qs in vico unless your victorian...they are trashing the 21yr olds who have power and style who have patiently waited for their turn, to instead progress flicky, poor technique 16yr olds. oh because the hpc said so
They say that the Brazo's are "passionate", but is it a cultural thing or an age of entitlement?
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/enraged-husband-smashes-beau...
i kinda agree with gabe’s gripe- but knowing how the brazzo fans carry on i reckon he was stupid to spill on social media
ten fold i want the oz guys to win over everyone else, but i rate, and love to watch gabe, yago, fil, italo, both pupo’s, jc *etc the tour would be less without them
*no care if i never saw ibelli again
I didn’t watch it, and haven’t since. Surfing in a tub just doesn’t do it for me.
Having said that, judges (and referees) get it wrong occasionally without resorting to conspiracies. That’s reality.
It’s rare that I watch an NRL game without disagreeing with refereeing interpretations and decisions. Many times they will even admit later that my first impression was correct and the referee, or god forbid, the bunker, made an untenable decision.
This is sport, accept it as part of the game. I’m also OK with them having a point of view, so the WSL can put a sock in their “unacceptable” call. Perhaps a tweet or an instagram just saying ‘I had a different opinion to the judges on this score’.
Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. (I am large, I contain multitudes)