What a pity Fuel switched to some skate show 2mins into the final!

Incredible power surfing by Bourez. Whilst many zipped and slipped (including Kelly - something was wrong with that board), Bourez just destroyed. Great to watch.......without the commentary and with music playing.

Got the full final (apart from during ads) on fuel in qld BB

Walked into the Ivanhoe on Sunday arvo for a family lunch, only to find Fuel TV up on the big screen and the last Quarter Final in the water (stoked!).

Watched all the way through the Semis and then it suddenly switched over to footy (or something else) just as the Final was about to start. Thought it might might have been the staff making personal choices, but now perhaps this was a NSW switcharoo as BB observed?

I just got a mental picture of Ben with his mouth hanging open , full of half masticated parmy as Fuel switched to the footy, disbelief writ large.

"Noooooo.......!"

that was josh kerr's to lose, don't know how he blew it so badly.
still though, the judges seem to be using the different aspects of their supposed criteria to give scores to whoever they please. One second it's about 'progression' and then next second it's awarding 3-to-the-beach yawnathon. Then the commentator's have to back peddle against all their instincts to justify the inextricable scoring. It's plain as day when it happens.

plus the 'oh well individual scores don't matter as long as the right person wins the heat' argument is bullshit. A funky score would obviously impact a surfer's state of mind mid-heat. that reasoning is wacky and ignoring reality.

why do they need a 'head judge'? It has been mentioned several times Richie Porta has an impact on certain scores, that seems wrong. What's the point of having 5 judges is someone can come in and influence a result on a whim?

"plus the 'oh well individual scores don't matter as long as the right person wins the heat' argument is bullshit. "

x million.

I think what was happening in this event was that there was much more emphasis on smooth transitions. Any resetting of the rail, minor loss of balance or anything else that interrupted the flow was penalised more heavily I thought than in previous events. Similarly super smooth fluid surfing was scored higher. There were a few high scores that I found hard to understand until I looked at that. The other aspect is that in any event there will be heats that are so close on a two wave score as for any decision to be meaningless. A big part of the problem is the current judging scale which is out of 100. I am pretty sure a statistical analysis would show the judges cannot reliably distinguish at that level. The results would be fairer and more easily interpreted if they used a 20 pt scale and a third, and if necessary fourth wave tie break.

...another factor is the judges are no longer awarding so much for a good finish - AKA MB 9.67 wave in heat with Kelly, which he thought was a "7.5 or something"
In any case, I think its progress that they are encouraged to go for broke, not conservatively stay on their feet all the way...

There was no fucking way that wave of Bourez's was a nine point anything.

Judges over-egged that omelette by a point and half at least.

If that happened in the NRL or any other pro sport the refs/judges would be given a weeks holiday to ponder the error.

Only in pro surfing do judges never make a mistake.

The judging is the worst effing part of pro surfing. Every time I watch a contest, I start out thinking that the best will rise to the surface, but then after the heats get to about round 5, it's reminiscent of a 'reality show', where there is a thinly veiled master-plan and I'm expected to think that the results happened organically.

I watched the Slater-Parkinson quarter where I saw Kelly 'hack' and stall and go tube-to-float. A tube in itself is pretty good on this day, and a floater by itslef isn't crash hot. Put them together the way he did - it was genius and should be exponential to the moves on their own. He got a good score (but not great) and I though 'fair enough'.

Then I saw Parko get a decent wave with one good turn and two mediocre ones. I don't remember the specific scores, but next thing they're only separated by a tenth of a point.

I thought I must have missed a wave while they jabbered on with Pete Mel or something, so I watched to see any replays. I didn't miss anything, except for whatever the judges saw that didn't actually exist, of course...

That heralded the end of my viewing. I thought I would just wait until the plan was revealed at the end

I headed down to the comp on Sunday - was my first live 'CT event and an incredible spectacle. Thought the organisers did a great job. So good to have the aussie beach commentators rather than the interweb drawl - more impressive was the surfing. I can tell you now that MBs 9+ ride gave me (and most others on the beach) goosebumps: those hits just looked so much more explosive and powerful than anything else seen that day - from what i could see no-one there was suprised at the score even though most of the crowd (myself included) were going for Slater. I reckon it is difficult to make the call from the screen sometimes - being there in real life definately makes a big difference.

Fair call Monk and agree that it's very different watching in person to on the screen, so if everyone on the beach reckoned MBs wave was scored adequately on the day then who am I to disagree from my chair/computer screen.

It does highlight the inconsistency issue though doesn't it. I noticed Kelly stayed out to sea for 10+ minutes after he lost to MB. I would have loved to have heard his reaction when viewing MB's winning wave with his local advisor, Mitch Thorson. As I said earlier, even MB thought that wave was a "7.5 or something" - this quote was clearly audible from him as he came out of the water. Kelly was incredibly magnanimous towards MB when he gave an interview 1/2 hour after the event, which shows you what character he has and lets face it who doesn't want a nice guy and tahatian to win..but it really doesn't do much for the sport to have such radical, inconsistent outcomes. Apart form the impact on this heat, as someone else pointed how was that the highest scoring wave of the entire event? We will never have lines like tennis..but event with that tennis went "Cyclops" technology, which led to "hotspot" technology for cricket. So I think surfing needs to keep pushing the technology boundaries to get more consistent results with their scoring. If the ASP doesn't do so, it will remain a folksy industry servicing a relatively small marketplace. And given Q, B and R have peaked, they really need to think outside of the box/industry to achieve any form of real expansion. By comparison have a look what the AFL industry has achieved in the last 5 years, it surpasses the ASP's acheivement's for its entire history - bums on seats, sponsorship and TV rights deals.

It does highlight the inconsistency issue though doesn't it. I noticed Kelly stayed out to sea for 10+ minutes after he lost to MB. I would have loved to have heard his reaction when viewing MB's winning wave with his local advisor, Mitch Thorson. As I said earlier, even MB thought that wave was a "7.5 or something" - this quote was clearly audible from him as he came out of the water. Kelly was incredibly magnanimous towards MB when he gave an interview 1/2 hour after the event, which shows you what character he has and lets face it who doesn't want a nice guy and tahatian to win..but it really doesn't do much for the sport to have such radical, inconsistent outcomes. Apart form the impact on this heat, as someone else pointed how was that the highest scoring wave of the entire event? We will never have lines like tennis..but even with lines...tennis went onto develop "Cyclops" technology, which led to "hotspot" technology for cricket. So I think surfing needs to keep pushing the technology boundaries to get more consistent results with their scoring. If the ASP doesn't do so, it will remain a folksy industry servicing a relatively small marketplace. And given Q, B and R have peaked, they really need to think outside of the box/industry to achieve any form of real expansion. By comparison have a look what the AFL industry has achieved in the last 5 years, it surpasses the ASP's acheivement's for its entire history - bums on seats, sponsorship and TV rights deals.

it'll never be AFL or any mainstream sport.

the thing took 12 days to finish and most of that was unwatchable dross.

The last day of a comp is often exciting viewing for surfers but for non-surfers?

They are never going to sell Professional Surfing to the general public simply because of the stagnant time in between waves being ridden.
I Love watching the pros surf but during lulls listening to the commentators dribble on really is enough to make me turn it off.
Maybe 3 man heats is the answer?

Unfortunately I agree with Freeride. It was a drawn out, boring saga until the final day which I watched with my wife, who has graciously put up with my surfing obsession for many years. She was ho hum about it which is probably what your average non surfer thought (I loved it). Years ago the motocross world split when the Yanks with their smaller attention spans, couldn't get their heads around the European form of it, which is based on natural land. They decided to build courses inside of stadiums, and ever since this has become the bigger draw card by a mile. Compact, quick, disposable action. Maybe KS is onto something with his surfing machines, Stadium surfing comps. Sounds horrible but maybe for comps that might be the most profitable way to go. Could build them anywhere, bums on seats, dancing girls, what a wonderful image.

Slater's surfing was the most inventive, creative and fresh looking.

I turned off when he got knocked out.

Thats another problem for the sport: the lack of true drawcards. And looking down the line in Oz, California and Hawaii I cant see another Slater, Dane, John John.

Any else notice that the commentators went out of there way to not mention the presence of sharks in the region (due I assume to sponsorship by WA tourism)? When Jordy was interviewed after his heat at the box he mentioned that at the start of the heat he saw a bronze whaler shark swim by; the commentators interviewing him moved straight on without making comment.

The Bourez 9.37 did seem way over-scored in terms on the day, but not in terms of the heat. His 9.37 was definitely better that Kelly's 8.83.

I was on the beach and thought at the time (and after rewatching online later) that Bourez 9.37 was a little overscored. That said he was a deserving winner in the final, and after performing well at both Box and Mainbreak earnt it for sure. How Slater's barrel to exit floater wasn't scored higher is crazy from a live/on the beach perspective or any other for that matter, shit was epic!

quarter and semi, slater is looking good for the 12th title. I thought after snapper his game looked crook and maybe the jig was up, but that final day he worked out that shithole of a break and creamed it. a decent result in brazil and he'll be getting a roll on.

Judges hand Gabs the win surfing kiddie corner, and not behind the rocks. Judging staff awards Michel the win for half rides at Mags....

The ASP must think Affirmative Action/ Positive discrimination a workable system. And good for global business.

To me Slater was the man to watch with the most innovative moves and as someone said surfs the wave for what it is,never know what hes going to do when he takes off.As for Parko well hes good but is starting to look very predictable and a bit boring.Boy i hope they get some big good clean waves as margies is a bit of a yawn after a while,cant understand why its rated so high as a wave and i always thought it was a left,what happened there?The left looked like shit.Also it tends to drag out a bit now the girls event is thrown in as well, but to their credit some of the girls are ripping and i hope we see good Fiji and see how good they are.

It is a pity the left wasn't working at Margies because Bells is going to look very similar. If they do get surf, Bells will be every surfer going for three big turns and then hit the close out lip. Sound familiar.

But, re: Margies, the last day's waves were really good I thought. Great surfing, close heats, no one getting comboed. If there were a few less long lulls, it could have been one of the better final days ever. If you didn't think they were good waves, can I come and surf at your beach?

no thanks mate, there's enough here already.

...the left @ m on a 6ft+ west/sw swell (front on) and east wind (or better glassy) CAN be as good as anywhere in indo. it's a heavy wave too, people have died out there...

No way on earth MBs wave was a 9.37........look at KSs first turn on the 8.83 and tell me how this wasn't a higher score? Then he finished the wave albeit not the biggest finish but completed nonetheless. I was of the understanding that going big on your first turn was rewarded handsomely and then to have Flow and Variety which KS most certainly did.

While I greatly appreciate the power of MBs surfing he did not posses the Flow or Variety of turns that KS was providing. I do also understand that being there does make it alot different but the judges would certainly be checking the replays of TV screens and how they managed that score is beyond me!

This however is Pro Surfing and at the end of the day it comes out in the wash and KS will have days where he is overscored and vice versa.

Medina won Snapper when Joel was clearly the best surfer of the contest (a rare fail for Joel who is one of the most overscored surfers on tour with Mick and Kelly). But it was a legit result because Joel never got a second wave. At Margarets Bourez was clearly the best surfer of the event, though his actual wave tallies in the final were questionable from the webcast, but as Monk pointed out being there might have been different.

Personally I prefer less emphasis on whether waves are completed and more on critical surfing, but I agree that the ASP is not always clear what the weighting is on any particular criterion.

There hasn't been much of it here other than the-roller, but on facebook posts there have been a lot of comments saying that the judges are rigged. Get real! If the ASP were looking to rig the system for commercial gain you do not give the final to a Tahitian over Kelly Slater. Whoever is in charge of audience development at ASP would have been crying into their whiskey.

sbsb,

i've never said anything close to "the judges are rigged", just that from time to time, their opinion is wrong.