New tour format 2019
Two rounds not four, and it hasn't been confirmed yet.
Jesus what a ball ache that will make watching contests.
they need to tighten them up, not make the losers rounds go on forever.
If they're going to have more losers rounds they've got to cull at least the bottom third of the overall numbers.
Wait and see I guess...let's leave it in the trustworthy hands of the WSL
Recently I was befuddled by 2017/18 round up...I'll share my findings.
WSL QS sample of culling(2017)5 rounds to(2018)4 rounds to trim just 2 call ups
(2017) R1-16x4 /R2-16x4 /R3-16x4 /R4-8x4 /R5-4x4 /Q-4x2 /SF-2x2 /F-1x2
Totals 254 call ups
Important to note that (2017)Quarter Finals paired off into man on man!
Got that! Now watch the sleight of hand as 1 less round reduces only 2 call ups.
Below is the recent(2018)comp format at Sunset...blink & you miss the change.
(2018) R1-16x4 /R2-16x4 /R3-16x4 /R4-8x4 /Q-4x4 /SF-2x4 /F-1x4
Totals 252 call ups...One whole less (round 5) but only 2 less starts?
Competitive types would have noticed the old school 4 man heats thru to final.
Sunrising Sunsetting swellnetonians commented favourably on oldschool format.
The logistics in bigger surf have major repercussions.
Consider Jaws writeoff or Sunset 4 man final with no wave ridden for 10 minutes.
2017 style 2 man QS final 'd blink a puppy eyed stare for restart as standard fare.
WSL Walkies Woof Woof falling on deaf ears .
Now here's a Bells write-up. I can't quite believe I've got some concurrence going on with Sam George!
https://beachgrit.com/2019/04/sam-george-was-this-the-sloppiest-display-...
Any input from a fellow BG employee and Swellnet commentator?
a rebuttal is in the works, already written in fact
independent contractor, btw
I know it was Rosie's birthday and all, but.
And, yeh, wow, I know puttz and turps go well together. And they're in trainin', workin' on their particular pro stuff. Tryin' to be like Bruce. But, just doing as they're told, when they're told. When nothin's really happenin'.
SUDDENLY JUST AMPING UP THE SQUWARKING ON QUEUE SO"S YA CAN FAARKIN' EXCITEDLY SELL THE SHIT! WOW!.
'THERE"S NO WAX ANYWHERE!'
'HEY KID GIVE US YA FAAARKIN' WAX! NAAR WOTS WRONG WIV YA, NOT THAT USELESS SHIT!'
'WHERE"S ME FAAARKIN CADDY AND WHO"S GOT ME FAARKIN BOARDS ANYWAY!'
'WHERE"S THE FAARKIN JETTY... OR SKI! STOP ALL THE FAARKING WHISTLIN! ANYONE... SOMEBODY SAVE ME!'
'THESE KIDS IS WOW... EATIN' AND TRAININ' AND STUFF WOW WHAT A SACRIFICE!'
'OYE WOT TIME IS IT!!! WHERE"S ALL THE FAAARKIN SKIS!'
'WOT!'
'I SAID OYE WOT TIME IS IT!!! WHERE"S ALL THE FAAARKIN SKIS!'
'AYE?'
'I SAID OYE WOT TIME IS IT!!! WHERE"S ALL THE FAAARKIN SKIS!'
'HUH?'
'FAAAAARRRKKKOOOORRRFFF!'
Again. Pro's.
Meanwhile, the sets ro[led through. Regularly. Top to bottom ones from way over and out.
'WOW HE'S MISSED IT JOE, AGAIN! IN THE FINAL TOO! WOW!
'STRIDER CAN YA HEAR THE WHISTLE!'
'NO PUTZZ!'
'WOW!'
'WHAT!'
'ROSIE!'
'AYE!'
'THESE KIDS... I KNOW ITS YA BIRTHDEE... BUT WILL YA STOP FARKIN' GROWIN, YA GETTIN' FAAARKIN' HUGE! OVER TA YOU TURPS!
'YEH PUTZZ EVEN HUGER THAN MEDS WHO'S A FARKIN' HUMUNGOUS HUMAN BEIN!'
'I AM FARKIN' NOT GROWIN!'
YEH RIGHT, YOU MEAN THEN THAT THE LITTLE... NO SURELY NOT... NOOOOO... NOT THAT... YA MEAN THEY'RE GETTIN' EVEN... NNNNOOOOO!!!!'
'I MEAN WOW!!!! THESE KIDZ!!!'
Look forward to it, FR. He had some interesting board comments. Well, I thought so. Heard and seen similar arguments and observations in Margs.
Interesting BTL comments there too. As always. Witty, shitty, and all points in-between.
Ha ha ha, welcome back big boy!
That’s actually one of the funnier things by Lifty that I’ve read.
Maybe it was the gap between posts or perhaps, gasp, maybe absence DOES make the heart grow fonder?
Mmmmmm, yeah nah.
Freeride your reply to Sam G on beachgrit was spot on. I think that was two of the most entertaining days of competition surfing in a loooong time. Good stuff
Agreed. How good was it?
Everyone was so doom and gloom a week ago. How amazing is the southern ocean, just threw up those last couple of days.
Was really good that the big, messy day was the penultimate day, those who got through that deserved to be in finals day.
What was not to love? Going on this, margs should be an absolute cracker!
Just read your piece FR.
A query and an aside:
Toledo's wave at J-Bay. That year. That wave. How do you see it now post-hyperbole?
As someone who assiduously watches, digests, and writes about pro surfing competition, as well as appearing as someone who genuinely gives a shit, paid or not I wager, I respect your opinion.
As my use of the word 'hyperbole' implies, I wasn't that excited.
As I wasn't with the Bells turns. Especially off the bottom.
Having said that, the most one-sided pro surfing competition display I've ever seen in the flesh was easily Florence at sizeable Margs. He was doing full throttle turns off the bottom no one else was even vaguely near.
But only in context because everyone else was nursing and struggling?
Actually, watching Curren free surf with no leggie at Johanna whilst the comp was on the other bank one year was in the same realm, if not more impressive in its seamless perfection.
Shit, 2001: A Space Odyssey is just starting.
Sick!
Gary would like to say: Fucking YES, SS.
How long have you waited for the opportunity to throw that punch? How long have you dreamt about getting that chance and what you’d do with it?
You came at the king. The fat, bloated, gout-ridden, pickled-liver king of the traditional cosy surf media.
You didn’t miss.
Did Gary mention the surf media?
Sam Georges article was the classic glass half empty. Some pretty spectacular surfing went down in the last couple of days. Bells is one of those waves that will magnify even the most subtle chink in a pro surfers armour.
Felt for Italo though, fucker was reamed.
Well played Longtom, wonder if he'll respond?
Can I get for six of Sam, and a half-dozen for Steve?
Clearly Sam fucked up the KS/JW heat, and his misuse of "excellent scores" as a metric shows he isn't aware how the scale changed this year - an unforgivable oversight - but I also thought the bow-down-before-Johnny mob also overcooked the narrative. His end section turns had as much variety as Mick Fanning's top turn wrap - apologies to Joe Turpel - and it appeared the only reason people were in raptures is 'cos Bells is such a low-performance bitch of a wave to surf at that size. JJF made something out of the dismal non-section that ends the wave at Bells. It's not a dangerous section, no-one ever risks their life on that ill-shapen santorum that washes up on the beach, and he did nothing cutting edge or clip worthy, he just did 'something', so in the context of the competition it was worthy, but in the greater scheme of surfing it was forgettable. It wasn't Dane at Haleiwa, or even John himself at Margs 2017 where his turns were varied and took in all parts of the wave and not just a repetitive, surf by numbers approach to the very last section.
Medina shone the brightest, and Italo was ripped off. I don’t subscribe to any popular conspiracy theories, but I’m starting to believe there’s something in the business model to help bring JJ back
The rulebook is pretty clear about Italo's interference. Doesn't really matter if he actually interefered with him or not, crossing over Jordy's line was as dumb as bringing an unwaxed board to a heat.
“his misuse of "excellent scores" as a metric shows he isn't aware how the scale changed this year - an unforgivable oversight ”
Stu, how has the scale changed this year?
I understand that, but I still say he was ripped off. It’s obviously a shit rule. Part C of it when you read it, there is a grey area that almost puts Jordy into interference
@Wally,
Should've written "last year", which was when new Head Judge Pritamo Ahrendt pegged back the scale so perfect 10s and excellent rides (8 points plus) weren't awarded so easily. Since then you can find many heats where no excellent rides were awarded. In years past they may have indicated a poor performance, but since Pritamo stepped in that's not the case.
On that point, the change in scale also makes many of the WSL stats meaningless if they cross from 2017 into 2018. Career average heat score, number of excellent rides, none of those mean anything as the base level shifted.
@Shoredump,
I can recall an old Slater interview where he said he read every updated ASP rulebook when it came out, and he was surprised that other surfers didn't. The Italo interference is a classic case of a surfer who really should've known better. Yeah, it's a shit rule...but it's a rule, and if you know what it is then you don't do it.
I cant see where it's open to interpretatation. To me "in the process of catching a wave" means paddling for the wave. He'd already caught it. Sure, he was in the whitewash, but he'd already caught it.
I disagree with your assessment of JJF's performance Stu. I thought some of the turns he pulled out of the top of the wave on the outside sections were far ahead of anything any other natural footer produced. More power, more vertical down the face. The others were doing short arcs rather than carving down the face. Well that's how I remember it!
The way I interpret that particular scenario / wave and “things you can’t do” and that being to catch a wave simply to block a surfer, you must have intention to score. Yes Jordy went on to ride a lengthy wave and get a score, but no way was that his intention. I don’t think he would have caught that wave from way inside in the whitewash if Italo wasn’t on it. Also a surfer with priority loses priority if they don’t sit in the take off zone. How can you make a comeback against a surfer with priority on a lengthy wave like Bells or JBay, if they sit well down the line. All you have to do is sit too far in to bring the other guy in where it’s too hard to score. Promotes tactics over surfing.
Who'da thunk it! Well what'dya know! I mean really! Really know!
Well, we know for sure that the whole show is for sale, you name it we'll sell it!
And some are guns. Guns for hire. They say the best could sell snow to Eskimo's!
Let's face it, if ziff wants do some yogerin' say, he ain't hiring no discount yogerin' teacher that despite all them years of beneficial yogerin' stuff, pisses off to the big smoke like an idiot... and is a bloody immigrant to boot! Nope, he gets a gun for hire, a real, real gun! A real gun that could sell snow to Eskimos... or onshore, windslop fathanders to surfees! Wave of the day, ha, ya kiddin' me, the borin' shit's offshore and hollow ya farkin' idiots!
Poor Eddie! Farkin' 'ell!
'We're running the Eddie! It's on for young and old! At onshore fathander windslop bells... break out the 6' 2"s, or 5' 10"s... get rid of ya foam and froth! Ride the fatties through to the inside and belt the farkin' shit outa the shorey! Chuck strider in the fuck'n channel for entertainment!'
'ITS BREAKIN' LIKE WAIMEA... ITS ALL ABOUT THAT ONE BIG MOVE ON THE SHOREY TURPS!!! DUD YA SEE THAT ONE STRIDER!'
'FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME, NO I FUCKIN' DIDN'T COZ I'M SITTING IN THE FUCKIN' CHANNEL AND I CAN'T SEE THE FUCK'N SHOREY... PUTTZ!'
I raised it before. It's an eastern seaboard thing. 'Shelley's is breakin' like gland... lennie's is breakin' like sunset... north wall is breakin' like bl...' No they didn't and know they don't. Hi Pete wouldn't even get out of bed in the end. Gorilla went to TAFE. I made the last ludicrous paddle across the richmond... despite their warnings... Anyway. Poor Eddie. Who'da thunk it. Really?
'Exciting surf charter for sale... guaranteed onshore fathanders... breaks like...'
ziff knew soph was the girl for the job. Easy pickin's for soph. Even slats. Facto has a good point. A bit of foam never hurt slats.
He thought he was safe. Soph. He had to go. Now he doesn't know what to ride anymore. Here try this slats... even a couple of on sale sacks of ayahoosca wont dull the pain.
Anyway, who reads them other cretin's sites anyway! I'll bet there's some grittin' teeth!
Which brings us back to the point. Who'da thunk it. Facto's point. Storms for desert... or deserted storms! What are ya gonna do with em, when all ya need is a 5'10" or 6'2" for Waimea!
Maybe gumtree... but ya won't get soph sellin' shit on no gumtree...
'As new desert storms on sale!!! Unlimited amounts! Free sacks of ayahoosca for the first 10,000 callers...'
I mean really? Onshore wind slop fathanders sellin' like hotcakes?
That ain't Prime at all, not even close.
Oh well, you know what they say.
'Hair today, gorn tomorrow!'
Poor slats, ya need more than eyes in the back of ya scone, even he didn't see it comin'!
And just like a filthy, weeping, pus ridden cold sore he’s back again
G'Day Uppy!
How we've missed ya.
Love,
Stupe
Prime what an uplifting series of posts ;)
Hey FR great come-back on beachgrit. I'd like to add the way RCal was surfing it, the distances he mowed down backhand, he looked like a machine, very fluid, strong and torquing through sections. That was great surfing.
JJF's arcing top turns on those two big beasts were pretty incredible too, I thought to myself "he is so far above sea level doing that", even looking down from the cliff it looked tall.
Actually, allied to Primo's Slattsy's equipment comment, which Margs comp was it when he put in the most embarrassing performance maybe of his storied career largely in part due to equipment choice fuck-ups?
Was that the beginning of the end for Robbie?
Like the Cloudbreak pike-out and pool fiasco were nails in the Wizzle coffin? Well, pro comp surfing as it was once known, anyways. Olympics next?
And yes, it's wonderful in surf media now that the peanut gallery actively gets to challenge the most revered elder scribes. Stu keeps quite neutral and gives us the floor, which makes Swellnet very great. I say this as a bit of a fan of the Georges, too.
Facto, to answer your original question: I think Toledo's J-Bay surfing last year was fo a higher standard but the way he broke track in 2017 was of a different order.
As far as bottom turns go, if you couldn't digest Medina's buried to the nose 50 yard efforts during Fridays storm surf, then I dunno.....lazer surgery?
Lifty, still on that program you gave me, added deadlifts. Backs the best it's ever been, so cheers for that. Pulled me out of the nosedive.
Gabs did a turn on Friday and Jacob Willcox did one on Thursday, both sublime single pump bottom turns that were held far longer than you could ever credit a six-oh Thruster, and both of them left more of an impression on me than JJF's orchestrated end section turns.
34:30 mark of Gabs vs Panda
https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad...
why were they all riding semi displacement hulls
Hey Prime nice writing: "No they didn't and know they don't"
Open question, how would boards have differed if no jetskis? I reckon 6'8 to 7'2
One guy on the Sam George article made a good point that more volumey rails weren't helping. I was watching KS having to highline the little board rather than drive through turns in those waves, and wondering if too much float/too out of the water. Contrast to the BWWT guns which seem to be sporting down rails in the tails, narrow, bladey rails in the tail without the board being a toothpick everywhere else.
The Occ would be proud of that bottom turn of Gabriel’s
Agreed, Medina's bottom turns were next level and Jacob Wilcox wasn't far behind.
Focusing on JJF's lack of variety on the end section is missing the point - his top turns/cutties/down carves put everyone else in the shade (excepting Medina).
JJF made Jordy look like he was half asleep.
Did the repetition not get you?
Knowing that the wave was coming to an end, yet knowing in advance exactly what turn he was going to lay down.
That's exactly the criticism Mick Fanning had to weather by fickle online commenters, but because this is Johnny we won't hear anything of it?
Johnny was robotic on that end section.
There, I said it.
I'm trying to think of any time I've seen recreational surfers ride all the way through and smash that end section lately Stu, and for me each one done is novel. Most I see kick out. And if big, few want to go over the button. Each one I held my breath a little, no matter who did it.
Also of interest, JJF winning on the Ghost model, this surely has to be the first board to win Bells with the widepoint set forward of midway since the single fin era? Ditto for Margs and that incredible surfing he did.
JJF is my fav surfer after Kelly on tour, but yeah 100% as much as i love him, once he blast one sick turn (normally finishing move) it always gets repeated and you know what you will get, it gets a bit predictable .
I'm a bit surprised that nobody tried to go above the lip on the end section on the final day. I realise it's a tough section on a large close out but there would have been a guaranteed high 9 or a 10 if somebody managed it.
True enough but the same could be said for most of the other natural footers. The judges were clearly rating it and I might lack imagination but there didn't seem to be a lot more on offer without going to a much higher level of risk of the dreaded non-completion.
On the wide point forward question VJ, have a look a Courtney's board in the final. That wide point is at least a couple of inches forward of centre and it looks sooo sweet. I've always been a fan of the aesthetics of the WPF planshape and I've ridden nothing else myself for the last eight years or so.
I'm no JJF or Conlogue (far, far from it), but the WPF definitely suits my style of surfing, particularly when the waves get overhead. Enhances the long drawn-out turns, bottom or top of the wave.
John John was very predictable on that very last move but he was still doing it better than everyone else. The risk obviously wasn't worth it.
Or, JJF is actually not quite back to 100% and doesn't quite have the confidence to go for anything else, and so plays it relatively safe, lay-backing just under the lip giving plenty of time for a controlled getaway in front of the white water.
Why risk something else at that stage of the game?
Besides, like I said his other turns were scorching.
Medina > JJF
"Focusing on JJF's lack of variety on the end section is missing the point - his top turns/cutties/down carves put everyone else in the shade (excepting Medina)."
Bingo.
Most likely but style still counts for something though.
Surfstarved, I still like that type of board a lot when it gets solid - even has its place in little stuff. Grew up with Brothers Nielsen single with exactly that foil and outline, the long rail length and long projection in turns is a great feature. It's really nice to see the basic foil winning the most memorable comps nearly 40 years after it was apparently made irrelevant.
Apologies for the offshores!
And free, stoked to hear about your back, that's real good news.
Did I hear rightly that they're changing the format next year to take 4 rounds to eliminate just 4 surfers? No reduction in overall event time? Surely not.