This season the Triple Crown goes digital
Like so many other events in 2020, the organisers of the Hawaiian Triple Crown either had to shut down or get creative.
With Hawaiian competion in a fragile state they were presented with a novel problem: there weren't three events and hence no Triple Crown. Yet with longtime sponsor Vans keen to promote, the Triple Crown has now been deemed a "specialty digital event".
So what's that mean?
Well, beginning from December 21st and continuing for four weeks, 125 men and women will enter their two best waves from Haleiwa, Sunset, and Pipe, for six waves in total.
Perhaps John John should've held back some of this footage?
Though it appears a response to COVID, Bobby Gascon, senior director of global sports marketing at Vans has hinted at something more permanent, saying the new Hawaiian Triple Crown event will "re-shape its legacy for years to come."
Whether the winners are perceived as pioneers or recipients of an asterisk remains to be seen.
Comments
So along the same lines as the "wave of the winter"?
* for sure
Quite like the idea.
"re-shape its legacy for years to come."
A sphincter says what?
Interesting... it’ll give the not so consistent surfers who choke on the big stage a better opportunity to do well. On the other hand giving JJF more time in the water could be devastating for the other surfers.
If Gab Medina or Italo ever decided to park up on the North shore for the entire season- go to whoa - then JJF’s advantage would be slim to non existent.
In a lot of ways the tour holds the world’s best back from achieving peak personal greatness. Sure there’s the immediacy of head to head competition but all too often the waves are garbage. Most times the waves are garbage. A few heats worth of good conditions and most crew will remember an event fondly but if you watch every heat you’ll soon notice the high percentage of shit surf .
The conversion of the Triple Crown into into an extended remix of the Wave of the winter could be the perfect outcome for competitively minded surfers.
My personal belief is that the way to develop and progress the very best surfing in the world is to divide the tour into 4 quarters of equal 3 month periods.
Quarter 1 - Hawaii
Quarter 2 - Downtime
Quarter 3 -Indonesia
Quarter 4 - Downtime.
Declare open invitation . Three month set periods at Hawaii and Indonesia to show the 10 best waves for each surfer as evidenced by video. Most quality lineup sessions at each location will host a number of surfers due simply to shared information and break knowledge. This will replicate the head to head competitiveness which propels performances out of the ordinary without the dysfunctional structure of timed heats and competition rules.
The two blocks of downtime will allow for athlete body maintenance and board refinement. Also combats the personal and emotional fatigue from the extended periods of travel required.
Perfect waves , varied locations , dark horse performers , elevated progression, select sessions for broadcast ie obvious swell forecasts for G Land / Haliwea / Pipe / Deserts will provide a framework for competitors to work around.
No more flying circles around the globe and trying to single handedly accelerate climate change, less COVID stress through international travel .
Major benefit to performance arising through the best surfers in the best waves day in / day out. Day after day. Nothing but shredding.
It’d be perfect if only it wouldn’t render Indonesia unsurfable for a quarter of the year and expose every break in the archipelago !
Yeap - last sentence nailed it......
Billabong Pipe Masters
Bonzai Pipeline ha
Chances of haoles getting set waves this winter just dropped even further.
Haoles ? the north shore was pioneered by travelling California surfers.
Scores are starting to drop at vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com , no surprise that JJF appears to have Haleiwa in the bag.