Eurovision

A few years ago when I was addicted to all things surfing, probably around the same time as I was stoked by the prospect of surfing mushy onshore surf. I was also a keen viewer of all WCT and WQS web casts, especially those within Europe, as I live in Europe. This meant I didn’t have to start up my trusty laptop and tune in to a webcast at ridiculous O’clock, I got to support British and European surfers, and I got to see how the breaks that I’d surfed really could be surfed.

One particular WQS event I looked forward to the most was the O’neill Cold Water Classic held at Thurso, Scotland. Why I hear you ask? Well one of those reasons; being a cold-water surfer myself I enjoyed seeing how some of the top surfers dealt with the cold conditions. I was also amused by the rambling commentary of Sam Lamiroy and Jarraed Howse. Both great surfers in there own right and competitors within the event. It was a pretty unique event and I’m sad that it’s no longer on the calendar, it was cancelled in 2012 due to lack of a sponsor. Quite a few events that year and the next got cancelled globally, though it seems like Europe got hit the hardest or maybe I just noticed it more within Europe. I guess the demise of these events was due to the global surf companies falling on harder times.

I had hoped since the restructuring of the ASP, which is now the WSL, some of those events might come back. Possibly Europe isn’t seen as a big enough cash cow for the sponsors to throw money at events but they haven’t so far been resurrected. The ASP had a global interest in the WCT and then there were regional areas of the ASP, which now appear disbanded under WSL. Who now champions local events and gets the funding and sponsorship to become a WQS event? It would seem that European surfing isn’t the focus of the elite, and therefore makes it even harder for British and European surfers to progress to the WCT without bags of sponsorship or self investment as there are now only 5 WQS events across Europe, I’m sure but don’t quote me on this at it’s height there must have been at least 10 WQS events in Europe in 2010 ranging from 2 star to 6 start prime events.

It’s now no real wonder that most of the pro British surfers out there don’t actively compete in many WQS events, no doubt due to lack of resources and that probably 8 out of 10 events usually end up with less than favourable conditions. But the likes of Reubyn Ash and Alan Stokes prefer to free surf and get plenty of coverage of their surfing in decent waves, why would you spend your own money travelling and surfing less than average waves for a contest when you can use that money to hang out in Indo or somewhere with great waves, I know what I would do.

Reubyn ash killing it.

Alan Stokes surfing in and around the UK, getting involved with the community and having a good time.

Surfing is alive and well across most of Europe as I’m sure most if you who live within it’s shores know, check out your local break on any weekend that there’s decent swell or not and it’s usually rammed with people on all kinds of surf craft. I live in hope that the WSL will recognise this and we may some of the more colourful events return, for now I’m content that I can get my fill of surf webcasts on WSL heat analysers, no wait these days I’d rather be out surfing, who needs to watch the elite, though it is funny to watch them eat it in huge waves.

Thanks again for reading some ramblings of a random man.