Surfings' T Junction - What do you think?

Is it more exciting to watch good surfing and people having fun? Or a game of priority chess, of money, sponsors, adverts and bad sports?

I used to love watching the World tour surf comps, maybe I was even a bit geeky into it, lord knows my wife thought so. So what has changed? Why does it feel like a bind to watch it now? Let me lay this bad boy down simply.

No Rivalries - everyone knows the secret to keeping your attention is a bit of drama. I give you Kelly Slater vs Andy Irons and ask you what can live up to that kind of intense hatred and rivalry? Everyone on tour has either been told to get on by their sponsors or they really do get on. Yaaawwwnn.

Sayings like “He is my mate”or “We are all mates out of the water.” are booooring guys.

Commentators- Okay, so they are good and professional, but guys! Newsflash. This is not Football or Baseball so stop trying to dull it down and make the surfers into super green golden boy quaterbacks. I mean, jesus, no wonder Taj has quit!

Maybe try and ask difficult interview questions? If I here Rosie ask “Did you enjoy surfing out there with just two people out” on more time I will put the controller through the TV.

No Ho’s, Wards or Davidsons - How many characters are there on tour now? Maybe Adriano or Gabriel who display some emotion but the rest are like bloody robots! Give me some old school and some drama any day!

Bobby Martinez one of the best goofy foots of all time quit because he thought the WCT was becoming a ‘tennis tour’. Maybe he had a point.

I understand there are reasons that our ‘sport’ has ended up like this but I don’t have to like it. It’s the natural evolution etc, its great for kids to get into a cleaner image sport and there is now more money, sponsors and its going to be an Olympic sport. There are wave pools and academy’s to make it easier and thats great but what about FUN. Waht about sharing waves and just having a good time? The roots of our ‘pastime’ are being forgotten.

Last year I was lucky enough to be invited to an event called ‘Gliding Barnacles’ in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. Organizers Enrico and Pedro thought it was time to strip the comp mentality back to grass roots and what happened was a lot like this:

I ask you this : who looks like they are having more fun? More importantly which is a truer representation of our ‘sport’?

A better question should be this which SHOULD be a truer representation of you morning session. Which would you like it to be. Training. Priority. Vanilla conversations. Equipment neutrality. or everyone sharing waves, getting on and having a good time?

I am sure that there are some people out there that disagree but I surmise not as many as agree.

I will leave you with this thought. Surfing is and should be fun at its essence and the moment that stops we will have to think of another name for it.