Am I the only one that finds this a little ridiculous? You are a "professional", the "best of the best", and you decide to cancel the event due to crazy conditions? You get paid money to travel, you get endorsments and contracts and publicity because you are the BEST a PROFESSIONAL at what you do and you call off the tournament that day because the conditions were too sketchy!?? Please! Dont get me wrong I understand death is very reall in conditions like that, and you would NEVER find me out there, but I am not a pro! If one of those guys wanted to paddle out they should have, and the others that did not want to risk their lives, should have just forfeited their spot in Fiji's competition. They are PRO's! I found it absurd that they called this event off that day. I know Im gonna get alot of flack for this post, but I just want to see where everyones position is on this? Like I said I wouldn't ever paddle out there on a day like that, and I'm no pro, but this is a disgrace! I see Eddie Aikau rolling around in his grave right now (wherever that may be... RIP) Cheers!
I respect the call to cancel. If you watched the entire competition the winds were on it at the time they decided to cancel. Right after they cancelled the winds switched and conditions got remarkably better. Great free surfing and subsequent heats and surfing....no complaints.
I respect the call...volcom did keep the cameras rolling for the free surfing which i thought was way cool, got to see big wave riders paddle into that stuff...awesome
I mean who decides though? The committee? A group vote? A poll from American Idol? What if some of those guys wanted to prove themselves, and charge! Should they not be allowed to? I'm just trying to wrap my head around this. You can look at it in many ways.. example: in most sports Baseball, Football etc. If its snowing or raining too much to play its postponed or canceled. But still I'm just trying to see what everyone thinks. I like to hear both sides... These are PRO's and should be groomed and prepared for the best waves in the world! Anything thats thrown at them! Thats my opinion. I think the pro's that voted or said no should have stayed on the beach and the ones that WANT IT, GO CHARGE! Whose to say they can't or shouldn't..... It's days like those that can define a persons career with ONE SINGLE WAVE........... Cheers!
From what I understand, the decision is made by ASP officials, after consulting Volcom reps and a representative for the surfers (Kieren Perrow?) There were definitely guys in the competition who went out and charged. some good info here: http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/the-day-they-didnt-go-volcom-fiji-pro_71643/ I was fine with it. I don't know if I have ever been so stoked sitting on my couch staring at my computer screen on a friday night.
Also if they ran the contest then so many perfect waves would of went by unridden (2 man heats). I think it was a good call to let everyone fill the lineup and have almost every set wave ridden.... and the camera's were kept on making it the best "contest" I ever saw. But i understand what you mean
a couple things: 1. eddie aikau wasn't a pro surfer. he was a lifeguard that charged big waimea like a crazy man. someone like gabriel medina doesn't have the same kind of skill & would very likely have died had he eaten it on one of those waves. 2. as someone interviewed for the surfline article pointed out, the asp tour isn't a big wave tour. it's a high-performance surfing tour. high-performance surfing doesn't really happen in waves over 12-15ft. 3. just b/c they are pros doesn't mean they are the best all-around surfers on the planet. they are the best at the kind of surfing the asp judges want to see. there are very few surfers on the tour at present who can surf a small beachbreak well & also surf a maxing reef pass well. it's easy to sit behind a computer screen & piss & moan & ***** about a judgment call that doesn't directly impact you. the fact of the matter is, whomever is responsible for making the call looked at the forecasted conditions for the day & the day after & decided that it was in the best interests of the contest (& by extension, in the best interests of volcom) to postpone the conclusion of the event till the following day.
^ This. The best of the best were out there and they did charge. Sitting there watching perfect Cloudbreak go unridden during the two man heats would have been dreadful. Seeing the big wave guys and some of the pros digging for some monsters was awesome. Thank you volcom for keeping that feed up.
there are very few surfers on the tour at present who can surf a small beachbreak well & also surf a maxing reef pass well. +1, and many of the asp guys did paddle out (on borrowed guns), fact is the decision was made and I got to watch some of the best (craziest) chargers paddle into perfect super-sized barrels. I think its a valid point made by NJ about Eddie. Many of these guys are just kids and lack the water time and experience to just be thrown out there in once in a lifetime macking conditions, especially since apparently tour guys don't travel with big guns. This way they had the choice to paddle out, if they could borrow a board and muster the courage. Stop whining and be thankful you got to see, just because the guys weren't all "pros" and there was no judging does not diminish the fact that I saw some of the best surf epic cloudbreak. Kudos to Volcom for keeping the webcast going! I think it was a great call letting the big-wave guys have at it, as Kelly put it "What went down out there was a different sport."
i would include that when they did call it, Slater and (forgot who he was up against) had the last say in it, they both said they would compete the next day, kind of glad, it wasnt grinding surf that could have hurt someone, it was more "managable" from what they said. Face it, Kelly owns Cloudbreak, he was an animal out there...
putting the contest on hold was the right call, njsurfer articulated the rational well. leaving the webcast on was an even better call and thanks to volcom for doing so. it was almost surreal getting to watch it live... the asp pros that did paddle out parko, fanning, hobgoods surfed well, but they were not taking off as deep or surfing as critical as the boys who ride 15-20 foot waves for a living and chase these waves all over the world. watching this live was infinitely more entertaining than anything the asp could have provided. the one thing that really stands out in my mind is how well-rounded john john is....2 foot brazil to 12 foot pipe to 20 foot cloudbreak this kid simply rips...
