Is the WSL still interesting?

Watched The Momentum Generation the other night. That aspect of really Kelly came through.

Didn't really care for the show that much though...they kind of came off as spoiled brats...not surprising when then they were 14 years old starting out living in Benjy's moms house...but in your mid-late 20s surfing on a professional level the spoiled brat thing starts sounding pathetic.

Not all of them....like Taylor Knox. That dude seemed pretty level headed.

 

I may be in error, yet againe, but my impression is that the Qualifying Series (QS) as run by the WSL is kinda like their farm system or minor leagues, a feeder program for the WCT. Probably not a great analogy on my part.

I just looked at the link: it's 50 guys. But some of hem are on the WCT. I don't really understand, nor if truth be told care, how they move them up & down from WSL to QS & vice versa. Imagine it would be based on where each surfer places in the competitions.

http://www.worldsurfleague.com/athletes/tour/mqs

 

Yank, i think some of the SL surfers have contractual obligations to do some of the QS events of their sponsors.

 

Ah, I see. Had no idea. Follow the money....always

 

There's like 1300 ranked QS surfers meaning they surfed in a QS event.

 

Considering you just reiterated what i said in less words..... I'm going to have to say yes, agreed.

Just to be clear. I didn't mean no one CAN break Kelly's record. Obviously if he did it it can be done again or beaten. My point was it's not somthing you'll see every generation. Just because Kelly's fading doesn't mean there's a new kelly in the next generation. There could be but chances are there isn't. I wouldn't be surprised if we never see it. But that doesn't mean it can't be done. How many amazing surfers have there been? Mark Richards has the most championships at 5, besides kelly ofcourse. That's over 30+ years of surfing pros, and the second most wins is less than half what kelly has. I had to google that by the way, so don't quote me on that. But yeah, it's a pretty simple point. If you don't get what I'm saying then i give up.

 

I hear you, we were making slightly different points but seem to agree for the most part.

 

Slater & PEDS Discuss

 

So then,....there ARE thousands of competitive surfers coming up the ranks??!!??
And they are there because they are sponsored??!!?? Lots of money, collectively.

 

I could be wrong, but I don’t think all Qs surfers have major sponsors.

I guess it’s relative. My little nephew is an outer banks shrowder. He is sponsored by a local shop and a major company (he gets free wetsuites and gear...no cash)....

 

Almost none of them are sponsored. Like JayD said they'll get shoes and and gear, but not $.
A lot of guys have trouble qualifying because they can't afford to travel to enough events.

 

It's always been my impression you have to have rich parents to be on the Q. Someone's paying for that jazz.

 

well that would explain the male pattern baldness.

 

True true

As well, Slater's record of getting better & better the older he got. Which, as we have learned from every other sport, no athlete can do without 'assistance.'

Slater also stopped winning championships when the drug testing was modified & tightened up. He's a tremendous surfer, intense competitor & I always appreciated his surfing. But no one in any sport is 9x better than everyone else unless they're dirty. No one.

 

You know i never even considered him being dirty. But it does kind of make sense. Besides the point you made, he apparently also has back issues. Iv heard him talk about it a bunch. So not only is he 9x better, but 9x better with a busted back.

Not saying he is or isn't dirty. I got no idea. But it's does make sense. Im intrigued

 

If you were raised in the south, think of it this way: The CT is like the Winston Cup and the QS is the Busch Grand National series.

Also, Kelly Slater is like Dale Earnhardt and Gabe Medina is like Jeff Gordon.

#3

 

I don’t know guys, I mean, I wouldn’t put it past anybody these days, but something tells me he’s clean. I think he takes supplements and stays in great shape, and eats well, and doesn’t booze it up too much. His body looks natural.

Baldness is heriditary, I had a friend who was going bald in 8th grade. I have another friend who was balding in his 20’s. It happens. I think it’s definitely possible to get better from 30 - 40+ years old. It happens in other sports with guys who have never tested positive for PED’s.

I think you improve mentally more than you do physically at that age, which allows you to perform at a high level still. The mental aspect is the most important and often overlooked.

 

I don't think Slater's dirty. Everyone knew he'd be the best from the time he was ten years old.
I think a lot of factors helped him become the best.. Setting up homes in Oz, Hawaii, Cali and Europe certainly helped... Not being in to booze/drugs and caring most about winning while others considered the tour a party around the world... Not getting married and having kids...
Plus his body never changed. Not saying he would get big and bulky, but you can see a change in most people physically when they start using PEDs. If you look at him from when he was a kid until now appears to have matured naturally.

Now obviously I don't know this and a guy that cares most about winning and being known as the best would probably be a good candidate to cheat. But I don't think so.

 

I've surfed with her in the lineup a few times and she freaking rips as does her husband Ian Foulke. Friendly people in the water too.

 

Slater was dominant because he was inventing the shit as he went along and then everyone else had to play catch up. Problem now is we've pretty much reached the outer limits of what a human can do on a wave.