Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast--Snapper Rocks, Rainbow Bay, Coolangata, yadda yadda LIVE

gracias Erock

 

Yewwww! I'm ready for this season to get going.

Does anyone know who is going to be world champ at the end of the year?

 

idk i like jjf/gm/nat/sbass - am wondering about the wisdom of BETTING AGAINST KELLY (!!!!!!!????)

 

same. i gained 10lbs in the first 6 months i was married. i can't imagine jordy's been training too diligently, esp. if he's being careful of the injury he suffered at the end of last season. who knows, though. maybe we'll all be scrambling to add him after he walks off w/ the snapper trophy.
i'm goingto be a huge owen wright fanboy, at least for the moment. i think if he's 100% healthy (& i don't think he'd be coming back if he didn't think he was), he could end up being the dark horse candidate for the title. he's already proven that he's a world beater, besting both slater & fanning multiple times in the past & sat, for a time, at #2 in the world in his second year on the tour. i think he's gonna pull a fanning...come back from a serious injury & win the title w/in 4 years.
otherwise, i think it's gonna be a fanning/slater rematch...fanning'll want to repeat just to prove that he can, slater is obviously gunning for #12. other than that, i don't think anyone else is *really* in the running, not seriously at least. jjf maybe, but i'm not convinced he's got the competitive mindset dialed in just yet. same for medina & nat young...they're just too young, too over-awed at competing against guys who they looked up to while coming up the ranks. oh, they'll get good results & maybe threaten the top 5, but i think it'll ultimately come down to experience & only the top 3 really have that...slater, fanning, & parko (but let's be honest...parko's won his 1 & only title).

 

Nothing beats the Parko middle finger mid-barrel to Kelly in the final. Hopefully they get some more epic barrels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atZiUvv02N4

 

Awesome finish

 

Julian Wilson for the title.

 

Poor sportsmanship IMO. I know some guys wish he would go away, but Slater keeps the bar nice and high while enhancing our viewing enjoyment. Dudes have no choice but to do their very best when Slade is in the comp and we get to watch the show.

What, no Julian Wilson for the title guys? How about Flores?

 

You snuck that in while I was writing my reply! Me first! I'm telling my mommy on you.

 

I lost weight my first 6 months married, but because I was in Iraq and their food sucks.

Great analysis NJ, Definitely agree title race is between Slater, Parko and Fanning as always with Jordy Smith having a shot depending on home situation. I would think he and his wife would be like alright we got the whole marriage thing done now lets win a title and get paid, its not like you can do it forever unless you're from the east coast of course. The way the points are you gotta be so consistent and well rounded and everybody else is just not up to that task. JJF is probably the most well rounded (and the future of the WCT) but he'll probably be skating bowls and doing 15 foot alley oops on his free time and miss an event with a sprained ankle. Im pulling for Nat Young cuz he's a gfoot and his backside hack is nasty, but theres a couple stops he hasn't dialed in yet. He'll finish top 10 overall.

I hope Owen Wright v Kelly Slater for world title in the final at PIPE, is that too much?

 

thanks, utah. i think & hope jjf learned his lesson last year; rumor was that he initially hurt his ankle skating on a lay day w/ greyson fletcher, then made it worse trying to land a massive air during an expression session. pretty much took him out of the running for the title. but he seems to just love to surf & skate, so that kind of thing may never stop...that's not a bad thing, but it's the one thing that could cause him to never win a title.

i don't think julian wilson & jeremy flores are consistent enough performers to challenge significantly for the title. wilson might be one day, he's still young, but flores never will, i think. his pipe masters win was a total fluke in kind of marginal conditions.

i'd also like to see the title come down to the final heat of pipe...winner of the event wins the title kind of thing. whether it's slater vs. wright or whomever, it'd make for epic viewing, esp. if the conditions are like they were this year!

 

That's not poor sportsmanship. Parko said he would have done the same exact thing if he was in Slater's position. There was no hard feelings. Just a funny moment.

I think Julian and Flores will always do good, but not consistent enough. They'll do great for 2 events then not so great for 2... You need to be at the top every event to win a title...

I do agree that Owen has a shot. He was a beast before he went down. Serious injury though.

 

I am guessing that a fire has been lit under Kelly's freak ass by Fanning, and he will rampage for another title. He is surfing at a super high level, and I think his head will be totally into it for the whole campaign. It would be awesome to see it come down to the last heat at Pipe, Kelly v. Mick grudge match.

 

there will be lots of titleholders after Kelly retires.id root for Jeremy flores,he rips.I don't think seabass is in this year,could be not sure..

I remember watchin live last year,the semis parko started off with a small double barrel that was worth an 8 but got a 10.the judges don't like giving it away to non aussies.Kelly got that crazy sand sucker barrel in the mid final and got a 9.7 which was clearly well past a 10pt ride,going by parkos standards.the judges love parko,I think parko is more relaxed and doesn't care since he won last year

 

I think jjf is just the same as dane Reynolds.they are some of the best in the world,but not smart competeters.they get on simply because they surf so good and deserve to be regardless of world rankings.I was bummed out when jjf got booted from the pipe pro after e geiselmen got the 2 best waves.seems jj wasn't in tune that day.jj is more than capable of winning world titles,aslong as the waves cooperate and doesn't get into a final with Kelly,parko,or mick

 

^^surfdog that would be awesome. I just like seeing the best in the finals with a little history thrown in to spice it up.

Flores is good tube rider but you got have that one power turn or big air for when it gets ****ty. I don't endorse Julian Wilson, sometimes it's like he's not even trying.

I don't think it was poor sportsmanship either, just frustration cause it was about to be a historic tube ride and he knew it had to be done. He would have done the same. Id flip off my mom if she dropped in on me while I was gettin shacked!

NJ42, when JJF makes winning titles a priority, he'll be unstoppable. He's young though, so it's cool he's just having fun.

 

100% agree. he IS the future of competitive surfing, whenever he chooses to take up that mantle.