Colapinto wins the WSL stage of the Surf Ranch – 02/06/2023 – Na Pinta do Surfe

The only stage in a wave pool on the entire professional surfing circuit had everything to be one of the best stages of all time, but ended up being overshadowed by the judging criteria.

I would like to discuss in this text how the championship was in the most perfect wave pool that exists, it would be nice to talk about the victories of Griffin Colapinto and Carissa “Le” Moore, but the fact is that after some very strange notes it became impossible not to think about what criterion was used.

This time it wasn’t a wave that raised questions, there were several and always involving Brazilians.

Discontent is not new, but this time it reached another level of discussion.

I reflected a lot on what happened and read many comments from surfers, journalists, sponsors and other people involved in this sport that we love so much.

But to see the WSL take a position that there were no mistakes, that it will continue to judge in this way and threaten to punish the dissatisfied, is inelegant to say the least.

In order not to be unfair, I want to say that the WSL made numerous modifications and that most of them were right, made the brand stronger, started to award girls with the same prize as boys, made successes and valid attempts, but the judgment criterion is really still good below what is expected from the entity that takes care of the sport we love the most. This moves all surfers in general.

Changing the championship format with the so famous Finals, we can understand, the big American sports have this system. I particularly prefer the running stitch system and I also don’t sympathize with the cut system and other changes, but so far these are opinions and everyone has their own and that’s okay.

The judgment criteria needs to be impeccable.

Surfing involves a great deal of subjectivity that can lead to discussions, but this time it was very different. It was different because it was in a pool that reproduces identical waves and that doesn’t have room for arguments like in the sea. Are the cameras well positioned, by the way why are there cameras that only the judges can see and analyze?

I didn’t like the note issued by the WSL CEO saying that it was some athletes who complained. Surfers from all over the world were outraged, including journalists and professionals who studied and dedicated a lot to perform their duties with mastery.

I’ve always seen more positives than negatives in the WSL, I’ve always found the work very professional, but this time, they were extremely amateur in messing with the main element, the surfers.

They’re the ones who put on the show, they’re the ones who smash themselves trying to innovate, they’re the ones who take risks in the waves and try to do the best job possible.

This is not the time for the WSL to plug its ears and close its eyes. Things are happening and this has been messing with people. The dissatisfaction for one note or another has to be from the fans who, always in the heat of cheering for their favorite surfer, sometimes think it was unfair. This has always happened and will continue to happen.

What no longer has room is for so many professionals linked to the sport to disagree on a topic and there is not even a meeting or a conversation in the sense of understanding all sides.

Wanting to silence Brazilians with threats of punishment only adds fuel to the fire and inflames everyone who is watching this show. Everything that happened has nothing to do with professional surfers from other countries, they are working and doing their best and ended up also exposing themselves because of the events.

Let’s see what the next stage will be like in El Salvador from the 9th to the 18th of June. I hope that everything that happened serves to improve competition surfing and that the WSL sees that it is just the entity that today controls the world surfing circuit and that the main people responsible for the show are the surfers and the entire world surfing community that follows this exciting sport.

Finally, I wish that the ALOHA spirit is present in all hearts.

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