Courtesy of corona, the athletic world has grinded to a complete stop. Without the relentless shoving of professional sports down our throats, many of us have been left out to dry, scavenging for ways to fill in the time, reminding ourselves how bad we really are at small talk without the crutch of last night’s game or tomorrow’s matchup. And as much as it pains me to refer to the World Surf League as a professional athletic organization, thus categorizing cultural icons like Italo Fierra, John John Florence, and Jordy Smith as professional athletes, by definition, that is exactly what the WSL is. And like other professional athletic organizations, the 2020 “season” has been delayed indefinitely.
As fans, viewers, and lovers of the game (game of surfing? Weird.), the halting of the World Tour is understandably frustrating. No more cyclone Snapper, no more John John wraps at Margret River, no more Rio Pro (nobody misses this (just kidding (kinda))). The current status of the WSL is unknown, the next update coming in on June 1st. However, as is the case with other sports, the WSL is taking this downtime, and perhaps a time when nobody is paying attention, to make some drastic changes.
The most notable of these changes is the “End of Season Surf Off.” Apparently inspired by the storybook-ending of the 2019 season, where Italo Fierra and Gabe Medina went blow for blow in a winner-takes-all showdown in the finals of the Pipe Masters. According to the WSL, this was “the largest, most consumed heat in the history of surfing.” And of course they want to replicate this, year after year after year. Because more viewership means more dollar bills and the WSL, struggling for strands of athletic legitimacy, cares more about dollar bills than just about anything else.
Essentially, the end-of-season ranking will be the seeding for the Surf Off, with the possibility of the #1 seed (and maybe #2 seed) receiving a first round buy. This way, regardless of point differential, the world title will be determined by one last heat. To be honest, I like this idea. Actually, I really like this idea. A playoff style ending to the season would be epic to watch. The excitement of the unknown… the opportunity for an upset… Who’s clutch? Who would crack? It would surely add some magic.
Far too often world titles are won in the (few, but inevitable) below-par days of competition scattered across the dream tour. And I understand the idea that to be a world champ, you need to have success in all lineups, regardless of quality. But this new format will not take away from the diverse day-to-day surf conditions, but rather relieve surfers of pressure to squeeze results from shitty waves. Hopefully, allowing them to take more risks as each contest will no longer be life or death, thus elevating surfing at an even quicker rate, and making those small onshore sessions more bearable to watch (not that Martin Potter’s endless stream of consciousness wasn’t already good enough).
The next adjustment to the world tour is something I’m far less stoked about, the implementation of “The Challenger Series.” I’ll be the first to admit, the name is pretty badass. The Challenger Series. Nice. From what I’m reading, The Challenger Series is a pre-season, mini series where pros who have recently dropped off of the world tour compete against the highest ranking Qualifying Series (QS) members for a spot back on the tour. Prior to this, surfers who fall off the tour must spend the following year competing on the QS in hopes to qualify for the World Tour the year after that. Thus having, at a bare minimum, a one-year hiatus from the tour.
The Challenger Series is simply an opportunity for the worst surfers on tour to stay on tour. And the only people who benefit from this are the surfers that have fallen off. As viewers, we don’t want those surfers back. Besides a few local legend edge cases (see Sebastian Zeitz), the surfers who fall off the tour do so for a reason, primarily because they simply aren’t exciting to watch.
This Challenger Series will only restrict the amount of up-and-coming rookies to join the main stage. By giving mediocre pros another chance, we may very well lose the young, jaw-dropping Griffin Colapintos, Seth Monizes, and Jack Robinsons of the world tour. And for what? To watch the same people, who lose in the first few rounds regardless, continue to do backside snap after backside snap into oblivion? If the proposed surf off is a step forwards for the WSL, this is unquestionably two steps back.
This last modification announced by the WSL is less flashy and arguably less impactful to the everyday consumer of surf culture. However, to the actual QS grinders, fighting for their dream spot on the dream tour, this change could be life changing. The WSL is reconstructing the QS by developing regional and domestic tours for amateur surfers.
Traditionally, the QS is known for being a grueling, emotionally intensive money sink, where the top 150 amateur surfers travel the globe year round, competing in objectively horrible waves (with very few exceptions). From this, around ten (give or take) qualify for The World Tour.
By breaking down the once-world-wide QS into regional and domestic tours, the WSL will drastically reduce the economic burden placed on the shoulders of rising surfers. Qualifying will no longer hinge on one’s ability to afford ten roundtrip plane tickets a year. The playing field will be leveled (slightly), possibly opening the door for surfers who may otherwise be unable to even afford to try. And I believe that without the financial question marks, the abilities of young surfers will only be emphasized. This restructuring is smart, it’s compassionate, and it is ultimately good for surfing.
It’s still early in the year, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss watching the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast all day at work. Along with a long list of flaws, the WSL has always been there to televise and showcase the best surfers in the world at some of the best spots in the world. It’s crucial for a “sport” like televised surfing to continue to be fluid and dynamic in order to keep that same spark it has fought so desperately to light in the first place. While I may not agree with all of the changes, I do believe that the WSL is smart to use this down time to rethink competitive surfing.
BAMBOOBLISTER 
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