I went down to Bells Beach for the finals of the surfing. I haven't seen the comp there for years so I was pretty excited. Bells is rarely as good throughout the year as it is at Easter so it's good to see the world's best on great waves.
At the start of each year I take a slightly less than random guess about who will win the world title. I had about 4 years in a row where my pick came 2nd. So I've changed my annual guess to the runner-up for the world title.
Taj Burrow will be the best surfer ever to have never won a world championship. I said that about 6 years ago and I still stand by it. For years he was content to just 'get stoked' and surf with the kids but he missed his window- not through being too old, just through a change in judging criteria. If they judged aerial manouvers in 2001 the way they do now he would have already won a title or two. But surfing being surfing, they lacked progression. They're starting to catch up now but the kids learned from Taj and now they're leading the way. Taj is also the lucky recipient of my annual runner-up pick.
Unfortunately for him, the only recent photo I have is one of him in a state of anger after losing the semi-final yesterday (he was unlucky).
I'd love to see him win but he needs to be so focussed for the whole year and I've never seen him do that before. He's travelling with his trainer, Johnny Gannon, who I think is great and will get the most out of Taj but I don;t know if it's enough.
I've been a big fan of Jordy Smith's surfing for years and I think he's not far off taking the win, but a kid I had never seen surf until last week, Filippe Toledo, blew me away. He's only 19 so give it time but he's already so progressive it will be fun to watch him develop over the years.
Jordy Smith and Filippe Toledo.
My ideal top 3 for 2013 would include Jordy Smith, Taj Burrow and Mick Fanning but it's a long year...
On Friday I saw the premiere of the new Ross Clarke Jones movie. I might be a bit biased because I've always loved RCJ but that was incredible.
I guess it was as expected. Red Bull Media House do their usual 'throw a heap of money at it and make an awesome vid' but I was surprised about two things. Firstly, it was all in Australia. I guess that leaves it open for a sequel and then a Home Alone style repeat but Australia is not renowned for having many big wave spots.
Secondly, I found the story to focus more on Tommy Carroll losing his confidence. He has always talked a big game but in this movie he talked up why he wasn't charging as hard as he could. Turning 50 and having kids was his story but this discussion went on for too long. It seemed as though the majority of the movie was spent justifying why Tommy wasn't surfing. Boring. You could pick anyone but about 30 guys off the street anywhere around the world and they could tell you why they are not going to surf that 60ft wave. I bought my ticket to see the guys who DID surf the wave. Bring back Tony Ray, I say.
Regardless, the movie was incredible and made even better in 3D. I actually think that even those who are not into surfing would enjoy it, too. The idea of chasing something that ridiculous will draw people in but the character of Ross Clarke Jones makes the film.
The surfing at Bells Beach starts next week so it's time to unleash what, historically, has been my tip for world number one yet has without fail become "who will be world number two" for the 2011 season. As a Victorian the first event of the year in Queensland doesn't count. The original reasons for that opinion have long since faded but when it comes to surfing it takes me a long time to come around. I'm a surfing traditionalist in many ways. In part I used Snapper as a 'pre-season' test to see who is surfing well and who looks both happy with where they are but also is hungry and focused for the win.
In early 2008 I saw such a fire in Bede Durbidge's eyes so I picked him for the world title. I later found out that hunger was valid after he was left without a sponsor at the end of 2007 and re-mortgaged his house to go on tour. He finished 2nd the following year and that is still one of the most inspiring displays of determination I've ever seen in any sport.
In 2009 I was able to set my jealousy of his perfect life aside to stop degrading Joel Parkinson for being the best surfer to never win the world title, and pick him for the win. After a run-away lead in the first half of the year he was the hunted and was eventually taken down by his best friend Mick Fanning in the 2nd last event of the year and finished 2nd overall.
Last year I took a gamble on a relative newcomer, Jordie Smith, because he looked so content with where he was but had a subtle confidence that he wasn't yet at his best. The video he finished up just before the start of the 2010 season was one of the best I've seen. He finished 2010 in second place.
They suggest the definition of insanity is to repeat the same process over and over again yet to expect a different outcome. So from here on, my annual post-Snapper/ pre-Bells surfing world title call is a prediction for 2nd place!
Surfing has changed a lot in the past year. The ranking system has left the surfers more confused than a Japanese seismologist and the surfing magazines busier than a Brisbane mop shop. Despite having read the ASP rulebook a few times I also struggle with what the hell they are trying to do. One change that I am quite excited about, however, is the gentle nudge/ suggestion/ downright sacking of the head judge, Perry Hatchett last year. In my opinion surfing has the ability to be the most progressive sport in the world but that starts with judges rewarding progressive moves. Here is where my contradictions begin... I said earlier I may be a surfing traditionalist. If that is so, why would I want progressive manoeuvres? I'll put this into dot point for you, otherwise tangents are likely: -The governing body for surfing is lost. They are planning events in places that are not the best waves in the world, so they are usually sloppy and small; -Traditional competition surfing rewards good wave selection and good use of the wave face. At a bad location there are no good waves and very little face; -If they are going to 'judge' based on crap waves then they need to allow the surfers free creativity and reward aerial and fakie (excuse the skate terminology, the surfers haven't named it yet...) manoeuvres more so than they have in the past. Getting rid of Perry Hatchett was the first step in competition surfing being able to judge creative, progressive surfing better. "If I cross my arms it means you're fired."
So, with that in mind, I feel that the surfer who will benefit most from that change this year is Taj Burrow. He must have been on tour for 14 or so years and has probably racked up more 3rds than anyone in history. I hesitate to suggest that I pick Taj to win the surfing world title in 2011 but in the name of insanity- and tradition- I think he will. I also have to throw in a special mention for Julian Wilson. I love the kid; down to earth, switched on, a sponsor's dream, and he surfs like demon. Very progressive in his moves too. His Sushi Roll (he created it, so he can name it...) is a fine example of why he will be multiple world champion by the time he retires.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the Bells Beach surf comp. This Easter competition out dates the industry itself. The simple idea that this has been going on for 50 years blows me away. The Rip Curl website has some interesting (although all too brief) videos detailing each decade the comp has been running. During the inevitable lay days I'd like to see the following competitions run (in the name of tradition of course): -1960's comp: where nobody can wear a wetsuit because they weren't invented yet; -1980's comp: a handicap competition where those with big single fin boards get a points advantage over those with thrusters, to replicate the development of surfboards; -The MP hide-and-seek comp: to honour one of the best surfers of the 1970's who, it turned out, suffered from drug induced schizophrenia and used to hide in the bushes at Bells; -a car park doughey comp: if you've ever been to Bells Beach and never chucked a donut in the car park... well... that's not possible.
The waiting period at Bells is magic. If you arrive there early in the morning you can feel an excited energy. It's late autumn, it's cold, it's slightly windy, it's noisy yet strangely peaceful. You can hear the anxious chatter from many people in the darkness and expect that you're on an edge where not even the birds feel comfortable. It seems to me to be a place where even those on the top of their game know they need to up their concentration. And then they pump "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC through the loud speakers and it becomes surfers against nature.
Finally, I'd like to bring a few statistics into the discussion. Bells has been running for 50 years. Since it became a professional competition in 1973, the most wins is 4, shared by Mark Richards and Kelly Slater. The only wildcard to win it (to my knowledge) is Mick Fanning in 2001- but Adam Robertson got to the final last year after progressing all the way through the trials. The first time I remember taking note of this beautiful event was in 1993 when Damien Hardman won it and in watching it every year since, still my favourite year was when Matt Hoy won in 1997 and the Screaming Jets (fellow Novacastrians) flew down to play a celebration gig in the car park.
In the 1992 movie Point Break, the greatest movie OF ALL TIME, the concept of the '50 year storm' is introduced. Apparently this is a once in a lifetime wave, and Bodie is gonna be there. Roach 'ain't gonna see 30'. And we all discover that 'it's not tragic to die doing what you love'. As this is the 50th year of competition surfing at Bells Beach I expect it to be a corker.
The Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach runs from 19th April until 30th April. http://live.ripcurl.com
I didn't like Andy Irons much. I thought he was a sore loser, too highly strung and too full of himself. And I wasn't alone in holding that opinion. But nobody would dare deny that he was an incredibly driven athlete and a fantastic surfer. He continued to drive the change in competition surfing that was started by Kelly Slater years before.
I still think that the most intense comp I remember taking notice of was Pipe in 2005(?). The world title had come down to the last event of the season and A.I. beat Slater to win his 3rd world title in a row. I think he also won one of his 4 triple crowns that year too. But it wasn't 3 worlds in a row or 4 triple crowns where Andy inspired, it was in the way he never backed down and whenever he wanted something he did whatever was needed to get it.
Some of the steepest, heaviest waves in the world caused the greatest to sit back and evaluate the situation but it seemed as though Andy was always at the front of the line, hanging to drop into something big. I could count on one hand those talented and loco enough to do that day in- day out. So it's very grounding to see someone so in tune with big risks go down to something as simple as a mosquito borne virus. I looked at Andy as someone almost unbreakable so something like this makes you re-assess mortality. A sombre experience.
