Jesse Pollock stands tall on a very average Ours wave. Photo: Red Bull
Amid weeks of seemingly endless rain, last Sunday the skies over Sydney cleared up and a small number of wave-riders entered the water at an “unknown” surf spot for Redbull’s Cape Fear competition. The contest managed to definitively prove that a 6-month hype-up is a damn hard act to follow when you’re a day (or a couple of months) late for a big wave event.
I went down to the cape in question the day before the event, and although there was more than enough cloudy sky and rain, the waves were a far-cry away from the lully and inconsistent 4-5 foot that was broadcasted around the world the next day.
Just months ago on the eve of a couple of days of big swell, contest organizer Mark Matthews announced they were going to wait for the right conditions. “We want Cape Fear, not cape fun,” he said. Saying this a time during of 10 foot plus of swell, fans were pretty amped to see the conditions that they would call the competition in.
Yet last weekend the contest (and the rest of the world who tuned into the live stream) got waves that seemed as though your best mate who watches more footy than he does surfing could have had a head-dip in. For those who saw the conditions the day before, there was an obvious unanswered question.
Some will say it was too soon after the Teahupoo competition, and too, the swell in Cali, for all the riders to be there. And of course, contractual obligations and time to relax with family and friends are a tough thing to juggle for the athletes.
However, the more cynical of you may suggest broadcasting a day early on the Saturday instead of Sunday might cut out a large chunk of the viewing public that Redbull was banking on in the US. Streaming on a Friday afternoon rather than a weekend.
Competitions in the surfing world have always come under scrutiny from the punters, with arguments of subjectivity and intricacies of judging igniting fires that are still burning on surfing forums. My only gripe is that Redbull’s attempt of a big-wave surfing event may have been compromised from the executive level with interests placed in pushing up the online viewership over holding the competition in ideal conditions. Was it Mark Matthews or Hippo’s call to hold the comp? Or was it the guy with the check book on the 53rd floor of Redbull HQ? I gripe only because I don’t want us to reach the point where people in suits instead of wetsuits are the ones calling future events. Redbull has done an immense amount for extreme sports, but maybe the complexities of surfing’s dynamic nature are something that may not fit into the energy drinks’ business plan.
