There isn’t a single surfer who can touch Filipe Toledo’s air game at the moment. Photo: WSL
I’ve never been shy of criticizing the WSL. Many of us aren’t, yet we’re still caught rubber necking at the wonderful car crash that is every webcast. I know that we all enjoy a little schadenfreude, but if it’s so truly awful, why do we continue to watch it? All we seem to do is complain about judging calls, lay days, claiming, commentary gaffes, and all the rest. Personally, I like to sit with a pen and paper at the ready, notching up Martin Potter’s blunders, despite my fiancé constantly telling me that “it’s a shame for him.” (I’m not really clear on what she means by this. I think she must think he has learning difficulties and is filling some kind of equal opportunities employment quota, which may well be the case). But as fun as it is to tear the presentation of professional surfing to shreds, our motivation to watch is rooted in the fact that we are seeing the best surfers in the world, bar none.
Say what you like about Dane Reynolds, Noa Deane, Craig Anderson, Matt Meola, or any other professional “free surfer”—the guys in the WSL will smoke them any time, in any context. In my mind, the best surfing in the world is definitely happening on the World Tour.
Consider this mega boost from everyone’s favorite Brazilian villain. It’s as good as any we’ve ever seen, in competition or otherwise.
Taste the fevered anticipation for JJF’s forthcoming View From a Blue Moon. It’s perhaps the most anticipated surf movie of all time. The surfing won’t be from heats, admittedly, but that’s missing the point. He is a WSL surfer first and foremost, and a future world champion if there is any justice in this world.
Take note of this man-punt from stumpy genius Italo Ferreira in the recent final in Portugal. It’s worth bearing in mind that virtually no one knew who Italo was before his blinding introduction to this year’s tour. He may have the physique of a baked potato and look like he’s got the fucking mumps in his WSL profile pic, but I’m delighted that competitive surfing has introduced him to the world.
I’m not even going to insult you by linking to any of Filipe Toledo’s aerial surfing. If you don’t recognize him as the best above-the-lip surfer we’ve ever seen then I’d love to hear who’s better. The wonderful little Brazilian bird flies higher and sees farther than any other surfer in the world, and that’s a fact.
I don’t believe that there are any so-called “professional free surfers” (a term which really puts the “moron” in oxymoron) on the same level as the majority of the guys on tour. I see clips of surfers not on the competitive circuit from time to time which catch my attention, but how do you know that what you’re seeing isn’t just rose-tinted editing, or the product of weeks of shots to capture one single make?
It makes sense that the best surfing happens in the heat of the moment, and it makes sense that the competitive arena attracts the most talented surfers. It’s no secret that those who reach the highest echelons of any sporting achievement do so because of their focus and drive, as opposed to their raw talent. Of course, talent helps, but it’s a relatively minor part of what makes athletes succeed. I don’t doubt that there are hundreds of surfers with the potential to be the greatest, but this potential will never be realized by sitting around on your ass smoking ciggies, looking cool, and making occasional web edits.
Apart from anything else, the athletes in the WSL are so far removed from other surfers (in terms of their preparation and approach to competition) that they’re almost a different species. Modern methodology in relation to training and diets have allowed competitors to reach unprecedented levels of physical and mental fitness. Top WSL competitors are tuned to produce high performance surfing on a consistent basis. Add this mix to an ultra competitive nature and the poise to perform the most critical maneuvers in the most unlikely situations, and it’s no wonder that they’re producing the best surfing ever seen. The best surfing in the world happens in the WSL and it’s not even much of an argument.
