In many ways, Margaret River has filled the qualification space that Pipe used to occupy before it was roughly bisected from the season end. Now, the oft-maligned mid-season cut looms large at then end of the Margaret River Pro, dominating the thoughts of surfers and column inches of ‘journalists’ in this, the new tour normal. … Read more
No man is an island,Entire of itself.Each is a piece of the continent,A part of the main.If a clod be washed away by the sea,Europe is the less.As well as if a promontory were.As well as if a manor of thine ownOr of thine friend’s were.Each man’s death diminishes me,For I am involved in mankind.Therefore, … Read more
Welcome back! Putting aside the fact that starting a season at Pipe still feels like beginning a multi-course meal with dessert, there’s a lot to be excited about this season: the promise of a healthy Medina and Florence going head-to-head for the season (and their R1 heat), Olympic qualification, precocious juniors finally converting their talent … Read more
Hawai’i was really something, wasn’t it? Take another quick look at the current tour rankings, and you’ll see that 2022 is far from ‘business as usual’. Unpredictability is exciting, undoubtedly, but it makes choosing a fantasy team that little bit harder. It looks like calculated risks are the way in 2022. We’ve barely got time … Read more
It’s a quick turn-around from the Pipe hyperbole, up the Kamehameha Hwy, and on to the Hurley Sunset Pro. There’s ironically no time to waste on needless intros; let’s do this. Conditions Sunset has been promoted from QS/Triple Crown staple, back to CT jewel. We haven’t seen it on the CT tour since it was … Read more
Margies Congratulations Filipe earned his first win since Rio 2019 and cemented his spot in the current top 5. Tatiana scored her 2nd CT victory (matching Samantha Cornish*) and raced to second place in the rankings. Meanwhile, the big news was FSS champ Crow, who also scored his second victory and raced to 2nd on … Read more
I don’t know about all of you, but I’m low-key psyched for Narrabeen. I know how consistent it is and I’ve surfed it a bunch, so I’m keen to see the pros amongst it. We’ve all blown the cobwebs off our fantasy teams (read: I kind of sucked at Newcastle) and now it’s time to … Read more
With J-Bay a distant memory, and the putrid taste of Huntington still souring our collective mouths, it’s pretty easy to get excited about Teahupo’o. It will be interesting to see how the tour elite handle going left, especially when it’s double-overhead and 1′ deep. Traditionally, Tahiti is where the world title picture starts coming into … Read more
How are you travelling at the all-but-halfway point in the season? Fantasy wise, that is. I don’t mean that hollow sensation growing deep within your soul that reminds you that you’re nearly 40 and still dedicating far too much time to fantasy sports. No? Just me? Anyway, how is your team looking? Were you riding … Read more
Trainspotters may have noticed that I didn’t manage to throw up a post-Bells wrap. I owe all 16 of my regular readers an apology; I just got snowed under and let it slip. I hope my abbreviated version below will suffice (to those uninterested on my Bells musings, just scroll a little down the page … Read more