If there’s any goofy-footer that can win at J-Bay, Owen Wright’s the guy. Photo: Chris Bond
Since the 2010 Hurley Pro Trestles, the ASP (now WSL) world tour has adopted an 8 round (including the finals) competition format with two non-elimination rounds in round one and round four. The new format, though very fair, has proven to be a long and tedious ordeal stretched over lay-days on end, and is not only hard to watch but also disappointing. I recently read an article where this problem was addressed, suggesting the World Surf League cut its roster from 34 surfers to just 12.
Although a shorter list of surfers does promise a more exciting (and much shorter) competition format, I believe it eliminates much of the fun and satisfaction of professional surfing from the experience of both spectators and athletes. Every year, hundreds of surfers battle through star and prime events to try and win a ticket to the world tour. A field of 12 elite surfers will make this effort almost impossible, and to my opinion will lead to having the same surfers on tour for years before their ability diminishes or they decide to retire, or both. Just think about the lengthy careers of Kelly, Mick, Parko and the Hobgood brothers (to name a few) and look at how dominant the current world top 12 is right now, it’s hard to imagine a lot of wiggle room in the roster for at least a few years. This leads to a major problem for aspiring pros, with big money and fame of world tour recognition out of reach to a wide field of amazing surfers. It’s also hard to believe this system will succeed in eliminating the boredom factor from competition, in a 12 man scenario the title race will probably still rotate among the same three or four guys every year. So what are more surfers on tour good for? I for one don’t expect Matt Wilkinson to win the silverware any time soon (sorry Wilko) but I love these guys! The aerial guys, the power surfing guys, the guys that have that special edge on a certain spot that makes them suddenly dangerous and interesting to watch. Who wants to watch a dozen Slaters battling it out in their own private club anyway?
The WSL must come up with a new and exciting format that will speed up competition and not waste good surf, while keeping hope and diversity alive in the world tour. To do this, It’s time to eliminate round 2. Let’s be honest, it’s a boring round where we watch the same surfers from round 1 surf against each other again and, it’s 12 heats long(!) which usually means it takes up a whole day of surfing. The larger problem is that Round 2 also makes Round 1 a sleepy event to watch: Top seeded surfers will either glide through to Round 3 or surf indifferently, knowing they have a chance to wake up and improve in Round 2. Sometimes surfers will skip Round 1 altogether, disrespecting their fellow competitors and their fans. The solution is to make round 1 an elimination round with a three man format, based on these rules: In Round 1 the surfers in 1st and 2nd position will advance to the next elimination round (currently Round 3) the surfer in the 3rd position will be eliminated, with a score of equal 25th.
But what about big upsets? Do we really want to see one of the top five eliminated in the first round? My answer is yes. If a top seeded surfer cannot make it to at least second place in Round 1 he might as well pack up. This should get the fire burning under the competitors feet right from the beginning with greater risks and rewards for surfers doing well in the first round. The outcome will be a shorter, leaner format, with surfers fighting for their lives from the get go. This format puts surfers and viewers in full competition mode from the first horn, instead of the slow crawling through round 2 to the excitement of the finals. There is also a little added bonus, today Rounds 1+2 and 4+5 are identical in format (though they differ in the number of heats) a change in Round 1 will add excitement by allowing two different types of ‘life savers’: With Round 1 offering a best two out of three system and Round 4 having a non-elimination system to help surfers advance.
The WSL still has a long way to go if they want to reach greater crowds, they need to find a balance between the action packed, time framed media events of other professional sport and the active and opinionated niche webcast crowd that has supported them along the years. Making competitions one round shorter is not yet the money magnet WSL is looking for, but it could be a step in the right direction.
