If you searched the list of participants in the 2014 Pipeline Invitational, you found one name conspicuously absent: Bruce Irons. Photo: Justin Jay
Every so often a professional athlete uses resources available to him to say something he truly believes – regardless (and perhaps in spite) of the public’s reception. No make up. No rehearsed, on-brand messaging. Just a glimmer of unfiltered light into the ever-crumbling wall that divides public from private in celebrity life. And not just trite filler like an artsy looking pumpkin-spiced latte. We’re talking candor. And a few days ago, via Instagram, Bruce Irons wore his heart on his sleeve, because if you searched the list of participants in the 2014 Pipeline Invitational, you found one name deafeningly absent: Bruce Irons.
For a contest held “In Loving Memory of Andy Irons” many might presume Bruce would top the list of invitees. After all, only a handful of living relics from Andy’s life still exist that can make a direct impact on surfing – much less the Pipeline Masters. And Bruce Irons is certainly one of them. Arguably the biggest one. In 2001, Bruce Irons defeated Kelly Slater to win the Billabong Pipe Masters as a 21-year-old. In 2004, Bruce won the coveted Eddie and placed fourth at Pipe, which catapulted him from the deep end of the WQS Ratings to re-qualify for the World Tour.
Unequivocally, Bruce Irons is a credentialed threat at Pipe.
And you could forgive him for thinking he’s entitled to a spot – or at least a shot at competing in the trials, which for the first time offered a $100K prize purse and two opportunities for 32 local surfers (only Jack Robinson hailed from elsewhere*) to compete in the big show. These spots were reserved for a combination of the top 16 finishers at the Volcom Pipe Pro, the top five ranked Hawaiian surfers after the World Cup of Surfing at Sunset, the top five Hawaiians of the Regional Hawaiian Tour after Sunset, and six sponsor-chosen wildcards (4 for Billabong, 2 for Vans).
So a clear criteria exists. Bruce was just willfully omitted after failing to qualify via competition. In response, Bruce posted the following on his Instagram account (which was confirmed to be authentic by a source close to him) before deleting it for reasons unknown shortly after:
It’s hard to deny his point. It landed with a thud. From the heart.
And it’s important to acknowledge the ASP and event sponsors developed a clear protocol to address the Pipeline Invitational selection process (as they must) – as well as the fact that Bruce had the power to qualify on those terms. Leaving nothing to chance with a wildcard selection. But, getting mired in the details of the selection process is a useless distraction. That encourages us to to ignore the cold, icy chill of what just happened.
What better honor could you bestow upon your brother’s legacy than winning the world’s most prestigious surfing event in his name? Could Billabong – or professional surfing more generally – do better by Andy Irons’ legacy than to invite Bruce to compete? Clearly, Billabong has priorities outside of the Irons family – grooming new talents like Jack Robinson chief amongst them. But when you dedicate a contest this prestigious to the memory of a man whose brother is a proven Pipe Master, there’s an understandable obligation to get him in the ring.
Granted, at some point there will come a time when Bruce can no longer physically compete with the world’s best at Pipe. Age and time happen. To everyone. But, at 35, has that time already come for Bruce? Given the fact that he was charging Pipe after the contest was called off due to the giant, unwieldy surf on Saturday, it seems premature. And devastatingly cold.
I’d argue, however, that far worse, is any pressure that may have been placed upon Bruce to censor himself. Those are his thoughts. They’re real. And while we can debate whether he’s entitled an invitation to compete at Pipe Masters, we cannot debate that he’s entitled to say what he feels using every resource at his disposal. To exclude him from the contest dedicated to his brother’s memory is enough of an irreversible insult. Insisting that he not speak his mind about it – if that’s indeed what happened and it wasn’t a genuine change of heart – is, to dumb it down a bit, totally fucked.
Regulations. Protocol. Process. I get those things. I respect them and their efficacy when they’re sound.
But dedicating Pipeline Masters to Andy and excluding Bruce?
It just feels wrong.
Just a few hours after Pipe was called off due to giant unwieldy surf, Bruce pulled into several bombs – a clear standout of the session. Photo: @betetmerta
*Correction Appended: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that 2014 Pipeline Invitational competitor Kaito Kino is not from Hawaii. Kino is, in fact, from Hawaii.
