Dane is back. Sort of. Again! Photo: WSL
The people want Dane Reynolds. They want his balls to the wall, make it or break it, throw caution to the wind, safety be damned type of surfing. They don’t want three to the beach. They don’t want surfing that wins contests in the long run. They want surfing that will win right now, or lose in spectacular fashion. They want tens or wipeouts. Give me a ten, or give me a crushing defeat!
That’s why the powers that be have given Dane Reynolds a wildcard into the J-Bay event. And the people rejoice! Well, some of the people. The guys that slug it out on the ‘QS, paying for their flights and eating dirt for a shot at the big show are probably not rejoicing. I’d imagine some of them are a little bitter. But the people want Dane Reynolds!
“[Dane’s] incredible talent, ability to lift the event’s performance level and recent surfing in Fiji as reasons for his selection,” said Kieren Perrow, the WSL Commissioner/scapegoat when the waves are shitty. After Dane’s Fiji performance, where he was awarded the wildcard as well, he now sits in 34th in the rankings. Because of a recent rule change that lets wildcards keep their Championship Tour points, Dane’s looking at a shot at joining the elite on the tour… if he wants to, which he probably doesn’t. Thirty-fourth is pretty damn good for a guy that doesn’t actually surf contests. But hey, Dane’s got a hungry baby to feed now, right? And we’re hungry for tens or nothing!
