The Only One MP Classic Cutback Competition brought a lot of people out of the woodwork,” Simon “Shagga” Safigna tells The Inertia. “I had filmers and surfers fired up to get back into surfing, and filmers who had trawled through their archives that had been gathering dust for years.”
That online competition to find the best cutback was won by Kelly Slater, with his immediately iconic Kirra cutback filmed by Dan Scott early this year. The comp was a huge success, with new and archived entries kickstarting conversations below the line, often by some of the best surfers on the planet and legends of the sport.
Seeing the interest, Shagga has launched another competition on Instagram called the Cooly Kids Classic Keg Comp. There’s a clue in the title; this time it’s all based on barrels. He’s enlisted an elite judging panel of Parko, Dingo, Occy, Bruce Irons, and Colleen Deane (the mother of Noa and wife of Wayne) and drummed up a heap of travel and cash prizes.
“It’s just easier to say yes to him, otherwise he is a dog with a bone,” laughed his mate, tube supremo and judge Dingo Morrison. “I was skeptical about the cutty comp, but that was epic. So it was easy to get on board with this one. And who doesn’t want to see surfers getting kegged off their nut?”
Shagga however wanted this version to have a fresh feel. While the cutback comp entries could come from any era (and there was footage submitted dating back to the 1970s), entries for this have to be filmed anywhere in the world between January 1 and March 31, 2025. There are male and female divisions in each of the categories of Groms (10 and under), Juniors (16 and under), Opens and Masters (45 and over).
“I was thinking what do I most love about surfing? And that was traveling with your friends or family and getting barreled on surf trips,” Shagga said. “And with social media, you see all these amazing waves and barrels from all over the world. And everyone’s got cameras, and so everyone’s documenting it. All I want to do is try to get everyone frothing on adventure and travel and sharing their kegs.”
He remembers as a kid going thirds on a camera with a bunch of school mates and being the one who most liked to capture the stoke from the beach. That his best buddies were Mick, Joel and Dingo, he says, was just a fluke. He’s ended up filming most of their careers and is hoping this competition can also spark that creativity and collaboration that comes with documenting surf trips with your mates.
“It’s fucking basic, really,” concludes Shagga. “The vibe is to get your friends and get barreled and focus on surf missions and hunting swells. Plus there’s some really sick prizes and cash. I can’t wait to see what comes in.”
The rules are as follows:
–Get barreled and get it filmed.
–Post your best barrel video on Instagram.
–Tag @CoolyKids.surf
–WIN epic prizes, including a $5,000 giveaway, surf trips, travel gear and more.
Entry Period: January 1 – March 31, 2025.
Entries must be filmed during these three months, and you can submit as many barrels as you want – every barrel is another chance to WIN!
