Kelly Slater discusses the infamous 4.17 score for Kelly’s air. Remember this conundrum? Let’s gear up for more. Photo: Youtube/WSL
It’s that time of year again. The flowers are blooming the birds and the bees are doing their thing while the waves in the southern hemisphere are pumping. Spring is finally here for the northern hemi folks and sleepy WSL fans are coming out of their winter slumber to a new season of surfing.
And though the WSL has lost some unneeded sponsorship weight during the winter, it still carries around an old and maybe fatal problem. It’s time to hear gripes from surf fans, and soon, groans of replacing the WSL judges.
Sorry, replacing who?
We’re one event into the season and already Mr. Owen Wright is wearing the yellow jersey. How completely moving and emotional. But like backwash ruining a perfect Snapper take off, the dreamy season start is tainted once more by a murky stream of questionable judging decisions. That familiar bad taste of questionable wave scoring is something some fans and competitors are no longer willing to swallow.
Name one WSL judge who isn’t Richie Porta. If you’re not surfing the tour or part of the WSL team, I bet you can’t accept that challenge. The all-knowing council of speed, power and flow remains unnamed during WSL events, as on the WSL website or anywhere else on the interweb. This weird phenomena is unique to the sport of surfing. There is no other sport where judges are not only anonymous but downright secret. Even the CT’s stepsister, the Big Wave World Tour, drop names of the past legends who judge big wave events.
Richie Porta @WorldSleepLeague
“Judges need to be free of interruption to maintain their professionalism” is a shallow defense against critiquing this secret society. Sorry surf fans, I call bullshit. Judges are open to attack in all sports. It’s the price of holding such responsibility. Judges, show us your faces so we know who you are so we can Google your past achievements. So we know if you are indeed all knowing in the magic of the judging criteria. Tell us your names and it will only strengthen your claims of professionalism and objectivity.
If surfing wants to be considered a true sport, it is time to shake the judging tree. These arbiters of wave scoring are gods, never seen and infallible. Transparency in judging is long overdue for the WSL and the judging criteria is too complicated to be interpreted into scores. Objectively speaking, while contesting a score is not only impossible, it should be considered a downright sin. Just ask Bobby Martinez and Charlie Rodrigues (Medina’s dad). But transparency can at least build a foundation for trust between judges, athletes, and the WSL’s fans.
To be continued….
