By the book, the WSL judges perhaps did their job when they “awarded” Kelly a 4.17 on that air-mistake-miracle. But sometimes you have to throw that book out the window. Of course, Kelly didn’t land on his feet. He lost control, which is why the air was deemed incomplete. But when the WSL uploaded Kelly’s air to their Facebook page, a whole can of worms was opened, as the masses (myself included) expressed a strong discontent for the measly 4.17 given by the judges. Here are three reasons why I believe Kelly’s wave was severely underscored.
1. That air was a make. Kelly rode out of it, plain and simple. It was awkward, no doubt. But he rode out. Shouldn’t that count for something? We see surfers land in the most bizarre ways every heat and they’re still rewarded.
2. The rest of the wave was underscored. Even if Kelly’s air was a big fat zero, what about the rest of the wave? A carving 360, followed by two strong turns. Tell me, Mr. Richie Porta, aren’t those maneuvers alone worth more than a 4.17?
3. Inconsistent judging criteria. Surfers are awarded points on speed, power, flow, and degree of difficulty—the announcers remind us of this every five minutes. First, the degree of difficulty on that fluke was insane. It did not just happen by mistake, and it could not happen to anyone but Kelly. Not because he’s lucky, but because he’s well trained and super talented. Secondly, the wave didn’t have much flow, but just one heat prior; the judges gave away a pair of eights to Wiggolly’s power and speed and seemed unfazed by Italo’s amazing flow. The judging consistency remains a huge problem for WSL. The thing is, surfing is not gymnastics where you have to execute a double corkscrew and land perfectly from your toes to the hairs on your head. This is surfing. It’s an extreme sport where you go for the craziest shit you can think of and try to ride out.
In conclusion, surf fans always give hell to the judges, and the judges need to keep a cool head and follow the rulebook. But sometimes, just sometimes, you have to throw that book out the window. In an interview in 2012, head judge Richard Porta said this about perfect 10s: “You feel them, mainly. They don’t come very often. But you know it when you see something that can’t be anything other than a 10.” Did you guys not feel that one?
