Quiksilver Pro 2011 The Outsider: Epilogue

In: Quiksilver Pro 2011 by Steve Shearer 33 Comments Fri 11th Mar '11

Tags: steve shearer , kelly slater , dane reynolds , jordy smith , Quiksilver Pro , The Outsider

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"Life is here to be taken alive and kicking.
Give us a share of it
and time to live it"
- Eugene Guillevic

I celebrated the Slater victory by going surfing as far away as possible from anything to do with Pro Surfing. It was one of those libidinous North Coast mornings, trembling with the overflowing, humming abundance of early autumn. The small enclosed backbeach lay at the end of a rainforest clothed gully. Tangled vines and buttress clad Mahogany trees at the top, small Honeyeaters feasting on the white blossom of the Brush Box which suffused the cool morning air with the rich, sweet scent of honey.

An Osprey perched in a dead branch took flight with a metallic cry which highlighted the silence of a world that at times seems hostile and chaotic. In the words of Frenchman Guillevic:
"When each day is sacred
when each moment is sacred
earth and you
space and you
bearing the sacred through time
you'll reach the fields of light"

There were no signs of humanity on the beach. No-one in the water. The lefts wedged up against the northern headland and barrelled down a shallow bank. The roundpin quad was drawing off the bottom of a wave taut with warm water against sand, the lip translucent and back-lit by the morning sun.

It was amniotic. Beautiful. A beauty which gives one courage.

The Quik Pro 2011 will go down as a roaring success. But before the marketing smoke machine cremates the body and scatters the ashes it is time we considered the corpse with a coroners eye.

Dane changed the game last year by providing the judging template by which progressive surfing was scored. That was fitting given his undisputed status as the best surfer in the world. In his absence that honour defaulted to Taj. Taj's surfing looks as good as it's ever looked but it will still suffer in comparison to the Reynolds template, as it did on critical occasions last year at Trestles and Puerto Rico.

The prevailing wisdom has been that Jordy is a de facto world title contender due to his second placing last year and the unproven theory that he must've "learned so much". I saw no evidence of that at Snapper. He still failed to dominate crucial heats and was unable to control the event which was tailor-made for a high performance statement. In terms of strategy he has shown he hasn't learned anything from Slater, in particular the ability to suddenly build and rise to the occasion at the pointy end of the contest. The "oh, he's only young, he's got plenty of time argument" is the same piece of spurious sophistry used for Parko and Taj when they were his age. Jordy must both lift and learn if he is to challenge. The Pottz '89 Title should be his template.

In terms of coverage we note the continuing rise of embedded journalism. This phenomena, whereby a person hired by the corporation to fulfil a certain role, then moonlights as an independent voice, gives rise to a narrow range of predetermined and commercially acceptable outcomes. It is becoming the de facto method via which companies can continue marketing under the guise of journalism. The Outsider stands shoulder to shoulder with legendary New Yorker journalist Gay Talese in condemning this practice.

Professional surfing stands alone as a sport lacking strong independent voices and critical thinking. If the sport is to become legitimate in the eyes of the sporting public it must learn to accept and embrace independent journalists not under the sway of the surfing industries' marketing messages.

I wouldn't expect change to come easily in this respect, or even at all. But in the failed quest there is often humour and that alone justifies the attempt. In this Age of Information we are all principalities and agents of change. Corporations can no longer control the narrative as they once did through a compliant surf media with a God-complex. This diffusion of what US academic Joseph Nye calls 'soft power' will continue to thwart unethical corporate aims. In other words, the genie is out of the bottle and the corporates will have to choose between harsh crackdown on dissent or a more inclusive model.

The webcast and broadcast coverage is now reaching a consistently high standard, save for the tendency to run ads when live action is occurring, and sports fans are grateful for that. Heats on demand, however, remains an open sore that needs urgent triage. Slater's Quarter Final victory against Dusty Payne was a prime example where the heats on demand was woefully deficient in presenting the totality of the rides and their scoring. Surely this vital component of professional coverage can be fixed?

The women's tour must crack the male market by means other than blatant sex appeal, which will diminish their product in the long run and create useless division between athletes based on superficial distinctions. The Tour is worth covering and those in charge of the Women's Tour must present a compelling narrative to capitalise on the attention garnered at Snapper Rocks.

Brazilian surfing remains in the ascendancy and the restructured tour plays into their hands. If the Brazilian style can introduce some poetry to counterbalance the passion they will eventually win over critics from the established surfing nations. Looking at the radar Gabriel Medina stands out as a surfer with flow and style. De Souza will continue to threaten the Top Five.

Can we see a challenger for Slater anywhere on the horizon, sports fans? We are heartened by the performance of J-Dub, as well as his mental and psychological toughness. While it's unrealistic to expect a rookie challenge, he has come to this Tour fully realised. The Tour structure will suit his approach and skill set and there will be no Dane implosions at crucial junctures.

Otherwise, Slater remains in full control, with subtle hands pulling on many strings. He is continually suggesting and shaping the narrative via his public statements. Continually introducing the Slater mindset into the public and judging consciousness. This subtle method of control which reflects a superior intelligence cannot be matched by anyone on Tour, or even attempted if truth be told.

The sport is his to shape as he sees fit. He must embrace the purist vision of the Rebel Tour if the sport is to evolve and thrive. Wavepools are a spiritual dead-end not worthy of his historical legacy.

In the free marketplace of ideas integrity remains the most expensive commodity.

Thanks for reading and big ups to all who left comments. The feedback, both positive and negative, was invaluable and it was thrilling to be part of such an open conversation.

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