snapper pro

[offshore1]

well the surf is shit right now.
Medina is not the most charismatic champion surfing has seen.
If it was firing and Mick and Kelly were trading blows, banging head to head with Gabby it would be another story.

[crabmeat thompson]

Quite apart from the economics, the top 16 are the only ones worth watching anyway

and this is the crux of everything that's wrong with the current top 34 format. more than half the surfers just aren't worth watching.

the question is why? is the judging criteria neutering them, or are they just not talented & engaging enough to want to watch?

[steve shearer]

probably the latter.

elite surfing talent just isn't that common.

I mean how long has the Hurley HPC been going for?

all that money and where are the top Ten surfers?

Have they even produced a top 34 surfer?

[crabmeat thompson]

i'm not sure they've produced a single surfer worth watching, have they?

it's places like the hpc who are responsible for australian surfing's next generation of boring, one dimensional surfers.

[BA]

I'll admit I'm a fan of pro surfing. I happily watch it live on Fox all day. But there are some heats I won't even watch because the surfers don't interest me. Usually guys at the bottom of the ratings. If I am not interested, the semi-interested punter must really struggle to watch it. I'll also switch off if the waves are a joke.

I'm all for a reduced number of the best surfers, surfing the best waves (remote, no fans?), broadcast live via the internet and Fox.

[rmb]

Why no live webcast RMB?
It's watching it live that is the magic of sport.

They have the technology.

The beauty of watching live sport's is you normally only need to set aside a couple of hours at a set time and the spectacle is over and you have a result, with the exception of test match cricket which is on at a set time for five day's unless it rains but there is no extensions. A CT surf contest normally need's three whole days of competition to complete over a waiting period. There is no set time for the event to start and finish during this period unlike other sporting events which are ran on schedule. So unless you have a lot of time to set your life around watching the webcast throughout the waiting period it can be difficult to watch. As entertaining as the pointy end of a comp can be most people with work and family commitments just can't watch as much as they would like.

My thoughts were there could be a media blackout on results from these event's until it is televised at the same time Worldwide then released online. Giving everybody the entertainment of watching the sport without having to juggle their schedule around a waiting period which can be impossible.

[channels]

I'll admit I'm a fan of pro surfing. I happily watch it live on Fox all day. But there are some heats I won't even watch because the surfers don't interest me. Usually guys at the bottom of the ratings. If I am not interested, the semi-interested punter must really struggle to watch it. I'll also switch off if the waves are a joke.

I'm all for a reduced number of the best surfers, surfing the best waves (remote, no fans?), broadcast live via the internet and Fox.

This.

When I look through the heat analyser, if it's less than a 7 I don't bother to watch the wave. If the surfers don't interest me, effectively most of the lower ranked ones, I don't bother to watch.

As for the remote thing... the Chopes comp last year and the huge Fiji day the year before meant work productivity was pretty low as I was glued to the webcast.

Better waves, longer waiting period, less surfers (or different format) so it can be finished in 2 days of competition or less. If you get a top quality webcast from Tahiti or Fiji, I'm sure D'bah shouldn't be a problem.

[foamy]

My favourite last year was JBay, perfectly timed to run from Saturday arvo and into Saturday evening. With mates and a barbie and beers, watching it on Foxtel on a giant screen. Just the perfect timing, and the wave, with mates, and you knew the surf was going to be great. With T. Curren an unforgettable highlight. It was my best ASP experience.

[swvic]

Anything to be gained by massively reducing prize money? I know that relative to many pro sports, the purses are piss poor, but consistent with all pro sports, the main coin ain't won in a prize fight. I've got no idea how much is involved, but I can't see the willingness waning if a cheque isn't part of the presentation

[alakaboo]

They just upped the prize money last year, would be a hard sell to drop it now.

I've never watched surfing with mates unless it happens to be on at a pub, that just sounds weird to me.

At risk of sounding like a hanger-on chuffed at a shoutout, second piece was good Steve.

[steve shearer]

Fuck Boo, it wasn't supposed to be published yet, hasn't been proof read.

Ron, will have paroxysms over the lack of commas.

But thanks, if intelligent people are entertained for three minutes I feel great.

[crabmeat thompson]

i thought the comma use was sterling, old chap. the change of font halfway through was an unexpected surprise.


*tips hat

[steve shearer]

ah, I believe that font change caused someone in Prague to have an epileptic fit and has now been standardised.

[crabmeat thompson]

well, if we've known one thing in surf writing, its those people of prague and their demand of pragmatic values of standardised fonts.

[foamy]

SS, Your Gabe Kling film is a little pearler too.

[steve shearer]

thanks Foamy I've been sitting on that for three years waiting for the right moment.

[steve shearer]

I believe Braithy is ready to drop another bomb.

[crabmeat thompson]

SS, Your Gabe Kling film is a little pearler too.

it is a little gem