Unwritten Rules Of Competitive Surfing

[bc]

After reading this:
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/bro ... 10jj7.html

Are there any similar unwritten rules, and examples in competition surfing?
Any examples of unbecoming conduct which, while within the rules, ended up with the victor being scorned by public, opponent, and judges?

What happens when a competitor runs out of caddied boards?
Before jetskis, was there ever a case of a competitor not being able to make it back/out to the line-up?

[shambles]

Slater and Shane Beschen. US open at Huntington beach in 1996. Beschen paddled for a wave, slater snuck behind him, took off and pulled through the back. Beschen didn't even know Slater had done it till the scores were read out.

[bumfluff]

^^^^ Is there anything he cant do?

[bc]

I assume you mean Slater did it so Beschen's score did not count?

That's more exploiting the rules for your own advantage rather than sportsmanship.

I mean things like Occy trying to give Garcia waves at Pipe (although that was more for personal safety than fairness)

[Nick Carroll]

If you mean this in the same sense as the SMH piece, Occ giving Sunny waves has nothing to do with any unwritten rules of surf competition.

Unwritten rules in surf contests have changed a lot over the years in response to various changes in the actual written rules. But here's one at the ASP world tour level: Thou shalt not hassle for the first wave in a heat.

This counts both in three-man heats and in one-on-one. You can position for a wave but you can't actually hassle for position on takeoff.

Like most unwritten rules it has a practical application -- stupid interference calls are a lame way of going out the back door in a pro contest and not hassling is a way of easily avoiding 'em at the start of a heat.

Not always obeyed (as you can see from the Slater example above).

[longbum]

was it dooma that did the same thing to TC at narrabeen at the coke ?

not unwritten, just a shit way to win.

[oldman]

Before jetskis, was there ever a case of a competitor not being able to make it back/out to the line-up?

I recall a surf mag descibing a comp that was held, IIRC, up in Newcastle.

It was pumping, and one of the competitors was stuck in a vortex and got hammered for about 15 minutes of the heat while trying to get out, according to reports.

I only remember it because I was thinking, without any schadenfreude, that it was good to see even the pros have to battle to get out there sometimes, because I seemed to find myself in that situation regularly.

[monkey]

was it dooma that did the same thing to TC at narrabeen at the coke ?

not unwritten, just a shit way to win.

I was at Narra that day. Hardman was actually midway through a duckdive, saw Carroll take off, then somehow spun around and stood up in the whitewater. Drop-in called on TC and Hardman went through. It was a low point in competitive surfing; exploiting the "letter" of a rule rather than following the "spirit" of a rule.
Follow that on and you wind up with Suarez robbing Ghana from a spot in the World Cup Semi.
Surfers are rarely so cut-throat in competition...any reasons why?

[bc]

Surfers are rarely so cut-throat in competition...any reasons why?

There was a 3 man heat at pipe, where one surfer was frozen out by the others sitting either side.
-Can anyone remember details?

How about some of the recent leash grabs.

I'm not sure surfers are less cut-throat, other than limited opportunity.
Perhaps with only 46 on the WCT, behaving badly will leave you ostracised by the others?

[monkey]

Surfers are rarely so cut-throat in competition...any reasons why?

There was a 3 man heat at pipe, where one surfer was frozen out by the others sitting either side.
-Can anyone remember details?

How about some of the recent leash grabs.

I'm not sure surfers are less cut-throat, other than limited opportunity.
Perhaps with only 46 on the WCT, behaving badly will leave you ostracised by the others?

Good call - Hawaiian wildcards and pro's have been ruthless at times for a range of reasons.
The pro's are definitely reluctant to bag each other out. Has there been many competitive feuds where the guys really publically hated each other? I mean MR and Cheyne were super-competive, but "hatred"?
I guess AI and Mick Campbell had a stouch. Any others?

[Nick Carroll]

Surfers are rarely so cut-throat in competition...any reasons why?

Probably because you don't often find yourself in that sorta (Dooma's vs TC's) situation.

Plus surfing -- while exciting enough at world title event level -- doesn't completely lend itself to direct one-on-one competition. It's not a direct physical confrontation, and the rules generally militate against direct confrontation. Priority for example tends to keep the surfers apart in most cases, and surfer anger tends to be directed at the source of the scores -- ie the judging panel -- rather than at each other.

[astro]

I remember at bells in the early 80's one mike newling and joey burran in a semi mike needed a wave an there were'nt many to be had it was only about1-2ft Joey paddled mick way inside and when a wave finally arived they both had to paddle away from the point back to the takeoff Joey paddled right up close to Mick on the inside and then WACK Micks elbow meets Joeys nose you could hear it from where we were sitting.Aahhh beautifull stuff.

[astro]

( I actualy had to do some work then).So back to story,Joey sat up imediatly and mick got the wave the crowed went wild hoots and hollers and wistles and then the hooter.Mick won on that wave and nothing much was said about the incident.I think the unwritten rule here was dont try to intimidate someone twice your size that could probably squash you like an ant. :?

[monkey]

There was a 3 man heat at pipe, where one surfer was frozen out by the others sitting either side.
-Can anyone remember details?

How about some of the recent leash grabs.

I'm not sure surfers are less cut-throat, other than limited opportunity.
Perhaps with only 46 on the WCT, behaving badly will leave you ostracised by the others?[/quote]

Good call - Hawaiian wildcards and pro's have been ruthless at times for a range of reasons.
The pro's are definitely reluctant to bag each other out. Has there been many competitive feuds where the guys really publically hated each other? I mean MR and Cheyne were super-competive, but "hatred"?
I guess AI and Mick Campbell had a stouch. Any others?[/quote]

any footage of their little rumble???[/quote]

From memory, I think it happened at the showers after a heat (??)

I cant recall someone coming in after being beaten and saying " I cant believe I got beaten by that kook". Consider Federer who rarely gives credit to an opponent who beats him.