The Drop: Mason Ho's SSOTY Crisis - Stab Mag

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Amid the umms, laughs, and "fucks" there is almost always a funny, true, and enlightening piece of insight whistling out of Mason's mouth. Photo: Ryan Miller

The Drop: Mason Ho’s SSOTY Crisis

Let’s hear Mason’s brain languish over the JJF vs. Filipe decision.

elsewhere // Dec 31, 2022
Words by Christian Bowcutt
Reading Time: < 1 minute

“Uggh, but am I barn if I don’t pick the World Title guy who ripped all year?” Mason Ho lamented.

This week the Stab Surfer of the Year ballot appeared in my inbox. I pulled it up on my phone — at a red light — thinking it would be quick and easy. I’d type a quick Noa Deane there, throw a little Caity Simmers over here, sprinkle a dash of John John below, perhaps? But it wasn’t quick, or easy, and the light turned green and I put the phone in the cupholder and I haven’t opened the ballot since.

My vote doesn’t count for too much. And this is surfing, not a Supreme Court decision. So why am I procrastinating doing it?

Maybe I care more than I thought I did. Maybe we care. And maybe we consider our opinion as to who rides waves the best to be important. That’s what makes Stab’s comment section so scrumptious, right? So maybe I want time to think before locking in my picks.

Mason Ho also needed time — one hour of it — to decide on his picks for SSOTY. The biggest brain-melter? Deciding between Filipe Toledo and John John Florence. In this week’s episode of The Drop, we listen to Mason weave a tapestry of obscenity over who to include in his top five.

The Pod also discusses:

End your 2022 or begin your 2023 with The Drop. Find it wherever you get you podcasts (Apple, Spotify, Soundcloud).

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