The Reason Why Some CTers Surfed Like Shit Today

There have been many moments of glory at La Gravière in the past week. 

The opening day of the Quiksilver Pro featured exactly none of them. To suit today’s conditions, the event was moved up the beach to a bank that would have fun waves through all tides and winds. While La Grav would have had a few moments today, this was a good call. 

On a normal day this time of year, the beach they chose would have been sprinkled with naked elderly people, so it’s culturally insensitive of the WSL to not at least ask Owen Wright to take his helmet out. But I digress. 

The first, and probably finest, highlight came during Griffin Colapinto’s post-heat interview. He told Rosy Hodge a detailed story about “dropping the kids off” in the water after paddling out for his heat. Can you image? He was wearing a 3 mil and a jersey, and there was a crowd on the beach, and the cameras were rolling. Even though it’s only his second year on tour, the upstart kept his composure like a veteran and was still able to win the heat. It also kind of explains why some people were surfing like shit. 

Heat 3 was the best of the day. In order to pay their respects to Richie Porta, the judges proved their ongoing commitment to hating progressive surfing and awarded Leonardo Fioravanti the win for turns while Kolohe and Yago stuck some of the better airs of the day.  

Filipe Toledo was injured but paddled out for his heat, surfed a few decent waves and came in with over ten minutes left. He still won. A better case for having fewer surfers on the CT has never been made. 

Gabriel Medina did a club sandwich. If he was going to do revive any trick from surfing’s graveyard, it should have been the superman back for King Of The Grom’s nostalgia. He was unfaltering today, surprising nobody. 

William Cardoso is the hottest guy on tour. He wore a springsuit at J-Bay and was the first to wear boardshorts as it got warmer today. Long may you run, Buffalo Bill. 

Ryan Callinan didn’t win his heat but here’s a video of Shaun Cansdell anyway. 

After claiming victory at the last event (Lemoore doesn’t count), Owen Wright maintained his winning form and earned the highest heat total of the day. 

A friend asked me if I was going to get Kelly’s autograph after his heat. I told him no and that I was going to say something derogatory to him and that he will contemplate it deeply for the coming days and eventually use it as fuel to win the 2020 World Title and Olympics thus confirming his status as greatest athlete of all time. It will later come out that he was blood doping in a story that I break a decade from now because I am a real sports journalist.

He looked stellar today.

In the afternoon, the almond breeze came up and that’s not just a nice way of saying it got windier. Women’s Round 1 started after Men’s Round 1 finished and Sally Fitzgibbons’ main sponsor is Almond Breeze. There was still some action to pour over. 

Conditions had deteriorated — less swell, more wind — so much so that Stephanie “Gilherme Herdy” Gilmore got third in her heat. Caroline Marx, who is no stranger to Guilherme Herdy, was the most impressive surfer on the female side of the draw. 

The contest has already been called off for tomorrow. The forecast is finicky. Swell is no issue. Wind is. You never really know here. But as of right now, Saturday morning looks like it could feature more of what we saw in the past few days at La Gravière. Shame it has to start with Round 2.