Mason ‘Big Old Flopper’ Ho Wins Surf100 Mexico
…while self-narrating the entire event. A true spectacle of sport.
Weren’t able to catch Surf100 Mexico last night? No worries, you can still watch it here (with a Stab premium membership), or read about what happened below.
First, the pre-game show: It features many nuggets of wisdom and insight from Surf100 competitors Dane Reynolds, Mason Ho, and Mikey February as well as hosts Selema Masekela, Kolohe Andino, and Ryan Burch.
Then, as the stream shows the boys reaching the lineup in Mexico, a set approaches. After some banter (how good are mics in the water?), Dane proclaims “Fuck it, I’m gonna kick it off.” He does one turn and tries a flyaway air, and the 100-minute timer starts ticking. While this particular wave didn’t offer much, it showed promise for what’s to come.
All the fellas started the Surf100 heat on their alternative boards — Mikey Feb a CI Twin Pin, Mason on his Electric Acid winning Simon Jones, and Dane on a hand-shaped vessel. But, remember: they’ll have to get one scoring wave on a high-performance board, too.
Mikey gets the next good wave, piecing together a solid turn and ending with an extended floater for a 41. Mason finds a quick pit shortly after and puts a 33 on the board.
Dane finds another wave, this time slamming the breaks for a tube only to come out and lean into a monstrous carve. He jumps to the lead first with a 62.
A few minutes pass until the next set, but the banter in the lineup keeps the entrainment level high. Mason lets out an “oh shit” before knifing a late drop and getting covered up. He tames the backwash and breaks through the lip (“Big old flopper!”) before doing a lap on the beach, saying whaddup to Uncle Willy and staying on the Simon Jones. Feeling a bit guilty, Mason then delivers an audio love letter to his shaper Matt Biolos.
“You know I love you though, right?”
M Feb snags a solid barrel not long after and does a commendable floater over the imploding end section. A 77 for his efforts, boosting him into first.
Mason finds yet another tunnel, still refusing to swap boards. The audience judged scores come back low, and even harsher than our uncomfortably shirtless judge Michael Ciaramella. Kolohe ponders.
Mikey is quick to answer with another barrel and an even bigger float. He leads with an 81; Mason sits in second with a 74, and Dane in third with a 62.
With 43 minutes left, M Feb switches to his high-performance board. Mason is still suffering from twin fin fever, and Dane refuses to part with his hand shape.
“Oooooh yeah baby.”
Mason’s Electric Acid board addiction pays off, and we get a new catchphrase after he lines up the barrel of the day thus far.
“You caught me in the bedroom!”
One more psycho tube/carve on the Simon Jones — an 81, tying with Mikey’s best wave — then Mason paddles in. Sister Coco Ho is waiting on the beach in full surf comp mode, with Mason’s high-performance board ready to go.
Mason needs a 63 or higher on his shortboard to pass Mikey. Meanwhile, Dane says the fuck the rules and continues to ride his handshape with under 15 minutes left.
Kolohe speculates that he was embarrassed to do a contest, and intentionally disqualified himself. Selema reminds us that Dane was heavily involved in the Surf100 creative process. Burch suggests that maybe he’s just trying to show the world that his board works.
Mason finds his first wave on the high-performance board. Two turns — the second significantly better than the first — then a little tube. It takes him all the way to beach with limited time left. He contemplates not paddling back out, but decides to go for it, even giving himself a pep talk along the way. Good thing, because the score comes in a 45.
Then, magic. As Dane and Mikey get their last waves, Mason beats the buzzer with a 66 for a long tube into a swift turn. And that’s that. He joins Kolohe and Jack Robinson as a Surf100 champ.
The broadcast ends with a live Zoom call featuring the three competitors — Mikey, who is currently in South Africa, was up at 5 AM to be there. There are technical difficulties, of course, but they only make the laugher stronger. Mason suggests we should have this call once a week. Nobody disagrees. And Stab starts plotting the next Surf100.
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