Meet: The New WSL Commissioner* Pat O’Connell (In Photo Montage Form)

We were first introduced to Patrick O’Connell in the 1994 film Endless Summer II. 

A hyper-spastic 20-something from Orange County (by way of Chicago), Pat brought incredible energy to the cult surf classic both in and out of the water. He was happy, he was funny, and he wasn’t afraid to be himself. 

It’s with great pleasure that we inform you: nothing about Pat has changed in the last 25 years. 

You will need no further proof of this point than the video above, which is a farewell tribute to Patchy O’ from his 15-year employer Hurley. 

Wanting to truly capture Pat’s essence, the Hurley folks used a song from his favorite band (Enya) and highlighted a few dozen photos from the O’Connell family archives, aptly demonstrating his fun-loving and charismatic nature. 

Pat was also presented with a golden scarf and golden slippers at Hurley’s farewell party, which we’ve been informed are the primary features of his signature style.

And when he can’t find a scarf, Rob Machado’s hair will suffice.

Do you think Pat will enter the WSL headquarters on day one dripping in gold? How fabulous would that be?

Very.

And while we continue to pester the new SVP, Tours & Head of Competition* for a proper interview, please take two minutes out of your day to watch this video. You’ll feel like you’ve known Pat all your life. Promise. 

*In all seriousness, what a terrible fucking title the WSL came up with – SVP, Tours & Head of Competition. It’s verbose, clumsy, and doesn’t even make grammatical sense. Sorry Sophie, we’re sticking with Commish.