Why Is Kolohe Andino Throwing His Magic Boards In The Bin?

Did you know that Kolohe Andino often rides some of his least favorite boards in competition?

This isn’t some sort of mental judo to freak out his competitors, nor a defense mechanism to mentally absolve himself of losses. It’s a genuine strategy for success, developed around Brother’s understanding of the WSL scoring criteria. 

In a recent Stab CUSP episode, Surf100 winner Kolohe revealed much on the topic.

“I battle with it so much, but I basically have to learn how to ride this shitty board, and my magic board is my backup board or it’s going in the trash,” Kolohe said. He does this to exploit a vital but unwritten part of the judges’ code.

The surfboard talk, which stems from a conversation about carving 360s, starts around 23 minutes. Toward the end of the pod (51:30) Stace and I revisit this conversation and discuss its implications for Brother’s surfing as a whole. 

Listen below, or if you have any respect for yourself, subscribe to ‘Stab Podcasts’ on Apple Pods.