First Impressions
I turned on the Founders’ Cup webcast in time to see Leonardo Fioravanti sitting inside a tube doing his hair. The clinical barrel clock told me that Leo spent a mind-warping 13 seconds attending to his fringe, behind the curtain. He exited, popped an air and then gave a bow to the crowd. The Italian seemed to perfectly comprehend the pool’s potential for theatrics and rode back on Raimana’s ski, clenching his fist like a victorious gladiator as he appealed to the crowd for support. Chris Cote, a welcome addition to the commentary team, chose exactly the right words for the moment given the Roman heritage of the rider. “It’s a true surfing colosseum.” Leo scored an impressive 9.57 and was typically animated in his post-heat interview. The wave pool was winning at seven a.m on a Sunday morning.
Toledo’s Ten
So much talk and hype about the potential for Toledo to go looney at the pool and deliver more spins than an Olympic high-diving event. Naturally I was disappointed when he went horribly over the handlebars on the first left I saw him ride. Thankfully redemption arrived on the second ride when Toledo opened with an air reverse and became the first surfer to really put it on the line in the early part of the wave. He locked in the obligatory barrel, but crucially ignored the temptation of the second tube so that he could swing through an alley-oop and complete a wave that made it clear it was possible to produce a ride at the pond that had a little bit of everything. Cote was on point again when he commented, “That’s why this pool was invented.”
Truth be told the alley-oop lacked a little pop. It could have been higher and we hope that the airs do go North once the surfers have it all dialled. The wave did confirm suspicions that when shit gets real and it’s a fully-fledged WCT event, flying Fil’ will be hard to beat at the pond.
(See his first round run below. Note: Not the ten.)
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It’s my party and I’ll surf if I want to, says Kelly.
Watching Kelly surf his second round it became apparent that every moment of his time, every inch of his injury recovery, every cup of chia tea had been all about one thing – coming back to blow everyone away at the Ranch. What greater gratification for the ego could there be than to dominate in the pool, which you had created? I’m guessing Kelly is at liberty to practice in the pool whenever he wants – days, nights, whenever. He had even had the chance to develop a specific breathing technique to prepare him for each, high-pressure wave. Will we see all the surfers adopt the cheek-puffer approach?
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For mine Kelly’s surfing was on another level. It was the Kelly of old, striving to surf behind the pocket rather than in it, every turn completely on edge – ten percent more risk and rail than anyone else. The equipment looked like a fifth limb; an extension of his body and connected to his central nervous system. Ok, he fell on the alley-oop attempt and the barrel role and may not have boosted as freely as some, but the pool seems to give Kelly back whatever he loses in age and agility in the ocean. It’s like the pool from the movie Cocoon (you probably needed to grow up in he 80s to get that reference)
As suggested Kelly has probably had the opportunity to refine all these elements by practicing more than anyone else in his own bath tub, which kind of begs the question. Does Kelly have an unfair advantage in a contest held in the pool?
In any case as he walked back from his ride/run and waved to the cheering crowd, safely separated by a mote, it was one of his proudest moments. Team USA were well in front, his surfing was back to its best and he was the mastermind
( with a little help from some very bright engineers) behind the whole thing.
John John’s Corked Out, Inverted Reverse
To be honest the aerial dimension of the surfing was a little disappointing until John John threw his fabulous finishing move in round two. Medina’s rodeo was impressive, but it was more manufactured than magnificent and Toledo’s alley-oop lacked altitude.
The airs felt like they should have been higher and the risks more frequent. That said, there is not an endless supply of waves. Toledo does his best in-heat, aerial surfing when he knows he can catch ten to fifteen waves. If he lands, he tries to make the next one bigger; if he doesn’t he just catches another wave. It’s likely that as the pros put in more time at the pool their approach will become more progressive.
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Girls, Guys, Technical Factors and Formats
It seemed the pool evens the playing field a little between the men and women. Flawless technique and speed control are critical at the pool. It has a way of amplifying your weaknesses. A girl with good form, like Steph or Lakey Peterson, can expose a male surfer with chinks in their style. Not naming any. Would we like to see the best girls against some of the guys in the pol just for a giggle? Probably. A mixed doubles format seems like it would also work well. John John and Carissa vs Julian and Steph. Four waves each, best two count. Bring it on!
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Sign up Cote for the Commentary Team
The former editor of the defunct Transworld Surf magazine consistently hit the right note in the commentary box.
Cote’s tone is refreshingly upbeat, but he is not simply an imprecise enthusiast. Cote is a solid surfer and his technical commentary and analysis were on point. Meanwhile his creative vocabulary helped put a different spin on a wave that is undeniably predictable. Surfers were ‘hibernating in a liquid vortex’ or ‘reaching terminal velocity’. These lines are delivered slickly, like well-timed turns; without pause or hesitation. There was even a classic moment where Cote suggested one wave would have had to have been given a ten if the surfer rode out. This was too much for conservative Pete Mel, who obviously felt that Cote had perhaps broken protocol by being so forthright in hypothesizing about scores. “Well that, ahh, definitely would have given them something to think about,” offered Pete as a rebuttal.
The Pool is not Perfect
After Parko’s first ride in round two it seemed like the pool had a malfunction. This was described as ‘ brief maintenance’ by the commentary team, but the break in action was way too long. The pool was the WSL dream because of its capacity to deliver on time every time. However, mechanical failure is as much a part of reality as long lulls and flat days.
With dead air time to fill poor old Pottz was thrown in front of the camera and looked like a man who had just been caught masturbating by his mother in law. He wasn’t ready to do all that talking without a little surfing to stimulate the conversation. Fortunately Joe Turpel was on hand to deliver a complete history of professional surfing. It was at this point that I went surfing.
Did the wave pool ruin surfing?
I went for a surf when the pool stalled. Surprisingly, I wasn’t disappointed by the fact that it wasn’t immaculate with three-four foot zippers and gloriously predictable tube sections. If anything, viewing the wave pool had only served to emphasise the wonders of the ocean and all its kinks, bumps and interesting crew on a Sunday morning.
