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While presenting the Tracks online form guide; get tipsy with Tracks, I ponder change and its roots. |
Beware the snake eyes.
I remember it well. I was the fortunate recipient of an exclusive pass to the ASP surfers deck at the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast, I wasted no time.
The year was 2008 and the Gold Coast sunshine was glorious, so glorious getting out of its vitriolic beams was a major priority. After sidestepping through the throng I slipped into the tent – smooth as silk – and sidled into a vacant chair. As chance would have it I’d positioned myself right in front of Snapper’s grinding rights and right next to Jake Paterson.
The waves were relentless and I was tweaked from a night of revelry so I hydrated and breathed. My hangover was amazing; I didn’t feel sick, or even tired. I felt great. Interestingly an ageing rock star has since told me that the feeling I speak of is the one and only thing he misses about drinking now that he’s sober. I bet an ex-junkie doesn’t miss sucking-off strangers for cash the day after a high now they’re clean? It doesn’t happen often – but that’s one for alcohol.
What does all this have to do with gambling? The clue is in the third paragraph. It’s name? Jake Paterson. It wasn’t chance that I’d scored the spot with the race callers view. The chance was that there was a spare seat next to Jake. Nobodies fool when it comes to deconstructing competitive surfing Jake knows exactly where to sit.
Comfortably engaged I watch over time, and the passing of each heat, Jake scribbling notes and crossing out names on a folded copy of the heat draw. The paper is tattered and worn on the edges from the repetitive handling. “Two more,” he say’s to a friend. “…Then I’ve got it.”
After a few hazed minutes my mind can’t take it any longer, ‘he’s not surfing? What’s he got?’ I think to myself. Like a first year rookie at a poker game I asked what was going on? “If Andy loses to Kelly, and Kai wins his heat I’ve picked the round.” Boom. There it was. ‘He’s riding the punt wagon.’ I realized. ‘Having a flutter. Playing the odds!’
Before I can comprehend the fact you can now bet on surfing, even tip a whole round as a multi, Jake gets patted on the bat from numerous big name surfers. They all know he’s riding a round and they all know he needed those last two results to fall his way – which they did. He makes a very tidy some for his efforts.
This blog isn’t a tale about a big time gambling man, it’s the tale of the changing face of our beloved world of professional surfing. The fact we now have the chance to put ten bucks on our surfing hero as he surfs off against with that one guy you think doesn’t even deserve to be in your clubs A grade with the ugly backhand reo… Groundbreaking shit.
So yeah, as the title suggest I’m in. I may bet small, and I may not bet often. But, I may begin to enjoy those walk over heats a little bit more now – now there may be a bob in it for me.
By Col B
Note: Below is the draw fro the Quiksilver Pro and a video I put together with some tips for the event.
Thanks to surfbet.com.au Tracks has $2000 to bet on this years ASP world tour. We hope to do well and raise money for an undecided charity of our choice. Any ideas for the charity are welcome below in the comments section.
For all the info on the Australian leg of the ASP world tour click here for the official guide
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Dane Reynolds (USA), Roy Powers (HAW), Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT), Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 4: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Marco Polo (BRA)
Heat 6: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Blake Thornton (AUS)
Heat 7: Taj Burrow (AUS), Chris Davidson (AUS), Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS), TBA
Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), TBA
Heat 10: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Mick Campbell (AUS), TBA
Heat 11: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Drew Courtney (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA), Luke Stedman (AUS), Nathan Yeomans (USA)
Heat 13: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Andy Irons (HAW), Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 14: Kieren Perrow (AUS), Daniel Ross (AUS), Luke Munro (AUS)
Heat 15: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Owen Wright (AUS)
Heat 16: Dean Morrison (AUS), Jadson Andre (BRA), Adam Melling (AUS)
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Paige Hareb (NZL), Carissa Moore (HAW)
Heat 2: Coco Ho (HAW), Rebecca Woods (AUS), Claire Bevilacqua (AUS)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Bruna Schmitz (BRA), TBA
Heat 4: Silvana Lima (BRA), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), Nikita Robb (ZAF)
Heat 5: Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), Lee Ann Curren (FRA)
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW), Chelsea Hedges (AUS), Amee Donohoe (AUS)
