Thoughts on the Round 5 Bloodbath

There were six South African surfers with a fighting chance on the morning of the final day of the Volkswagen SA Open of Surfing presented by Hurley. Four heat wins from hoisting the trophy, two from a quarter-final finish. By the very next round, all six South African had exited. And it was hard not to question why, when so many Brazilians dominated the final rounds? Having never been to Brazil, I can’t comment with authority on how they’ve become the dominant force in competitive surfing on the QS level, but I think I might have three quick points on how we can increase the number of Saffas making their way up the ranks. PECKING ORDER Don’t get me wrong, I love how laissez–faire our line-ups have become in Durban, because I’m not surfing for competitive reasons, but the old-school pecking order was and is much more conducive to nurturing the next generation’s champion. When you’ve got to earn your right to one of the bombs, that immediately makes the line-up more competitive. And for a grom aiming for the very top of the New Pier pyramid (and the Bay of Plenty before that), it really forced you to up […]