This is the question that has been asked since the completion of the women’s division of the Outerknown Pro Tahiti, admittedly by mostly male commentators.
It’s hard to deny that sexism and misogyny are still rampant in surfing, but not here. It’s just the truth.
“I suck out there,” said seven-times world champion Steph Gilmore after being smashed in the quarter finals by eventual winner Courtney Conlogue.
“I gotta lot of work to do”.
She was putting it mildly.
What was even more telling was that under the shortened format, Steph made it to the quarters on the strength of just a couple of threes, so in medium to big conditions at the world’s scariest wave, one of the world’s greatest female surfers of all time didn’t even look like cutting it.
She was by no means alone in this, with only California’s Conlogue truly showing the required ticker and technique throughout, although Brisa Hennessy (second) and Tatiana Weston-Webb (third) showed glimpses of adequacy while rarely looking anything like comfortable.
This was the first time the women had run at Teahupo’o in 16 years, and last time around we had bona fide big wave chargers Keala Kennelly and Layne Beachley in the mix.
Now we have topliners like Carissa Moore, Tyler Wright and Weston-Webb who are known to be comfortable in waves of consequence, just not here, not now.
The curious thing when you watch the replays is the prevalence of set avoidance, even though the break never turned on its maximum fear factor (says he, who never had the talent nor the ticker to go anywhere near that beast), leaving the commentators to squirm in embarrassed silence, or simply talk about something else.
As Steve Shearer pointed out on Swellnet: “Brisa (Hennessy) edged out Lakey (Peterson) who never looked mentally in the right space to hunt down hollow nugs. A set wave she paddled over in her QF against Brisa was a heat-defining, year-defining, missed opportunity. It went completely unremarked by the booth. Missed opportunities, bad reads, and tube dodging were scrupulously scrubbed from history by the Woz (WSL) team.”
Conlogue pig-dogged her way to a well-deserved win, but her performance wasn’t enough to quell the doubts now cast upon the apparent WSL strategy of equal prize purse, equal danger. Something that the International Surfing Federation and the International Olympic Committee might also be considering, with Teahupo’o the chosen surfing venue for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The final fives
So now we’re in the final five and we can forget all about the foregoing. And although it can get very good, the Rip Curl Finals Series venue of Lower Trestles, California, never gets truly scary, and proof of that is that your columnist, when resident in SoCal, surfed it occasionally. (The biggest fear factor here is that you might get run over by a freight train as you walk in through the state park.)
The final five concept, in its second year at Lowers (and I really don’t know why, other than it’s closer to WSL headquarters in Venice Beach than the numerous better-suited venues) works pretty much like the footy playoffs, with fifth surfing against fourth until someone meets the ratings leader in a best-of-three. It all fits neatly into the best available day, and the waiting period starts next week.
Australia has horses in both races, so let’s look at the women first.
Our Steph Gilmore, one of my favourite surfers of either gender, scrapes in at number five, after a disappointing season in which she’s never really fired, despite a convincing win in El Salvador and a couple of thirds.
She would desperately love to claim an eighth title and break Layne Beachley’s longstanding record, but the odds are stacked against her, even though she has great form at Lowers.
As the generally astute Shearer puts it on Swellnet: “Not a chance.”
Steph will meet Costa Rica’s fourth-ranked Brisa Hennessy first up and on form Brisa will progress. Brisa would then meet Tatiana Weston-Webb whose vertical attack is not perfectly suited to Trestles, but is certainly in form.
I’d give it to Brisa.
Next up Johanna Defay has surfed very well most of the season, excluding Chopes, and her smooth, down-the-line style is suited. Tough call. And then there’s multiple world champ Carissa Moore in the yellow jersey, and probably unbeatable.
My money on Carissa.
The men’s final five is an interesting fit for Trestles, with three small to medium wave stylists up against two power surf chargers. You would have to say that ratings leader Fipipe Toledo is a short-priced favourite in that he knows the wave and can win with turns or take to the air if the wind goes onshore.
Fellow Brazilian Italo Ferreira, coming in at fourth, has to beat everyone else but he can certainly do it.
At three and two we have the Aussies Ethan Ewing and Jack Robinson. Ethan’s got the ideal style but Jack has the will. He really wants this.
And finally there’s last man in, Japanese/Californian Kanoa Igarashi, who knows the wave well but has had uneven form this season. I don’t think so.
I’d have to go with Toledo, and an Aussie as the dark horse. Don’t ask me which one!
