Erik Logan Departs The WSL
This morning, the Woz announced that CEO Erik Logan is departing the league, effective immediately.
It's not known if Logan is departing under his own volition or was pushed. An active Instagram user, his last post was three days ago celebrating the WSL Academy - ("Developed with an aim to illuminate the power and business of professional surfing") - and made no mention or hint of today's departure.
Ed's Note: Just 21 hours ago, Logan posted an enthusiastic video on LinkedIn that ended: "Excited to see where the next four years take us, especially with such talented young women on the World Surf League Rising Tides!". The sudden departure would indicate Logan was removed.
Logan is the WSL's third CEO in ten years, following Paul Speaker and Sophie Goldschmidt - all of whom came from a non-surfing background.
Logan, who started his tenure in January 2020, began his working life as Chuck the Duck, the mascot for an Oklahoma City radio station. He continued working in radio, rising to Vice President of XM Satellite before he was head-hunted by Oprah Winfrey, first working as Vice President of Harpo Productions, then as President of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.
Logan oversaw the WSL through the troubles of the COVID years, and also veered it towards a more content-focussed - as opposed to contest-focussed - operation, with docu-dramas series such as 'Make or Break', and Kelly Slater's 'Lost Tapes'. Neither managed to capture the intended audience.
Logan's other legacy is the mid-year cut, which he had recently stated would see some modifications. However, what they are will be left for someone else to devise.
In the short term, Chief People & Purpose Officer, Emily Hofer, and Chief Operating & Legal Officer, Bob Kane, will fill the breech.
It's not known if the league will fill the role with an experienced surfer, such as Kieren Perrow or Jessi Miley-Dyer, both of whom have experience working with the WSL.
The other name in the mix - perhaps serious, perhaps not - is Kelly Slater
Swellnet is tipping ex-Surfing Australia CEO, Andrew Stark will be front-runner for the gig.
Comments
Is that a surfboard he’s carrying?, I heard he’s never surfed in his life. By by wanker.
Wax side in.. it’s almost poetic
I do wax side in if I've got sunscreen on my arm
When people talk about the correct wax side they are basically telling you that they don’t really surf
Agreed. WTF. As a surfer of 30 years I carry my board both ways, depending on sun, wind, and just however I pick it up really. Weird statement.
Eli was to surfing as sunscreen is to a wax job.
I feel like this comment deserves its own thread. I’m with you, wax in?! And who sunscreens the inside of their arm so it would get on the board. Wax in is like carrying a skateboard with the grip in and wrecking your clothes. Total Gumby move.
way better balance griptape-in.. clothes?
yup, needs own thread, haha
ELO did not make the mid year cut!
Poetic justice to all those CT surfers culled the past couple of years. Bring back the dream tour
"ELO did not make the mid year cut!"
Wish I wrote that....
hahaha I can't believe someone didn't beat me to it! Make the article name 'ELO fails to make the mid season cut' hahaha
Can't do headline, just cut and pasted it into the blurb. Cheers.
Anyone else wanna do my work for me today..?
Small typo on last sentence
Cheers. This is better than Airtasker.
"fill the breech" should be "breach"
very clever
yup well played
Scrap the lot and stop the rot. Revert back to grassroots pro surfing.
Reckon he read Steve's article
care factor...nil
Yay, some positive news.
Give Lucy Small a call!
X2
Bahahaha!
Quite heavily infers how bad the numbers really are. But really Stark? Talk about corpo cork-soakers. If only KP was about this year we would have got pumping Box.
Who’s that mad dog that runs the ISA games? He’d be hilarious
Take his legacy with him....mid year cut and finals day can piss right off too.
I'm with you jasper99. Take that top 5 finals day shoot out and shove it where it fits. Loved the fact that Steph won but I sincerely believe that Carissa was robbed. Mid season cut is a crock of s--t.
Yep mid year cut is a load of shit. The last 2 yrs is the least pro surfing I have watched.
Memento mori
kelly would get my vote for sure - not withstanding his obvious conflicts of interest
Never quite made it out of the duck suit
Haha lol’d
So it’s finally happened. I wonder how long he has known for?
Not long after that disastrous press release surely.
WSL have a long, long way to go before I regain my love of professional surfing but at least its a step in the right direction
Wow
Haven't cared much lately due to craptastic surf and overly UScentric vibes
But - this is a big deal
Maybe get a surfer this time...
Nick von Rup would be good at selling the dream
If Kelly were made king, would he get a perpetual lifelong wildcard?
First change would have to be - finish at Pipe in December
And ditch the final 5 bizzo
And - be more mobile..
And.....
Yep, finish at Pipe...
That was the worst change out of the whole circus.....
May Eric be the final cut, cut.
Thank f*ck for that!
Erik Logans run is over.
Never was a Sandman.
Very good.
Hopefully WSL is moving towards a brave new world.
Erik was never going to bring us a dream, he’s s more ya tiled marbled or polished concrete floor type of man.
Just saying. AW
Elo Elo Elo-oo Elo
The man is dead
Don't let the door smack your arse on the way out Elo.....
No great loss there.
good news maybe someone else can bring back the spectacle of the best surfers in the best waves cause that's the only thing that made pro surfing interesting
So who gave him the bullet I thought he was top of the tree?
Just a pawn.
Hope he kept the red suit.
Slater probably
Rejoicing!!! Dancing in the streets!! Public holiday for everyone!!
It's going to be really hard for the wsl to find a more lampoonable CEO. Elo's comedic value was immense.
Maybe they can get an actual big wave charger to call the shots.
What's Laird Hamilton doing with himself these days?
Odds on Starky gets the job.
Make no mistake, the role is a poisoned chalice, the Woz has been debased so many times they're a bit of a laughing stock, but Starky is a head-kicker and doesn't give a fuck if people don't like him or not.
Plus he surfs big waves well and he already works for the company.
He’s a grub with no care for anything but the coin. Perfect fit
Geez I have to get a new Pic was quite attached to ELO.
Hahahaha! Fuck off
Looks like he was definitely let go.
There's no thanks in here, good wishes on his future, anything..
https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/517779/leadership-changes-at-the-…
The Rio flat spell was the last straw for Ziff
Ooooooo. Will we have classic radio silence when the comp recommences? Pretty big news and as Craigoss pointed out no thanks or anything. I wonder if we will be treated a “in memoriam-esque” slideshow or is just “please use the backdoor”
Probs having a beer with Pottz right now.
Hahaha
press release immediately continues the spin:
"WSL's mission to showcase the world's best surfers on the world's best waves" - Brazil beachbreaks - worlds best waves.
Emily Hofer, WSL's Chief People & Purpose Officer, and Bob Kane, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Legal Officer, will jointly lead the company
We are about to get Hoffed and Kaned!
Spot on. In my line of work I've read many an exit email for senior leaders. That one reads as a sacking, and potentially one with some heat in it as not a single word of thanks
ELO must've done something pretty bad to be shown the door so quickly, halfway through a comp and with no thanks for the effort etc type of press release ?
One can only ponder on the reason, until all the rumours/truth come out in due course ??
100% Craig. By comparison, here's Ziff's glowing message after Backwards Fin Sophie resigned.
"Sophie has had a huge impact on the WSL. She is responsible for transforming both our business capabilities and culture in her tenure as CEO,” Dirk Ziff, WSL Owner, and Board Member said.
On Elo - crickets
That presser is colder than a Vicco winter
Ha, and still crickets...
Day 2 full video- not a single mention of Erik in the 8h broadcast. Hours after the head honcho was sacked. On a computer, click on the 3 dots beside "Clip" at the bottom right of the video. Click on transcript- all 8 hours is transcribed (get rid of the live chat box) and do a page search for Erik or JMD and nothing comes back in search results. It's like he never existed!
Erik who? Removed from the history books by the Ministry of Truth
Chief People and Purpose Officer... come on? Is this what surfing has become? In less than 100 years of surfing contests as we know them, the whole thing has become more corporate than I could have ever imagined possible.
It would truly be funny if nobody took the position at all and just let the WSL disappear into obscurity, like a TV show that just couldn't get up for another season. Seize the moment comrades!
This is she:
https://medium.com/authority-magazine/how-emily-hofer-of-world-surf-lea…
Some noble causes and intent in there amidst the platitudes, corpo-speak, and straight up horse-shit*. When you read it, however, compare it to an interview, any interview, you've read in surf media, particularly the surf media that first gave birth to the Dream Tour.
The two are irreconcilable.
* The Chief People and Purpose Officer says "In 2022, our funding enabled the dedication of World Surfing Reserves in...Grajagan Bay, Indonesia."
Go back as many search pages as you like, there's not a single internet link mentioning Grajagan as a World Surfing Reserve.
“Executive Director of WSL Pure” so nothing to see here, another corpo air head
Corporate greenwash bullshit; the pros drink from disposable cups at every event.
Quote "As of December 31, 2022, we delivered the following: Reduced emissions by 49% from the 2018 baseline year.",
What the pros paddled from Australia to California on to El Salvador...?
just tasted my breakfast again reading that, a good resource to go back and read if you ever feel inadequate or have feelings of imposter syndrome in your job
And the tower left to fall apart. Emily’s all over it. Straight talker no bullshit this lady.
"In this role, Hofer leads strategy, design, and delivery of all Human Resources, Equality, Inclusion & Sustainability programs for World Surf League, Kelly Slater Wave Company, and the WSL Surf Ranch across the globe."
That sums up the rot of the WSL. 2 of the 3 organizations she is associated with are Kelly Slater centric. It's like the NBA making all their decisions based on whether they are endorsed by and benefit Michael Jordan.
If Slater didn't own a wave pool, would there be a contest in one? 30 years ago, Rick Kane was a facepalm, but at least he left the pool and went to Hawaii. Now the whole corporate clown show leaves Hawaii and goes to the pool.
The rot is in the other words
Hold on tight to your Dream Tour.
I kinda feel a bit sorry for him.
Steve Shearer's latest piece was the end as far as Ziff goes? The power of the pen!
Steve will have an obit next week. Right now though he's gotta distil his thoughts with a mix of Bundy and fermented cane sugar.
With some mid strength chasers
Steve "Loganslayer" Shearer
Another good chuckle.
There’s some comedy gold in these pages!
I wonder if the Brazzos are gonna see this as a win and think it’s cause their relentless whinging worked
Richie Lovett make your move
Who’s Beachgrit going to talk about now?
Do the entire wsl next
Barton Lynch could fill the role. A good mix of hardcore contest knowledge and humour, with surfing's soul at heart.
All time live album.
I think the choice is obvious
Charlie Medina
bwhahahahhahaa
Huey needs to endorse this news from above with some semi decent waves for the rest of the comp
Exactly! Don’t bother checking long term forecasts. Money on EE for J Bay and Old Baldy for chopes right now. Both comps are gunna pump for sure …
Luke Cederman already having a crack on Instagram.
Cunny funt.
After speaking to someone who knows, I'm starting to question our tip that Starky would get the job.
Yeah, Starky is a head-kicker, and he'd get shit done, however Californian corporate culture has a different ardor. It's all-smiling, richly symbolic, and superficial as all fuck.
Be like Arthur Dunga heading up the House of Windsor.
Finally some good news. He was clearly incompetent for the role.
Hooooraaaay!!!
How about Bethany Hamilton?
Good grief. That’s all we need - a happy clappy CEO
She can't clap
Ouch. Let me rephrase then! God botherer
Oooooof.
Hahaha, that's the funniest thing I've read for ages!
Slap on the commentor's cheek might give a resounding clap?
Her cheeks are clapping when jesus manages to rise up
wow lol
Did he bring in the Trestles finals? If so then good riddance. If not then he was a sitting duck because the format is awful.
My 2cents worth, i reckon someone like Dorian or Jamie Mitcho would make an elite leader. Respected and switched on.
I like the sentiment, but both those blokes won’t suck corpo-nob. No way.
corpo-nob.
Now there's a word that should be in the dictionary.
They gotta run today so might just tune in to Dawn Patrol tonight just to see how Joey T and the Worldly Spin Lovers report this one. Could be fun and probs more fun than the waves are gonna be..............
They’ll do what they always do, ignore anything of interest and just pretend everything is ok!
Seriously though I reckon whomever comes in, if they were to erase the mid year cut and finals day and go back to the way it was (the way I presume most competitors and fans want it again) then I think they would be seen in a better light instantly.
My guess is that this introduced cut and finals day has been his undoing and we will see it go back to the former system. There's no way he was going to stay in charge and admit the cut/finals day was a dud....
Well, there you have it. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Why so sudden? Seems like something more to this maybe?
What went down in Brazil???
Exactly my thoughts !
He's had a major fuckup to be given the boot halfway through a comp and before season end ??
JMD has just called brazil comp on 5 hours prior to sunlight, 4 -5 ft peeling left barrels on offer
3’ mushy backwashy close outs actually
Nathan Fletcher would do a good job
Chief people and purpose officer!
Nauseating.
New CEO option? This forward thinking executive would be a good fit to WSL's progressive brand ambitions to move away from outdated notions of quality waves and appealing to the out of touch core surfing audience as being important.
... and she is now free after sorting out Bud Lite's marketing:
In the interests of keeping up with the times, something like that is clearly the most logical - dare I say progressive - next step for the wsl
Surely there must be a backdoor to pin the controversial ELO Disco Judging booth saga on swellnet...
Sick of being an active community of tiny insignificant victims of domestic Abuse...we sought vengeance!
Crew are praying tbb is making this up...you wish! (Word for Word...we've been implicated...drool!)
Wot! A me too Class Action...think so! Yeah! Coz like we we've been innocently harmed for too long!
Think tbb means irrevocably harmed...Yeah! That too!
Surf Policeman: Well Dirk! The Wave Pool Disco Booth Judges Got Him...
Dirk : Oh No! It wasn't The Wave Pool Disco Booth Judges ...
t'was swellnet commentators that Killed the beast
All know wot swellnet did last WSL Wave Pool contest.
Beach Grit airbrushed our cry for help on the side of ELO's Sandman...
https://beachgrit.com/2023/06/world-surf-league-ceo-erik-logan-slammed-…
The Brazzo (vs) Team USA Judged D Day or ELO curtain call can be blamed on The Faceless Men...
https://shop.australianlabor.com.au/page/3/
Oh Shit! Oopsie! Not them...Same but Different Faceless Men...
tbb recalls this Faceless Men story came out around 2018/19 (Involves ELO / WSL Computa Judges)
Basically the cameras rule out any wave reading or flow of a surfer...
Now ya just zoom in & tick the trick & press click...up pops yer score...move onto the next grid...click!
It's clear : Robot Judges are not rewarding wave riding skill but acrobatic tricks on computer grids!
Don't need tbb to say told ya so...Brazzos know so...Judges caught pervin' on Surf Vid freeze frames!
https://beachgrit.com/2019/09/question-why-does-the-world-surf-league-b…
At least Joe Turpel’s throat will now have time to rest and recover.
I know that’s super low brow…but I couldn’t stop myself.
I have heard that despite being as enjoyable to listen to as Kevin Pietersen, Joey Turpel is a top shelf bloke who would give you the shirt off his back.
Aren’t you going to miss him saying “always great to have our supreme leader grand poobah imperial wizard Eric Logan joining the call”
he should walk just like the others . they sold out in a manner that was week and characterless . Regardless of the complete bullshit they were being fed not one of them questioned the script. Yes we all tow the line to some degree with work environments but theirs was a desperate act . Are they now going to write on their gram accounts how they much they will miss Elo and what a great job he did ???? because that's what we heard endlessly from the mouths of this sad bunch . OFF WITH THEIR HEADS
A worthy tribute to elo …
- and the sequel ;)
There is only one man for the job.
Roy Slaven.
Absolutely. And coming from the surf-drenched town of Lithgow, Roy would be a natural fit.
Can't believe the WSL hired someone from surfless Oklahoma City.
So how much direct influence did ELO have? Was it, he said this and that happened type deal? ie: he wanted the cut, finals etc?
I’d be thinking the corporate shit fuckery and tanking off professional surfing would be down to more than one person.
I'm going to have to crack a beer and celebrate.
To Elo's departure...... cheers. ... ahh fark that tastes so good.
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They also had the fella front and centre on the telecast the other day i believe
101 comments and no one sad to see him go.
Speaks volumes.
If there’s to be a tour , I’d like to see it starting at pipe in February with a 25 day window for all comps . Pipe , Bells , MR ( mobile ) Kandui (left or right depending on conditions ) JBay , Cloudbreak , Chopes, Biarritz , Spain ? , and finishing in late November to December at Sunset beach . I know it will never happen , its just something I’d see as a dream tour .
As someone who lives where a comp is... horrific idea to extend the waiting period. The circus goes on long enough when it comes to town, especially as it's held in the best season for waves here.
I'm sure Elo isn't stupid per se, but somehow this whole debacle reminds me of John Wayne:
Put Dane Reynolds in charge
Or Bobby Martinez
Wonder if Ziff and WSL will put somebody from Brasil or South America in charge. Doubtful but possible.
Good riddance to Logan. I always thought he was using WSL as a stepping stone to executive network tv job, but I think the failure of ABC reality surfer show was a gut punch to his aspirations. Still, we will probably see him land an executive job at somewhere like Disney/ABC, after the WGA writers’ strike shutdown of tv and film production ends in late Summer/early Fall. In Hollywood, sycophant idiots fail up.
Better Call Small.
You heard it here first - new Dream(in’) Tour!
Snapper, Bells/Winki, The Box, Grajagan, Treasure Island, J-Bay, Cloudbreak, La Graviere, Anchor Point, Sunset, Pipeline.
I thought The Cut was a very good decision. Many, many people were long complaining (including me) that there are too many heats which, among other things, almost guaranteed a lot of heats would need to run in poor conditions.
The plan to create a dramatic mid-season carrot and then streamline the comp towards the pointy end of the season sounded good to me. The resulting deflating tension has only been obvious in retrospect and the WSL has been very unlucky with swell conditions.
Finals is the bigger problem. I reckon they will just tinker with the cut, but having finals at a bang average venue (and the resulting lack of any tension in the back half of the tour) has tested even the true lovers of competitive surfing.
It’s a long way back to restore pro surfing to what it once was. The last comp I watched and enjoyed was the Eddie. Great grassroots approach with epic waves.
The WSL under Elo’s watch became corpo wanker MTV crap. All the hype with no idea.
Basically surfing run by a non surfer.
One of my favourite things about pro surfing was the road to Hawaii. Surf all year at the other spots and have the shoot out at the home of surfing.
Decide the world champ at pipe
Consolation prize was surfing for the triple crown not send in clips
Eric Logan decided to take that all away.
The whole establishment has become embarrassing. This is your legacy Mr Logan
Let’s see what happens next
Shane Flanagan said a thing about I think Michael Maguire when he was sacked a while back - it was along the lines of I just called the bloke to make sure he's ok. He's a person, he's got a family and he's going to be rattled.
Don't know the guy or have much opinion. Hope he's ok.
Been underwhelmed with wsl last year or so. Might be different if Huey delivered. I wouldn't want the gig being hamstrung with lack of sponsorship and meeting costs plus now significant prize money to girls and guys.
Bring back 2016(I think) with pumping jbay, chopes and cloud break. Think pipe was good and snapper too.
No cut, and make Pipe last & worth double points to spice it up.
Double points at Pipe you say ??
I like it !!
This is bad. The ruination of pro surfing was almost complete. Hopefully Elo's work has not gone to waste.
haha great comment
I’m surprised that he lasted as long as he did.
The sexual harassment of the male surfers was blatant
There’s also the possibility he was caught in flagrante delicto on a Brasilian “lay day”.
Just for the record, Paul Speaker stepped down as CEO on 11th Jan 2017.
Paul's departure was announced via a personal letter "to the WSL community", which suggests there was at least a degree of planning.
Dirk Ziff then stepped in as interim CEO.
Sophie Goldschmidt was appointed CEO on 19 July 2017, and took over from Dirk in August.
That's almost seven months between CEOs, which for a planned leadership change, seems to be an awfully long time.
I wonder how long it will take for the WSL to find a new CEO, given that circumstances suggest Elo's departure was somewhat unplanned?
For sure. There would have been endless babble around “legacy, valued member of the WSL family, bla bla bla” had he not been suddenly punted IMHO
Billionaires can put up with much protected from most earthly cares by the thick insulation provided by wads of $$$$$$$.
But one thing can penetrate this layer like a knife through butter.
Humiliation.
The WSL failure machine with its grumpy and vocal core audience pointing out every mistep on social media has become Ziff's cryptonite.
Elo takes the fall.
To be replaced by someone clearly part of the problem if her job title is any guide.
Chief People and Purpose Officer
More humiliation incoming?
The most important issue I gleaned from this article is wax in or wax out?
I disagree with "Great White Snark" and think it is a highly pertinent question that has baffled man since the beginning of the shortboard revolution.
Definitely Wax out, Nose first, as the rail fits in your hand better, you don't get wax on yourself, with 0 sunscreen on your arms, as more sun conscious to be wearing a long arm rashie.
Oh yeah, also bring back Rabbit and the Dream tour.
Rio, really?
Brazilian storm or not, Rio does not warrant a surf comp.
Who is not pumped for J Bay and Tahiti?
What about when the wind is blowing hard?
Nose pointed inwards and down
When the sun is blazing and melting your wax?
wax inwards away from the direct sun
Still not a word on his MySpace page
So its a bit of a coincidence that the shit hits the fan just after Steve Shearer's/Swellnets review and bagging out of the WSL and its funny how hes not around at the moment........conspiracy theory is that he's over talking to Dirk Ziff now and is going to take over the reins of the wozzle !!!!!!
Rumour has it Lukashenko has brokered a deal to give him asylum in Belarus, As long as they get a wavepool.
Another observation: how important is surfing news - specifically that of the WSL - to non-surfers?
One way to gauge is via global media coverage of this event. I don't follow any major sporting leagues but surely the ousting of any global CEO would be A Very Big Deal.
Of course, almost every surfing media entity (website, blog, social media) has covered this story, as would be expected.
Interestingly, Surfline - by far and away the biggest global surfing website (thanks to the recent closure and traffic redirection of MagicSeaweed, which it owns) have not published a single thing.
But, now that 48 hours have passed since the news broke, I'm interested to see which non-endemic media outlets have covered it.
Reuters - the global news syndication service - reaches "over 2000 publishers and 600 broadcasters each day" who pay a fee for a regular supply of news from all corners of the globe, across all kinds of topics. This means most news outlets don't need journalists to spend time covering the story, it's provided to them ready-to-publish.
Reuters took just over four hours to write and publish their story; it was uploaded at 1:45pm Friday:
https://www.reuters.com/sports/world-surf-league-ceo-logan-exits-mid-se…
Since then, the only global news websites that have re-published Reuters' story - or indeed, written their own - seem to be The Guardian and Yahoo!.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jun/30/world-surf-league-ceo-eri…
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/breaking-news-erik-logan-wsl-233523645…
The West Australian and Perth Now are the only Australian publishers that have run anything (note: they're both owned by Seven West Media, so essentially under similar editorial direction; also, their audiences are WA-only).
https://thewest.com.au/sport/surfing/world-surf-league-ceo-logan-exits-…
https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/surfing/world-surf-league-ceo-logan-e…
Of course, this issue may have been covered by major publishers from Brazil, Portugal, France, Japan etc, but I'm unable to verify. I suspect it's been similarly quiet on that front though.
So what does this mean?
Seems to be that surfing simply isn't on the radar for anyone other than the core surfing community.
Which says a lot as to Elo's failed content/media/biz strategy over the last five years or so.
Broken record I know but surfing's boring as fuck for people who don't surf, and equally boring for those of us who live and love it when the waves are shit. The salad days are dead. Trying to force it into the mainstream and make it profitable is a flawed concept.
The salad days were when the surf companies made so much money that they could prop up an unprofitable tour. They were great days because everything they did was for surfers only. Maybe if we all just start buying Rip Curl t-shirts again?
I'm guessing ELO was only on the Guardian's radar because of the equal pay story a while back, not because Guardian readers care about surfing.
Content warning- may induce involuntary digestive issues-
"elo_eriklogan O g. 2 Touchdown Rio de Janeiro! lol It's an immense honor to be back in Brazil, the land of samba, sun, and spectacular surf! We are thrilled to once again soak in the vibrant energy, stunning beaches, and powerful waves that this country is renowned for.
Hosting press conferences is always a highlight of our tours, and there's no place quite like Rio to do this. We can't wait to engage with the local and international press in this stunning city, share stories, and build anticipation for the World Surf League event.
©
It's always an enriching experience for our surfers and staff alike to have the opportunity to meet, talk, and interact with the journalists who are as passionate about surfing as we are.
The chance to answer questions, share insights, and engage in meaningful conversations about the sport we love is something we always look forward to.
But it's not just about us - these events are as much about you, the fans and the incredible community that supports us.
Your passion and enthusiasm are what drives this sport and make every wave, every ride, and every event so special.
Stay tuned for some exhilarating action on the waves, and as always, thank you for your unwavering support. Together lets make the World Surf League event in Brazil a surfing spectacle to remember! a K 8 6
#worldsurfleague #vivoriopro #pressconference"
Good riddance, if they switched up a few events it would bring it back to the dream tour.
-Get rid of the final 5, finish with pipe in December.
-Replace sunset beach, rio, El Salvador and surf ranch with G-Land, snapper rocks, cloudbreak and make trestles an event. Worse case scenario keep Brazilian event over trestles no big loss.
Any bets they won’t do any of the above even though it’s what the viewers want.
I’ve got plenty of time on my hands at the moment, so I went back and checked the YouTube stream from day 1 of the Brazil CT and JMD is front and centre, cheerily calling the comp on. Very strange that she was nowhere to be seen when the comp resumed, after the sacking of ELO and Renato was doing the calls.
So possibly JMD has also been given her marching orders? Maybe Ziffy boy wasn’t too impressed that she didn’t run heats at the box?
The suspense is killing me..
I'm sure someone around here knows what happened by now.
I'm guessing writing a semi threatening open letter to his brazillian 'athletes' about the judging, and then going to probably had something to do with it. Probably why he tried to write his little crawling love letter to them a few days ago. A last ditch effort. Was probably getting death threats left right and centre.
Who knows though. He has a habit of fukcing things up spectacularly!
I think it is pretty obvious, the Elo was an AI construct all along. Those behind-the-scenes decided to sacrifice the Elo to garner renewed interest in a flagging tour before the last legs. Can't wait to see the deployment of Elo 2.0
Rumours of Starky taking the Top Job? I'm sorry, I think that would be the next disaster and I'm not Robinson Crusoe!
Surely we need to put it in the hands of someone who will put surfing first, not themselves first or jobs for the boys?
Rabbit in the mix, definitely yes, has many runs on the board. Kieren Perrow yes, nice guy, personable, knows his s... Christian Beserra, yes runs on the board and out for the Competitors 'best'.
Hey Clive,
'Twas our first thoughts, however after speaking to someone who knows, the WSL has positioned themselves as darlings of the California corpo-enviro-philanthropy set and need someone who'll toe that line - who can give an appearance of solidity to pure wind as Orwell said - and Starky may have too many rough edges for that.
Rough edges, politely put. :) Appreciate the reply.
Ah Christian! Hadn't thought of him.. lovely guy and a solid corporate background. Rips too. Yep, definite contender.
Yah Surfline has mainly what could be considered as 'fluff pieces' and no comments or feedback to articles, which is a major drawback imo. Probably so everyone can't tell Nick Carrol to STFU when he's continually banging on about 'the light' in his prose learned at his creative writing class. BTW I only subscribe to SL for the Philippines forecasts which SN doesn't have, but in saying that, the SL forecasts are total shit :) Don't want to rock the boat re Elo, or bite the hand that feeds them, whatever.
Here is one of Nick Carrol's newest creative cool surf writing innovations I noted that is a little grating (adding to his liberal sprinkling of "kinda" from his Hipster Surf Writing Course spice bottle).
"summertime hits a lil different here" ("little" is not cool enough anymore and needed a touch up....)
Worryingly, I found a fellow surfline contributor Matt Pruett also using the same hipster lingo: "a sneaky lil swell went north".
Steve, if you are out of hiding and read this, note that ageing hipster gonzo surf writing lingo seems catching (worryingly I think I might have seen a few "kinda" sprinkled into a few write ups). No "lil" please.
I'm guilty of using 'kinda' these days when writing. Also 'gotta' and 'gonna'. 'Lil' is a bit too far for me.
And if you ever catch me using "y'all", backhand me and make sure I feel it.
An Americanism that gets to me is ‘off of’…can’t stand it :)
Or 'I could care less'.
That one does my head in too.
In fairness, Aussies say ‘would of' or 'could of'.
could've and would've are ok
interesting re off of, fun to consider
Hah, I use y'all to piss my colleagues off. They are all falling over themselves trying to greet you in Maori - macrons and all - so I respond in redneck speak.
That's classic! Could come back in Jutish or Saxon too...
I like the informality of 'kinda' and 'gonna', and as for 'l'il'...well I made it up, and who cares if I was copied by Lil Wayne and Lil Red Riding Hood, the fucker is mine, y'all.
Always thought correct English was 'gunna.'
I got mocked in primary school for using 'gunna' on a home-made ghostbusters t-shirt.
I just use 'gonna' as it's a contraction/bastardisation of 'going to' rather than the phonetic spelling.
While we're at it, can we oust Kaipo from the commentary box? Seems like a nice guy, but fuck me...
A wave so good y'all soil your diapers.
Peanut butter jelly time! Peanut butter jelly time! Happy 4th July everyone.
Edit: 'buddy' use is widespread. The immediate response might be 'I'm not your buddy, guy.'
But I'll go for something more poetic:
I wonder if Bobby Martinez has a job at the moment.
What about Eddie "The Predator" Blackwell for a new WSL CEO?
The stories suggest he has got a bit of mongrel in him and could shake things up in the ESG soaked boardroom.
Testosterone has had a bad rap.
Eddie would be all for some heavy reefs, tough judging calls and colourful commentary.
Now we need to eradicate the judges that give 10 point rides for 1 bullshit Favela spin...
Slater gets asked about the Woz CEO role and his answer is emphatic.
See 8:15
Although it's not a bad interview from start to finish.
Hows the recollection from 1992 ; amazing.
Good interview Stu, I liked that. The Pope is stoked on surfing haha
Thanks for the morning laugh Udo
hahaha
JMD has removed ‘chief of sport’ from her title on Insta………..heading off into the sunset or heading to the top?
She was very conspicuous by her absence from Bells.
The sooner she's gone the better. Call the box on ffs.
How do they go 9 months without announcing a proper CEO? Is it cause Ziff is ditching the show?
No doubt there is legal action taking place. Maybe ELo went them for unfair dismissal, or they are pursuing him for something. Gag orders all round
This was posted recently. ELo marketing himself as a core surfer makes me want to vomit
https://www.theinertia.com/surf/erik-logan-opens-up-after-his-world-sur…
^ Looks like Elo might be paving the way to a ted talk, and career in corporate motivational speaking..?
Fella is an unmitigated gobshite.
Yeah not paying to read that, cheers Stab
Ryan Crosby from Riot Games? CV and headshot look right..
https://www.riotgames.com/en/who-we-are/riot-games-leadership/ryan-cros…
Looks that way, fucken Chad Chadington.
"Ryan is an avid surfer and golfer, and serves on the board of directors for the Surfriders Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean for all people."
ELO 2.0??
Grew up inland, came to surfing later in life, previously in charge of things like ‘content’ and production in the entertainment industry.
Could it be more of the same?
Be funny if he was SUP rider to boot.
Good luck new guy, you're gonna need it.