Tour De Fatigue
Title race decided; some pro-surfers subjected to meaningless attendance, and others morning TV.
Mundaka is shaping up to be a lean cuisine event, in terms of surfers. After going down to Ace Buchan in the Quiksilver Pro France, Kelly weighed into the why-is-Mundaka-on-the-dream-tour-and-my-sponsor-isn’t-holding-the-event-so-I-can-say-this debate, saying, “I don’t think we should have an event there. I love the wave, great place, nothing personal, it’s just too frustrating of an event.” Fanning has pulled out with a groin injury, Dingo and Neco Padaratz (yep, he’s still on tour) are out with respective ailments and Bruce and Andy have pressed eject due to a variety of personal reasons (check the next Stab for insights into Andy’s departure). Add to that Mundaka’s history as the most fickle wave on the ‘Dream Tour,’ and you couldn’t pay me in Jessica Alba virgins to be contest director Snips Parsons right now.
Sensing the growing disillusionment in the top forty-five, we spoke to the one remaining title contender, Taj Burrow*, for his take on where the unenthused tour is at.
“I've never seen morale like this since I've been on tour,” said Taj.
“With Kelly so far ahead, no one cares. Everyone's using whatever excuse they can to pull out of the next two events."
Although competitor interest in the tour is waning, the Quiksilver Pro France witnessed what could well be the performance highlight of the year in the Taj Vs Dane heat.
“Sure wasn't cool to be on the receiving end of that,” said Taj about his match up against his new-school successor. “That’s the way I like to surf a heat.”
He then had this to say about Dane’s first wave, the one where he threw down a big gouge and a huge air reverse, scoring a 9.33: “It was a heavy section, one you'd just be happy to hang the fins out to dry but he did the biggest air I've ever seen! You shoulda seen what it looked like from behind! It was huge! He did a big hack and then that thing! It was bigger than anything he did in his closing section Stranger Than Fiction. He should've gotten a ten." -Jed Smith
*Yeah, we know, just mathematically, that is. If Slater picks up his rashie for any event this year, the title’s his.
To see the heat: Click the link, then video, then heats on demand, then round four, heat five. Contests sure ain’t what they used to be.
