There was barely time to exit the pool, post Surf Ranch Pro, before Gabriel Medina firmly put his thoughts across about the WSL judges.
Check out his post below, no love lost there. And Filipe Toledo’s more recent post also.
“However, the surfing community, especially Brazil, has been plagued by a lack of clarity and inconsistency in note definition for many years, but lately that has been even more shocking. – Gabriel Medina
Please understand the importance of this discussion.
Surfing is my life, and my love for this sport is unconditional. I surf with passion and I intend to leave a beautiful legacy when I look back one day.
However, the surfing community, especially Brazil, has been plagued by a lack of clarity and inconsistency in note definition for many years, but lately that has been even more shocking.
It is clear that the judges’ assessment is now rewarding a very simple surf, incomplete transitions and PROGRESSIONS and VARIETY is being completely removed from the equation. This is very frustrating and threatens the growth of the sport.
Fans and sponsors will not accept this to continue and in the near future will walk away as they expect equal and fair judgement for the sport.
It is also important to note that many coaches have had the opportunity to talk to WSL after the drums/steps to discuss PROGRESSION and VARIETY in criterion and lack of appreciation for maneuvers. Feedback received is always quite defensive, with bad examples to illustrate their arguments.
WSL urgently needs to clarify its criteria and apply fair judgment to preserve the evolution of the sport.
Thank you,
Gabriel Medina and all Brazil 🇧🇷.
*To all Brazilian surfers and anyone else who feels included in this message:*
After a long day, of many thoughts, analyses, news and arguments, I realized that I was tired, psychologically exhausted. It’s not easy to spend 10 years swallowing hard.
I’m a surfer, original and rooted, who grew up among real surfers, and fairness has always been one of the main points in my experience. That’s why I feel tired.
For the love of sport, I’m still firm and strong. And now, I feel happy seeing the posts by Gabriel Medina, Ítalo Ferreira, and many others, who can still adhere to the idea that what we seek will always be the evolution of the sport, with justice and transparency.
We want nothing but fair. Nothing beyond what is our right. We need our voice to be heard and respected, because, after all, we are the protagonists of it all!
Finally, I hope that everyone, family, friends, fans and sponsors, understand my position on this situation and are supporting me in the best way!
Ps: I want it to be clear that other surfers, regardless of their nationalities, have nothing to do with this. Like me, they are also fighting for their dreams. And attacking or disrespecting them won’t change anything, it only gets worse for us Brazilians!
Filipe Toledo
