by Craig Jarvis | May 29, 2023 | Photo Of The Day, St Francis
by admin | May 29, 2023 | St Francis, Surfing
The Wave Pool Vibe
The feelings and emotions towards the Kelly Slater Wave Pool in Lemoore, California, are hard to quantify. For one undoubted, the wave is undoubtedly incredible. For the second solid fact, the wave is incredibly dull to watch.
Some of us managed to watch a few heats. But, at the same time, other people, die-hard fans of professional surfing, chose either the FOSTER Jol or the Red Hot Chilli Peppers jol instead of watching the contest.
Surfing and F1
I managed a few heats, but watching the men getting into a tiny, wrapped-up crouching yoga position on their surfboards and remaining in that one position for as long as they could, became beyond mundane. I had to turn off the tv. It is not in any way a viewer-friendly event. Maybe if you’re there in person, it would be pretty exciting, but remember that the wave is very long, so for a spectator parking off at one spot, it would be a bit like watching F1. You get to watch the cars for one split second every lap as they whizz past you.
Drive To Survive
At least in F1, you have several vehicles. With the wave pool, one person is riding at one time, and if you’re sitting on the left when they go over to the right-handers, you may as well be sitting on the toilet. Unless the toilets have an elevated view and have a window facing the pool. Then the toilest would be better than the grandstands.
The crowd during the Final at the Surf Ranch Pro. photo by Aaron Hughes/World Surf League)
So it’s quirky, but the contest does find winners, and these winners might or might not use the victory points to make a slot in the coveted top 5 as the competitive year starts to wind down.
Make Or Break
What the contest, as well as the surfers, do need, though, is consistency from the judges, and according to Gabriel Medina, this wasn’t happening at all, and this is exactly what led to the Wave Pool Blow Out With Gabriel Medina situation. See below
The three-time world champ Gabriel Medina posted an open letter to the WSL complaining of kak judging following his shock loss to Ethan Ewing in the quarter-finals of the Surf Ranch Pro.
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Dear WSL,
Please understand the importance of this discussion.
Surfing has been my life and my love for this sport is unconditional. I have put all my heart into and and want to leave a beautiful legacy one day when I look back at it.
However the surfing community, especially in Brazil, is mesmerized with the poor clarity and inconsistence of judging for many years now, but lately it has been even more shocking.
It is quite clear that judging is now rewarding very simple surfing, seamless transitions and have taken critical turns in critical sections off the criteria. This is very frustrating and is stagnating the sport.
Fans and sponsor will not accept this to continue and will in a near future be draw away once all they want is equal and fair judging to the sport.
Also, important to note that many coaches and managers have had the opportunity to speak to WSL after heats/events to ask about PROGRESSION and VARIETY in the criteria and the lack of reward for this space. The response given by them is always quite defensive by giving poor examples to illustrate THEIR point.
WSL needs urgently to clarify judging and apply equal and fair judging to save the progression of the sport.
Thanks,
Gabriel Medina and Brasil
Wave Pool Blow Out With Gabriel Medina. Photo by Aaron Hughes/World Surf League)
To see what Stab Mag thinks, check this out here – STAB And The Thing With Medina
by admin | May 29, 2023 | FOSTER, St Francis
Finally, the time for the second FOSTER Jol since COVID arrived on Saturday 27 May, and what a Jol it was. Chris Costanza, Sasha and the rest of the band brought the house down with their incredible music showcasing our amazing local talent. The Cape St Francis Resort hosted the event for FOSTER and provided the Mexican-themed potjies eagerly devoured by the happy crowd taking a much-needed break from “jolling” or refuge from the somewhat cool evening. Zeppi’s photo booth again proved to be a hit and thanks to Flavi and Terri from Flavi’s and Seals Home for sponsoring some prizes.
Thank you to all the Jollers who came out and supported this now-annual important fundraiser for FOSTER who continue to maintain the 3 Reserves in the Cape St Francis area as well as the Cape St Francis Reserve which borders Santereme/St Francis Bay.
The reserves are in pristine condition and the Alien Removal Project has done wonders in restoring the natural biodiversity of our reserves. FOSTER’s vision is to conserve, maintain, protect, and provide access to the biodiversity of the FOSTER-managed Reserves, whilst promoting active stewardship of the environment through educational and collaborative activities of our members, tourists, the public and our stakeholders.
FOSTER’s primary role is to nurture (foster) and preserve the biodiversity in the Irma Booysen, Seal Point, Seal Bay and Cape St Francis Nature Reserves. Its secondary role is to ensure that the reserves can be enjoyed by the greater community and visitors through the maintenance of the walking trails and cycle paths that do not damage the sensitive dunes and vegetation found in the reserves. Should you wish to support FOSTER please join up or donate via the website at foster.org.za.
by admin | May 29, 2023 | Kouga Municipality, St Francis
IN its increased drive to restore roads, Kouga Municipality has prioritised the urgent repair of potholes across the Kouga region – taking the problem to heart.
Work, to be carried out by a contractor and teams from Kouga Municipality in all nine towns, commenced today.
It is important to note that potholes cannot be repaired if the road is wet or if there is water in the potholes.
Kouga Executive Mayor, Horatio Hendricks, said, “The municipality is aware of the myriad of potholes on local roads, which have been taking a severe beating with the recent rain.
“The damage to roads was made worse by years of neglect by previous Councils to maintain the region’s internal road network,” he said. “The lifespan of a road is only about 20 to 25 years, then it has to be rebuilt. Roads also have to be resealed at least once every seven years.
“Most roads in Kouga are far older than 25 years and have never been resealed – apart from the roads that have been resealed since the 2020/2021 financial year under the DA-led municipality.
“This means that the entire road network actually needs to be rebuilt and that filling potholes is simply a temporary fix for a far more serious problem.”
Hendricks concluded that the municipality, who is aware of the extent of the problem, is committed to repair potholes across the region.
by admin | May 29, 2023 | Action Sports Media, St Francis
Championship Tour Surfing: Carissa Moore and Griffin Colapinto Win Surf Ranch Pro Presented by 805 Beer
LEMOORE, Calif., USA – Carissa Moore(HAW) and Griffin Colapinto (USA) won the Surf Ranch Pro Presented by 805 Beer, Stop No. 6 on the World Surf League (WSL) 2023 Championship Tour (CT), in front of a live audience of surf fans in Lemoore, Calif. After their big wins today, Moore and Colapinto have taken the rankings leads. Caroline Marks (USA) and Italo Ferreira (BRA) earned runner-up finishes after putting on outstanding performances.
The world’s best surfers will now turn their attention to Central America as they prepare for the Surf City El Salvador Pro Presented by Corona, Stop No. 7 on the 2023 CT. Only four more events remain before the Rip Curl WSL Finals, and competitors are starting to feel the pressure of clinching a spot in the WSL Final 5.
Carissa Moore Achieves Second Surf Ranch Pro Victory
Five-time World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) claimed her second Surf Ranch Pro win and third CT event win of the season. Moore has had an exceptional year and will now be back in the yellow Leader jersey going into the Surf City El Salvador Pro. Today’s win adds to Moore’s long list of accomplishments, including a Gold Medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and her 28th CT victory. As the No. 1 surfer on the rankings, she is now well on her way to qualifying for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris and securing a place in the WSL Final 5.
“You can’t wipe the smile off my face right now, and to be sharing the podium with these amazing humans is an honour,” said Moore. “I think all of us as athletes just want to perform to the best of our potential, and I definitely think there was more for me to give out here. But I felt happy and present, and that’s what matters most to me. I didn’t really imagine it would go quite this good, and I’m just really happy. I have a lot of family and friends here, and watching all over the world, so I really appreciate all the love. It’s a perfect wave, but it’s really difficult to ride. It took a couple surfs to figure out the timing again and get to calm the nerves, but I just felt really good.”
Moore set the standard with an excellent 8.60 (out of possible 10) on her first right of the Final to apply major pressure to one of the sport’s phenoms, Caroline Marks (USA). Moore’s 7.93 backup ride put Marks into an all-or-nothing situation for her second round of waves. Marks went to the air for her final attempt but fell on the landing. The score came up short of what she required, and Moore emerged victorious once again.
Griffin Colapinto Wins First CT Event of the Season
Griffin Colapinto (USA) left everything out in the water during each heat today and reserved his best for the Final against 2019 World Champion Italo Ferreira (BRA). Ferreira and Colapinto went wave-for-wave during the Final, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats. Colapinto started strong, posting an excellent 8.70 and a backup of 7.83. Ferreira was able to take the lead after earning an 8.70 himself and backup of 8.13. Colapinto was left needing a big score and delivered just that, turning in a near-perfect 9.70.
“It means everything to win a CT in California, especially to win here, because everyone gets the same opportunity, and there’s so much that goes into your physical ability,” said Colapinto. “A lot of hard work went into this. I’m feeling really good and just so psyched; all my friends and family are here, so to win with them here is just insane. That Final was so crazy, and it’s trippy to watch Italo’s (Ferreira) waves and hope he fell, so I’m just over the moon. I had no clue I was No. 1 until you told me, and it’s a crazy feeling being in the yellow jersey.”
Ethan Ewing: (Photo by Kenny Morris/World Surf League)
Colapinto’s flawless run through Finals Day had him up against some of Brazil’s best, starting with a jaw-dropping win over Surf Ranch standout Yago Dora (BRA). He then eliminated World Champion and defending event winner Filipe Toledo (BRA) in the Semifinals, one of the day’s biggest upsets.
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