ASP judging problems: it´s on!!

We´re right now watching second stop of ASP´s/Zosea 2014 Surfing World Tour.

After a cool event in Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast, when for a brief moment we thought that some changes were about to take place, we soon recommence to visualize the good olds issues with ASP.

#1: UNFAIR JUDGING
#2: BIASED COMMENTATORS

#1: UNFAIR JUDGING? SAD AND EASY TO SHOW. Let´s see a few examples that happened only in round 3:

GABRIEL MEDINA x JOHN JOHN FLORENCE

Take one: JJF takes a righthander, puts a little cutback then race down the line and throws a nice air, but with controlling problems to stick the turn. But he completes. CRAZINESS!! Martin Potter and Joe Turpell (the commentators) gets crazy about how freakish is JJF, how he´s the best surfer, his recovering capabilities, etc etc.

SCORE: 8.5, for a cutback and an uncontroled air.

JJF one and a half turn: 8.50

Take two: few minutes after JJF´s 8.5, Medina gets a set wave. Two hacks off the top combo with lot of inversion, then throws a backside air reverse with perfect control and still gets a fourth turn to end the wave.

SCORE: 8.77. Only .27 better than JJF´s prior wave?? NO WAY. Medina´s wave had more variety and control. And lots of risk too. So, JJF´s wave could never be only .27 lower than Medina´s. And you could see how sad commentators was on the booth because their favourite boy was losing again to Medina.

Medina´s 4 turn wave: 8.77

JOEL PARKO x KOLOHE ANDINO

Parko is well known for been absolutely overscored by ASP judges. But sometimes Richie Porta´s criteria is over the top! In his heat against Kolohe Andino he gets an 8.50 and a 6.0 for waves with no consequence and risk. Unfair. Kolohe was in his traditional mood, and couldn´t win any heat in that day, but still, watching your opponent be overscored all heat long doesn´t help with anybody´s confidence.

Parko´s 8.5. Unfair to Kolohe and to the spectators on the beach and over the web. Sad.

JULIAN WILSON x FILIPE TOLEDO

That was sad too. It´s unbeliavable how Julian Wilson get scores with waves with no major manouvres. Richie Porta´s judges gave him a 7.17 for a wave that wasn´t a 5.5. Unfair.

Julian is actually needing some help form the judging pannel, as nothing brillant happened in 2014 so far.

The key factor is: When you compete with a surfer that is a media/judges darling, you really need to outsurf your oponent AND the judges pre adjusted will to give that guy better scores. That´s not fair. And a professional sport should be fair! Is not the best surfer in the judges pre-formed opinion that must win a heat. The winner must be the surfer who surfed the best in THAT heat, counting his two best waves!

#2: COMMENTATORS BIAS - EASY TO SHOW

Just take heat analyzer and rewatch a heat. Let´s talk about something that bothers me for a long time. This shit used to be very frequent in Kelly Slater´s heats, but nowadays is much more spread. 

When guys like Kelly, JJF, Parko and Julian Wilson goes to a turn and that turn evetually loses some control (but is completed), what commentators says: 

"What a HUGE turn from John John!! Is amazing his hability to recover from a difficult situation and complete the manouver!! He´s gonna get huge points for that!!"

If that same turn is done by a non biased/media darling surfer, what commentators says:

"Well, it was a nice turn form Freddy P, but he´s lost some control. This lack of control may affect his potencial on that wave!! He´s gonna lose points for that!!"

Alright: if is Kelly´s or JJF wave, they get compliments for losing and recovering control. If is a "normal" ASP surfer, they get a lower score.

Try to reflect on that. Commentators using different criterias to analyse professional surfers in their ASP world tour heats THAT´S UNFAIR. 

I´m really pissed of with this non-changing aspects of ASP.

ASP 2014 (ZoSea): the good old problems remain?

Well,

we´ve been waiting for a few months for the "new" ASP to arrive.

After acquiring  the whole ASP for free, ZoSea (read Kelly Slater), announces its first news for 2014.

- A new commentators team (more or less the same), not too many problems on that.

- It seems that head judge Richie Porta continues. (Great, great news for guys like  Joel Parko and Julian Wilson: improved scores on the way, boys!!!)

Great news for Parko!! Porta is still there!

- A new fresh air of liberty seemed appear.... Lewis Samuels with his Power Rankings on ASP´s new website??? Nice!!

Where´s Lewis on ASP´s  surfing media??

NEW ASP`S FIASCO #1:

Well, not so nice, as in less than 48 hours after his first taste on ASP, Lewis page just disappeared.... ANd his presence on ASP 2014 is gone too!! What The fuck??? It seems that our brand new ASP has some old bad habits still very present on board.

First ASP´s censored post of the year!!

ASP guys, didn´t you know Lewis before?? That guy is a truth teller!! If ASP only wanna have some sugar boys writing sugar content, why did you asked for him??

In our digital world, people need and like more and more engagement, the real deal, and not uninteresting content made to dumb people. Watch out, Terry H. and K.S.

We´´ll be watching closely!!