Photo: WSL/Cait Miers
At the kickoff to the World Surf League’s Challenger Series, the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro, Santa Cruz’s Nat Young was sent packing in the Round of 32. His loss, however, was questionable. Nat needed a 7.21; and with a little over a minute on the clock, he laid down a searing backhand barrage on the Snapper Rocks wall. But still, it wasn’t enough.
The judges gave the wave a 4.03. Cue the controversy.
Hordes of surfers hopped on Nat’s repost of the wave. “That score definitely didn’t make sense,” wrote Leo Fioravanti. “They must have closed their eyes on that one! Watched it live was hammers!!!!!” typed Tanner Gudauskas. “Woooo crazy stuff. How can that be a 4???” questioned Jake Paterson. “Drug test the judges,” chirped Jack Freestone.
Now, in a rare move, the WSL has walked back the original score, and admitted fault. After reexamining the wave, they gave this update:
“The Head Judge and Nat met for a heat review and watched all of the waves from Nat, Mikey and Charly. It was recognized and acknowledged that Nat’s 4.03 was in fact underscored and the wave should have been in the 5 or 6-point-range. Even though it was not the 7.21 that Nat needed to get into an advancing position, we still wanted to acknowledge the error.”
This is just the latest in a recent flurry of allegations and controversy aimed at the WSL judging panel. It’s nothing new, of course. But this time around, it started with Gabriel Medina and 2023 Surf Ranch Pro at Kelly Slater’s Lemoore, CA wave pool.
(Medina, casually, chimed in on the WSL’s post: “I’m here for the comments 🤓”)
From there, the small fire turned into an inferno. Numerous jabs at the judging panel were lobbed in the following events. Will the latest with Nat reignite the blaze?
Offering insights and a call for peace on the WSL’s admittance of error, Kelly Slater wrote: “Seems like judging has really gone down the ‘size of wave’ direction instead of a focus on the best actual surfing. I do like it being acknowledged and addressed here. Should be no defensiveness in these calls as we are all human.”
Tough times, especially if you’re tasked with the unenviable job of judging a subjective sport, one with passionate fans, and where competitor’s livelihoods are on the line.
***
Don’t miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We’re always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.
Whether you’re a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.