Which kite for which wind?
2nd year work placement: Documenting a “Teen Surf Camp: Learning about the ocean and the waves”.
The COVID 19 or coronavirus is an event whose consequences are hard to quantify. The lockdown has stopped all sea lovers in their tracks, and the WCT caravan hasn’t even had time to get started. Erik Logan, the new CEO of WSL for a few months now, has contacted a number of media outlets to give an update on the coronavirus, and talk about the future with major changes to the professional surfing tour.
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Coronavirus, uncertainties and a stand-by until 1 June
“The first announcement is that we are going to remain on standby. That’s no surprise. We’ll be updating our announcement for the 2020 season on 1 June. We think we still have time to organise enough events for the 2020 season.”.
Surfing competitions cancelled
To date, only two WCT events have been cancelled, namely the Gold Coast and G-Land events. Bells Beach, Margaret River and Rio have been postponed and Erik Logan seemed optimistic as he had several options open to him.
Hope for competitors
Australia and the United States have reopened most of their beaches (the Hawaiian beaches were never closed during this period). There is still hope for the European events too, as Logan Erik spoke of the situation in Europe, and in particular that of the Hossegor Pro in France and Péniche in Portugal.
The biggest concern for the WSL CEO is the free movement of athletes during their travels. How can you organise a fair tour or competition if half the surfers can’t make it to such an event because of travel restrictions?
It’s difficult to say more today, but in view of the global health situation, WSL has chosen to follow the lead of all professional sports leagues by playing it safe. In an interview with the Australian media, Erik Logan took the NBA as an example, imagining that matches could be played in an empty stadium with players who had already undergone a period of quarantine. It’s hard to imagine the same solution for surfing, but it’s clear that WSL is looking for appropriate solutions to this pandemic.
The only regret is that it makes no mention of the situation in the WQS or the pro juniors, which affect a large number of competitors.
The WSL revolution in 2021
While WSL’s stance on the coronavirus came as no surprise to anyone, the second part of his speech took many in the media by surprise. Clearly, WSL’s strategy has evolved over the last few years, and the latest changes at the head of the league were a sign of change.
Prepared and thoughtful change
Internally, we knew that the management had been preparing something for 2022 for several months, but the current situation, as Erik Logan reminded us, has accelerated the change. In this period of confinement, the CEO of WSL was able to talk to all the stakeholders, and agree to set up a new competition format.
Major changes for surfing competitions in 2021
The tour is going to change radically from next year. Let’s sum up the circuit as follows:
The WCT, surfing’s elite
The WCT (surfing’s elite) will take place over several stages, before a one-day final phase where the winner will become the circuit champion. It’s in the spirit of top 14 rugby. The first stages will be used to make a selection before a suspenseful final outcome. We understand the principle, but the details are not yet known. For example, we don’t know how many surfers will take part in the final phase, nor do we have any information about the format. However, Erik Logan has made it clear that being number 1 before the final phase will bring a sporting advantage…
I don’t think the surfer can choose to play at home (just kidding), but it’s conceivable that the leading surfer won’t enter the competition until the quarter-finals, for example. This is a hypothesis, a prediction, not a statement by the WSL representative.
The Challengers Series
The Challengers Series will replace the WQS Primes, the competitions that allow surfers to qualify for the WCT. According to initial discussions, the number of surfers in these events is unlikely to change much. The only change will be the possibility for WCT surfers to take part thanks to an adjustment to the calendar. The aim is for a surfer who does not qualify after the WCT tour to be able to requalify like the WQS surfers by taking part in the Challengers Series without losing a year.
Regional tours
The regional circuits represent a second major change in the organisation of the tour. From next year onwards, regional tours will be created that will allow surfers in the top places to access the Challengers Series. A real novelty, so yes and no, because in the past there was an equivalent tour called the EPSA, which performed the same function. Is this good news? Many European pro surfers in the past have regretted this circuit, which represented good training for young surfers. For some years now, the Junior category has stopped at the age of 18 and venturing into the WQS at such a young age is not so simple.
Helping surfers without sponsors
The CEO of WSL also spoke of the financial difficulties faced by many pro surfers today. The crisis in the surfing world is not over and more and more surfers are finding themselves without sponsors and without financial means. This tour is good news for them. The organisation of these tours will be delegated to local WSL offices. We’ll know more in a few months.
WSL focuses on content strategy
Erik Logan and WSL took advantage of the health crisis to bring forward their plans for next year. But Erik also spoke to a number of media outlets about WSL’s strategy for the short, medium and even long term. He spoke of WSL’s transformation from a sports league to a sports media company. During the interview, he discussed the difficulties of a business model based solely on a championship. Erik Logan summed up his vision by explaining that WSL must become:
-A championship (WSL’s core business)
-A live event (the competition)
-A studio, creating content for the site but also for more general media, such as the agreement with the ABC channel for a programme called Ultimate Surfer.
He made numerous references to other sports such as the UFC and the NBA. Erik Logan’s appointment as CEO of WSL is definitely a revolution for WSL and for the professional surfing circuit.
