Nat Young has had two shockers in a row.
First and foremost, you saw the debacle that took place at Snapper. Now we’ve got this new ordeal of complete vs. incomplete. And quite the ordeal it’s been. Nat was not the only guy to get a questionable incomplete call in Sydney – have a look at Lucca Mesinas’ wave. Scroll over to see the clip.
And here is Nat’s wave.
These decisions made by the judges can literally decide the fate of the competitive careers of these surfers. To be eliminated in this fashion is nothing short of heart wrenching.
Now I’m not straight up blaming the judges for making an incorrect call. I don’t even know what the correct call is; there is no rule in the book defining a “ride out”. Nothing about completion of a maneuver, riding in front of the whitewash – I couldn’t find anything. It seems to be completely left out. The judges are left to decide the verdict themselves on a case-by-case basis.
There were also a few rides deemed complete that were just as controversial. The fans loved Jordan Lawler’s 9.43 that won him the event. Italo immediately received 1 thousand phone calls. If you don’t know what I’m referencing, the 2019 World Champ had a similar air that went against him in a prior year. That comment section is fun.
I think it’s worth asking if this one is complete from Eli Hanneman?
So we can see it can go either way. What makes the judges decide one way or another, I could only guess. Is it how long they ride in front of the whitewash? Is it if they get stuck behind? If they fall off at any point? What I’m saying is that there needs to be some clear definition of what a complete ride or complete maneuver is. Could save the Woz from potential problems in the future.
Poor Nat.
hwilsin
Drew Stanfield