Aloha
Sorry. Lame title; I know. If you'll temporarily excuse the cultural appropriation associated with an Australian who's never set foot in Hawaii using the term, I'll explain my choice of words. Usually, this time of year is one of my busiest. By now I will have reset and built my spreadsheets for the new season, created profiles for new athletes, updated all of the other parameters, and locked in the schedule. I'd be writing algorithms... Read more
Last updated January 26, 2024 by Balyn McDonald
J-Bay Fantasy Preview
J-Bay now sits front and center of the qualification drama. While the 2024 tour may be locked in pending some Challenger events, the final 5 places for the Trestles finals, as well as a few Olympic places, are still well and truly up for grabs. Will Filipe run away with the #1 seed? Will Gabe get to surf Chopes as an Olympian? Can Ewing go back-to-back? Will Griff stop the rot and lock a finals spot before the WSL moves it away from Trestles (I mean, it... Read more
Last updated July 11, 2023 by Balyn McDonald
Margaret River '23 - Fantasy Preview
In many ways, Margaret River has filled the qualification space that Pipe used to occupy before it was roughly bisected from the season end. Now, the oft-maligned mid-season cut looms large at then end of the Margaret River Pro, dominating the thoughts of surfers and column inches of 'journalists' in this, the new tour normal. This year, everyone sitting below Gabriel Medina can feel the hot breath of relegation on the back of their necks. Some much more acutely than... Read more
Last updated April 18, 2023 by Balyn McDonald
Bells '23 - Fantasy Preview
No man is an island,Entire of itself.Each is a piece of the continent,A part of the main.If a clod be washed away by the sea,Europe is the less.As well as if a promontory were.As well as if a manor of thine ownOr of thine friend's were.Each man's death diminishes me,For I am involved in mankind.Therefore, send not to knowFor whom the bell tolls,It tolls for thee. While John Donne's knowledge of the famed Torquay break was undoubtedly left wanting, his reference... Read more
Last updated April 2, 2023 by Balyn McDonald
Portugal 2023 - Fantasy Preview
Hawaii is done and dusted, and the reality of the 2023 tour doesn’t quite resemble that which we imagined. Just have a quick look at the rankings: Australians Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum wear the Yellow Jerseys (along with ‘Riss) after a near-flawless Hawaiian leg. Filipe leaves Hawaii – yes, Hawaii – with a 90% win ratio and a Sunset title. Read more
Last updated March 6, 2023 by Balyn McDonald
Sunset 2023 - Fantasy Preview
Usually, the days after a Pipe final are filled with stories of heroics, striking images of overhead waves, and newfound hyperbole regarding the healthy state of competitive surfing. This year, we're just going to quietly make our way up the Kamehameha Hwy to take refuge in the Hurley Sunset Pro. I'm stoked for Jack and Carissa, and impressed by Tyler, John, Joao, Leo and Caio, but I'm also glad for the promise a quick turn-around. Read more
Last updated February 11, 2023 by Balyn McDonald
Pipe Fantasy Preview
Welcome back! Putting aside the fact that starting a season at Pipe still feels like beginning a multi-course meal with dessert, there's a lot to be excited about this season: the promise of a healthy Medina and Florence going head-to-head for the season (and their R1 heat), Olympic qualification, precocious juniors finally converting their talent into results (I'm looking at you, Griffin, Jack, and Ethan), as well as the revolving doors of qualification, re-qualification, and rookie unknowns. Read more
Last updated January 26, 2023 by Balyn McDonald
Tahiti Fantasy Preview
With J-Bay a distant memory, and the frothy taste of Huntington still souring our collective mouths, it's time to rinse and spit with a healthy dose of Teahupo'o. But before we kick off the event preview, it's only fitting that we take a moment to put the broader consequences of the final event of the regular season into context. As Parko reminds us, at Teahupo'o "there is nowhere to hide and nowhere to run". ... Read more
Last updated August 9, 2022 by Balyn McDonald
J-Bay Fantasy Preview
It's been a while, sorry. We were so consumed by the changes required to test and design the post-cut fantasy game that we didn't have time for a preview at GLand. We then had no data to analyse at the new event in El Salvador. Before we knew it, Rio was upon us and so was coronavirus. We were laid out in the lead-up to Rio and missed that too. ... Read more
Last updated July 10, 2022 by Balyn McDonald
Staring Down the Cut
If you’ve had anything to do with professional surfing during the last fortnight, you’ve no doubt heard some static around ‘the mid-season cut’. Depending on who you listen to, opinions about the cut range from it being an overdue efficiency strategy, a clever device to increase drama, or an outright injustice. Regardless of how you or I feel about the changes, they’re coming. The WSL isn’t backing down, and the final pre-cut Championship Tour (CT)... Read more
Last updated April 24, 2022 by Balyn McDonald