A major controversy is underway in the world of surfing. When the Surf Ranch Pro 2023 was held at Kelly Slater’s artificial wave pool, Carissa Moore and Griffin Colapinto clinched the title. Although, not everyone was satisfied with the results, with many fans calling out foul play and raising questions about the scoring criteria of the judges.

The fury among the fans has reached a peak, and many are pointing fingers squarely at World Surf League. With this squabble involving two big names in the sport, and the Championship Tour moving to Brazil for the upcoming VIVO Rio Pro, the World Surf League has attempted to calm down the incensed fans by releasing a video explaining the way waves are scored by WSL judges. 

Scoring expert explains judging criteria before major surfing event

There has been a constant debate about whether the surfers were judged wrongly during Surf Ranch Pro or not. Those who believe there has been enough discrepancy, are pointing fingers at WSL, the organization that conducts the competition. Two Brazilian surfers are smack in the center of the controversy, and Brazilian fans have been extremely vocal about the entire situation, which has now escalated to become a full-blown disaster.

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Everyone is wondering if the entire event was staged, and fans are sending death threats to WSL and the judges. Hence, the organization has released a video where the former judge and scoring expert, Richie Porta, explains the manner in which points are assigned during heats in surfing competitions. The caption to the video reads, “To help add clarity and perspective to the scoring and priority, former Head Judge Richie Porta shares his decades of experience and breaks down what may be happening in the judges’ tower.” From the previous year’s event, Porta has analyzed the heats of Carissa Moore, Italo Ferreira, and Filipe Toledo.

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Richie Porta gave a huge thumbs up to Moore, as she got a 9.50 in the finals last year with two turns and a skilled combination of maneuvers. Ferreira managed to attain a decent 8.67 with a tail-high backside full rotation with one move. Toledo scored a perfect 10 with a full rotation that was absolutely stunning. It seems like Porta is hinting that complicated twists and turns executed smoothly are what the WSL judges are looking for. Only time will tell if this move by WSL will be enough to appease the fans. But what exactly transpired at the Surf Ranch Pro?

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During the Surf Ranch Pro showdown, Gabriel Medina came up short against Ethan Ewing in the quarterfinals. While the round ended up with a tied score, Ewing won due to his high single wave. To add fire to the fuel, Italo Ferreira, a fellow Brazilian surfer, lost in the finals against Griffin Colapinto. Feeling wronged by the result, Medina penned an open letter to WSL on his Instagram page, saying that the Brazilian community has always been shocked by the “poor clarity and inconsistence of judging” however recently, it has been worse than ever before.

Italo and Filipe also voiced their concerns regarding the same. A video circulating on YoutTube, posted by Old Surf Dad, showed Ferreira and Colapinto side by side in the competition, and many thought that Italo was a clear winner. With the hatred and death threats towards WSL continuing, WSL CEO Erik Logan also addressed the issue, denying that there was any unfair scoring and alleging that surfers were always informed about the scoring criteria beforehand, and could even review the reasoning for their scores if unhappy with the same. It does not seem that the anger among fans will subside soon, and it will be interesting to see how the judges respond to the increased scrutiny during the VIVO Rio Pro.

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