Surf Forecast 37

There once was a time, not so long ago, when claiming a wave was considered taboo. The claim was a gesture that signified great triumph over the elements and your competitor. It was used sparingly, and sincerely, and more often than not, it was an uncontrolled response to pure surfing stoke.

But after watching the season-opening World Tour event on the Gold Coast it's clear that the claim is simply not what it used to be. I say this because after watching the unbridled display of fist-pumps, hand-claps, and finger-waving it became obvious that the once-taboo claim is now as important as your bottom turn is if you want to truly succeed on the world tour. How do I justify this? By re-watching the last two days of competition, that’s how. I'm almost certain (at least for the sake of this polemic) that on the final day of competition there were more claims than there were maneuvers.

No, they weren't signaling for the jet ski, they were throwing their arms up in mock-stoke in the hopes that the judges would reward them for it. Which makes sense, of course, since the judges don't exist within a vacuum. They too are susceptible to the same excitement and drama as the rest of us are, and sadly–and contrary to their job description–are equally prone to reacting to it.