So cool. So calm.
Gabriel Medina and Julian Wilson were sitting in the Pipeline lineup with less than three minutes left in the most important situation of their young lives.
As they waited for what turned out to be a grand finale, Medina was splashing around as serenely as a kid in the tiny shorebreak. Earlier on Friday at the Billabong Pipe Masters, he had clinched surfing’s world title and was now poised to wrap up a dreamlike day by waiting out a long lull in the event final.
On the horizon, as if sent by some higher power, came a big set of waves. The two competitors paddled farther out. This was it; only one of them would become a Pipe Master. The fight was going down to the final minutes, but it wasn’t a skirmish that carries anguish with it. In a gentlemanly way, Wilson and Medina had a verbal exchange that went a long way in determining the outcome.
With priority, Medina could choose which wave to take, but Wilson asked Medina which one he wanted, the first or the second.
In turn, Medina said he wanted the second one, which they both were thinking was bigger.
So off went Wilson, who slid down into a macking Backdoor wave with approximately 5,000 spectators watching. Would he wipe out on the critical takeoff? Would he tuck into the tube and not make it out?
Incredibly, now with less than two minutes remaining, the wave stayed open and Wilson had his ticket for the ride of a lifetime. He got deep in the barrel and came out with hands raised high and fluttering, obviously aware that he may have actually done something he conceded afterward that he just did not expect — win the Pipe Masters.
In the whitewater after finishing the wave, Wilson saw Medina take off on a Pipeline offering. Alas, would Medina get through the most renowned wave in the world just in time?
Ka-boom. Medina, the Brazilian sports hero, did not fail. He snuggled into the tight A-frame, got fully covered up and emerged through the tiny door with the possibility of capping an astounding day by winning the event.
After a few moments, the scores were announced and Wilson went ahead before the word came that Medina’s score wasn’t enough. In the final heat count, Wilson won 19.63 to 19.20, and the victory also catapulted him to the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title that goes to the highest-rated competitor in the three season-ending, North Shore winter contests.
On the stage before the awards ceremony, both surfers were waiting, elated, oozing happiness that only comes when one emerges from a highly difficult endeavor with ultimate success.
It was the final ASP contest in history. The organization will have a new name — the World Surfing League — in 2015.
In September, when the new name was announced, CEO Paul Speaker wrote on the ASP’s website: "We’re making this change because we believe the new name is easier to understand and gets us on a better track to serve our fans, athletes and partners, and to grow the great sport of professional surfing worldwide."
Increasing the popularity will be tricky because the underground aspect is part of what makes surfing appealing to those who partake in it. It has never been for the masses. In the 1970s, ABC showcased some big Hawaii contests on Wide World of Sports, the worldwide leader at the time, but the appeal didn’t last.
Would mainstream broadcasts work now?
It sounds great on the face of it, and you never know. No doubt, it’s an exciting and dramatic sport, and anyone at Pipeline or watching the live broadcast to select TV markets and on the Internet on Friday knows it.
The name change appears to be coming at an opportune time. There are a ton of emerging stars who are still years away from their athletic peak, including Medina, who will turn 22 on Monday, and Wilson.
John John Florence, Haleiwa’s own prodigy, is being hailed as the next king of the sport. At 22, he already has two Triple Crown titles under his belt and he’s so skilled and full of an effortless sense of style that he might just be the one to carry the new WSL flag.
It sure doesn’t hurt to have Kelly Slater around, either. The most decorated surfer in the history of the sport is far from done, even though there are those who try to woodpeck him into retirement.
The incessant questions about Slater’s future continued Friday after he was eliminated from contention for his 12th world championship. He had a polite foil for any doubters.
"You guys have been asking me (the retirement question) for four years," he said. "And one of these days, my answer will come true."
It was likely, however, that in the back of Slater’s mind, he was thinking, "I’m coming back stronger next year."
Slater finished fourth in the final ASP rankings.
"I don’t consider it a great year," Slater said.
Not a great year? That is enough of a signal to expect the 42-year-old with seven Pipe Masters titles to his credit to do whatever it takes to be in contention in 2015.
For now, Medina is on top of the heap, no longer up and coming. The Brazilian’s graciousness to the surfing world and the appreciation of his accomplishment for and with the support of his countrymen shines through more than his highly competitive Brazilian machismo.
"I am a big fan of Kelly’s and Mick’s (Fanning also had world-title possibilities entering Friday)," he said. "But I’m competitive. I love to win, whether it’s Ping-Pong or whatever. I’m really competitive."
Several times after the contest, he went into the spiritual realm, saying, "God makes things happen for a reason."
And as one spectator, a lifelong Hawaii resident, said passionately while smiling broadly and pointing to the sky a few minutes after the epic Pipe finish: "Can you believe the way it ended? That came from the spirit."
