Turn On It, Tune Out, Drop In

E WIND 10 TO 15 KT.
WIND WAVES 2 FT.
W SWELL 16 FT AT 15 SECONDS.

Nelscott 3

The Nelscott discussion/battle continued:

Forse uses his own name, effort, and money to make this thing happen. We sit on the internet behind pseudonymns and talk. That’s why this is going down the way that it has.

~stiffler

I think Gaz summed it up really well…when he said they should just call it what it is...an invitational. Argument over at that point.

~wk

Either way, it appears that many contests around the world have in some parts an invite kind of set up, Pipe trials for example…and in…many of these there seems to be a healthy representation of local talent doing well in these things. JG [Jason Garding] did well last year [as] part of a team…well enough to be what…fourth? That seems like a good showing. Why not have him again? What about that guy from Canada? What’s his rep doing tow in? Not to knock his surfing at all he is a great surfer, but still.

As far as Forse doing all of this hard work [on] this thing, he couldn’t do it…with only his name. He has to use others to get it done and get any credibility to it. From using their names/talent he makes his money. Endless promotion of debatable ideas. The Jeff Clark of Nelscott??? WTF? Oh well. What can you do...?

~brd

I think it shows poor taste and is a slap in the face to not invite the local talent. But it also shows the true motivation in creating the abomination in the first place.
Greed.
The Clarke of Nelscott? No.
The Ferengi of Nelscott? Maybe.
But then again, why not? The entire state is for sale to the highest bidder. Right?

~wk

What can you do?...don’t spend money in his shop…don’t attend the contest…don’t purchase his dvd…don’t discuss the results online…adopt the Tackle Buster name for the spot…paddle surf the area more frequently when possible…write invitees and their sponsors encouraging support of local representation…that's a couple things...

~stiffler

I think/hope the reason why there is no local talent is that this contest goes against Oregon surfing mentality. Oregon surfing is about keeping secrets, and enjoying good surf at the sacrifice of personal glory. I know there are a lot of people out there that think this contest is a horrible idea. I'm one of them.

~random dude

I met a guy the day of the contest who was at the Q and A the night before. Apparently, all the surfers were really concerned that there wasn’t any local teams invited. That was the main form of questioning from them as they didn’t want to piss any locals off. I can’t remember what Forse’s answers/justifications were for not inviting them. Was anyone at that Q and A?

~eyes

Just for clarification - 2 local teams were invited. That's 10% of the entire field of competitors. These teams dropped out on their own free will. They went to the press and said they were not included. They are under the guidance of someone that had led them down the wrong path. Both years locals were included. This year they CHOSE not to compete. It is unfair to blame the organizers, the sponsors, or any else for not including local talent, the blame needs to go back on the local teams for not taking part in the event.

~festivus aka ?

I think one of the reasons for the lack of local talent is partly because Oregon offers less opportunity than Nor/SoCal or Hawaii to 1) become an exceptional surfer and 2) to spend sufficient time in big waves of quality to know how to surf them. I think the level of surfing here is just a wee bit lower than other places such that few can break through to being able to handle themselves in waves like those. When was the last time you heard of an Oregon Native who could compete in a semi-pro surfing event. It's not mentality as much as wave quality/opportunity.

~ersatz

There have been a few from the NW that have done some contests and done fairly well. They just don’t get the media attention as they would down south.

~brd

Exactly what I said earlier. No local team is going to compete with the Santa Cruz guys period. All those guys at least did their time paddling into Mavs before the PWC thing even took off. And even if there are a few guys that good they probably don't want anything to do with the circus anyway and are more than happy surfing their local spot the way it is.

~dub

I’d still much rather just blame the promoters…what dicks!

~hess

It doesn’t matter how good a surf team is globally. It matters how good they are at Oregon’s reef. Home field advantage. Sure they might not be able to surf Peahi, but this isn’t Peahi. It’s Oregon.

~wanty

If Raph and Malloy can take 4th (and don't get me wrong both are great surfers, but on the global scale…they barely make a blip on the radar, and I don't think either of them had much prior experience at Nelscott) there has bound to be at least two locals that could make a good showing…it's always a little tougher at an unfamiliar spot, and [when] you surf a place on a regular basis you definitely are gonna have an advantage, why do you think the Hawaiians always dominate in the triple crown? I hope to see a local team in the contest next year, and I hope they make some upsets and show that there are local guys already surfing the spot regularly at a world class level.

~tj

Well, that's not exactly true--- because Forse is already on record answering the question of why locals aren't in it as being 'concerned for their safety'-- though that is a lie too--- a statement made to cover his own ass. Not only that, the locals that were invited were not given a chance to choose their own partners and were being paired with people they didn't feel comfortable surfing with-- because they never towed with them before. They opted out of that BECAUSE of safety issues. And then, with all the blatant acts of greed, aggression and manipulation many of them didn't want to be associated with the corruption that manifested throughout the sign up process which includes, bribery, extortion, freak outs and one guy who promoted the contest the year before getting punched by Forse. I am the press, MF. And believe me, I've looked at all sides and through research I've learned that this thing is way, way more sinister than the organizers admit. Why else are sponsors angry and on the verge of pulling out? Don't blame the locals. And don't think anyone is going to let this crap happen again.

~gills

If you are the press, who do you work for? Where are you getting your facts? What I heard is very different from your claims. I heard the promoter that was punched stole stuff from one of his own sponsors. He also stole video footage of the contest and was making his own video to sell. If someone did that to me, I might beat the crap out of them too. I hope he isn't your source of info.

I have a hard time siding with the locals. It sounds like they were given a chance and they wanted more than the promoters were willing to give. I think they are the ones being greedy and manipulative. Just because they are from Oregon doesn't mean they are immune from criticism. They have a lot to prove, being the locals in a pro event. If I were given a chance to compete in a Pro event, I would be grateful and gracious and take whatever terms I was given. After all, doing well in the contest would be my only true way of proving I deserved to be out there. If I remember, last year the locals placed dead last.

We all tend to root for the underdog, which I understand, but does that make them right? I would love to see an OR team win a pro event and put everyone in their place. So my advice to the local teams is to get yourselves into the contest on any terms possible, and win. Otherwise shut up and quit making Oregon surfers look like a bunch of sniveling cry babies that expect everything handed to them on a silver platter.

~festivus aka ?

You're a misinformed idiot…Jason Garding got fifth place last year. I'd also suggest that your reasoning for posting here is that you're self interested. Meaning, you're one of the promoters. Pro Event my ass, there is no such thing as a pro tow in surfer--- unless they're a free surfer-- half the SC guys bartend.

~gills

…you can call me whatever you like. All I am saying is the best way for the locals to prove themselves is in the water, not through the press. Don't you agree that if Jason was good enough to get 5th last year, he does no good sitting on the beach and watching? Can't you also agree that no matter what the circumstances, being in the contest is better than not being in the contest?

~festivus aka ?