Blog

Here are a couple pics from a mission today… Crazy amount of snow shoeing… But well worth it…

San Diego, CA – Feb. 8

Round five of the AMA Supercross series made its San Diego stop last Sat. night and the rain that the series dodged the last few weeks finally hit.

On at rutted out slick track thanks to mother nature Josh Hill and Ivan Tedesco battled it out in the first heat race of the night with Hill taking the win and a good gate pick for the main event.

In the main event Hill would get a 5^th place start working his way around Wey and Villopoto by lap 18.

With 2 laps left Hill would inherit 2^nd from Short who crashed out on the triple.

Hill finished out the night 2^nd to Millsaps and his 4^th podium in a row.

Hill is currently 2^nd in the overall with 101 points closing in on Dungey with 105 points.

Back to Anaheim for round 6 this Sat. night.

JD Webb Interview For Global Warning DVD from WakeWorld on Vimeo.

Buried or dug his own grave?

If the words of Ace Buchan are any guide, ASP head judge Perry Hatchett may have fallen victim to the virus spreading throughout competitive surfing. The virus they call hi-fidelity surfing.

The decision by the ASP not to renew the contract of the ten year veteran of the position, less than a month before his revolutionary new criteria was unveiled at the Quiksilver Pro, is a curious one. So far the only crumb of information regarding Perry forgoing his post, is this statement: “After consultation with key stakeholders, ASP International has made the decision not to renew the contract of Perry Hatchett as ASP World Tour Head Judge.” If the recent World Junior Championships were any guide, judges are about to be inundated by all-manner of technical surfing. They better know their shit and, well, Perry just ain’t from this era, says Ace.

Stab: What was your reaction to the departure of ASP head judge Perry Hatchett?

Ace: It will be strange not to have Perry there. He’s given the sport good service, has been a judge for ten years and I guess he’s gotten the sport to where it is now. I think they’re looking to get some fresh faces in there.

Is that because the younger generation of judges are more attuned to modern surfing?

I wouldn’t say Perry is out of date with modern surfing. He was pretty in the loop but on the same hand you couldn’t say a guy like Perry grew up doing aerials. Whereas you can look at some of the younger judges like Pritamo [McCabe] and Ben Lowe who have grown up, if not doing airs and innovative surfing, at least surrounded by it. It’s in their fabric of surfing, so getting young guys like that in will be great.

Were you aware of a push to get rid of Perry?

I was never aware of any major grievances. Of course Perry will come under fire as the head judge but I was never aware of any big push.

What do you make of Perry’s new judging criteria?

I think it’s a reflection of how surfing’s been judged over the last few years, they’re just making it official. You have to keep up to date with what is happening in the sport and now the criteria has made it official.

Were you in favour of a new head judge?

I have a lot of respect for Perry and what he’s done. There’s always gonna be controversy surrounding the head judge. But I do think it’s good to keep the young guys coming through. I know a guy like [World tour surfer] Drew Courtney judges a lot on junior tours and imagine if we had guys of his caliber judging the tour. I think getting people like that coming through is important.

What concerns do you have about the appointment of a new head judge?

We just want to be on the same page as the judges. We want to make sure our idea of good surfing matches their idea. There has probably been a lack of communication between the surfers and the judges in the past. I think the surfer’s body and the judges have to make it transparent and keep everyone in the loop.

What do you make of the timing of Perry’s departure?

Perry has been there ages and I heard rumours in the past Perry was thinking about standing down. He’s been pretty instrumental in drafting the criteria to get us where we are now and it will be strange not having him up there but it will be good to get some fresh faces there. – Jed Smith

Check out the March issue of Snowboarder Magazine to see Markus Keller planted on the cover.

Check Number 1:

In The MOMENT Ep. 2 from Moment Skis on Vimeo.

PC Rydaasss from Tre Squad on Vimeo.