Am I missing something with this guy? Never has someone made such great waves seem so boring (except the last clip he released maybe...)
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Is Kanoa Igarishi the most uninspiring surfer in WSL history?
- Thread starter casa_mugrienta
- Start date
Hahah reminds me 8-9 years back I did some content for Vitamin Water during Triple Crown. I pitched some ideas to them, they liked one. It was basically a vlog from the beach at Pipe doing 30 questions with an up and coming pro. I won't say who cause he's the nicest guy, but so boring and dumb. So I meet with the videographer and explain what I'm thinking. He knows exactly what I"m trying to do. I meet with the pro a few days before the shoot to kinda prep him and explain what we're doing and how he should be answering. Two minutes into talking to him, I'm emailing Vitamin Water telling them we gotta do something else this is going to get negative views.
Nah he's edgy and cool b/c he reps Japan even though he was born and bred in Huntington...
I could think of at least a dozen more uninspiring them Kanoa. Conner Coffin, for example, one of the most boring surfers to ever be on tour. I'd rather watch freaking Alex Ribeiro than another of Conner's turns.
Kanoa's parents raised him and his siblings in the US exactly so they would not be constrained mentally or physically by the demands to "be a good Japanese" imposed upon everyone who grows up in Japan.
Surfing is not figure skating nor classic music, where endless repetition and conformity to expectations is the path to success.
There's a reason no Japan-Japanese surfer had ever made the Tour, be it the IPS, ASP or WSL before Kanoa - it's not physical.
There are many Hawaii Japanese surfers whom are 100% ethnic Japanese and they shred as hard as anyone and there are several Brasil Japanese who surf very well also. It's a mentality.
If you look at his progress as a professional surfer from that perspective, he is not boring at all.
Surfing is not figure skating nor classic music, where endless repetition and conformity to expectations is the path to success.
There's a reason no Japan-Japanese surfer had ever made the Tour, be it the IPS, ASP or WSL before Kanoa - it's not physical.
There are many Hawaii Japanese surfers whom are 100% ethnic Japanese and they shred as hard as anyone and there are several Brasil Japanese who surf very well also. It's a mentality.
If you look at his progress as a professional surfer from that perspective, he is not boring at all.
Alex Ribeiro actually rips in small waves and has his own style. Not really a fan of Conner Coffin, he rips but he does seem like a South CA version of Ace Buchan.
Bland is the only way to describe Kanoa's surfing. There's zero flair, style, creativity.
Also, does Kanoa have some kind of speech impairment? Or maybe is it just a natural struggle (probably) from living in a japanese speaking household? He talks weird.
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Yeah! And he's ugly and his mother dresses him funny. Let's give him a swirly!!!
Brutal.
I would rather watch an overweight aging Dane Reynolds any day. But I feel that way about a lot of the tour surfing. It's largely formulaic. You know what's coming. I mean they're ripping hard and all. But the creativity is IMO lacking. Most of my favorite surfers are video pros. Because like, the man isn't breathing down their neck, dictating a plastic pop-out approach that lacks any soul. Man.
Sorry about that.
I'm back now.
Brutal.
I would rather watch an overweight aging Dane Reynolds any day. But I feel that way about a lot of the tour surfing. It's largely formulaic. You know what's coming. I mean they're ripping hard and all. But the creativity is IMO lacking. Most of my favorite surfers are video pros. Because like, the man isn't breathing down their neck, dictating a plastic pop-out approach that lacks any soul. Man.
Sorry about that.
I'm back now.
I was going to disagree b.c. I thought you said Griffin, but yeah Conner has style but that's about it
agreed, i feel this way about kolohe too. great surfer - nothing unique tho. its hard for anyone to stand out when their peers are jjf, medina, italo, etc.
OK, a step further - Griffin Colapinto. There is a tad more style, Kolohe too, but still bland not memorable.
Griffin, Kolohe, Kanoa. All three groomed from Trestles to HB. I'm guessing every session filmed with sit down critiques afterwards. Day after day from a very young age.
Generic, bland.
I would guess guys like Jordy, Italo, JJF, and a lot of the Aussie contingent did not have that going on every session in their very formative years. Thus...
Griffin was next level amazing on the North Shore this year and was easily one of the top 5 guys at Pipeline. The other two you mention are worthless. But Griffin has game in all types of surf.
Did you not see Griffin in Hawaii this year? Loads of style, power, has all the tricks and (surprisingly) CHARGES big shallow tubes...love his surfing.