nopes on chopes...

...another lay day at Teahupo'o. The waves have been very Folly-esque, and Cardiff-esque for that matter, with bad winds and no swell seeping in from the right direction. Round 2 of this contest could basically decide the outcome of this year's champ. Parko has a huge lead going into this event and is seeded to come up against local wildcard Heiarii Williams in round 2. The judges have a tendency to push people through heats, whether or not they deserve to win. Examples: Fred Patacchia, Bede Durbidge, Adriano DeSouza...

Regardless, the local boy Heiarii (Harry?) will have to have the judges on his side to get past Parko, the current judge favorite. I'm not discrediting Parko's surfing, I'm just saying...

And then there's the Slater factor, who's up against Aritz Aranburu. He might as well be up against Jordy Smith. If Slater gets another free 17th with a loss in round 2, it may be deflating enough to where he starts surfing his heats standing on a boogie board for the rest of the season. Contest should be on tomorrow (Wednesday) with swell filling in tonight.

It's something to watch, and one of the few times you get to see pros eat sh!t on waves, just like you. Contest site here.