http://vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com...-view/day-2-highlights-billabong-pipe-masters
Video synopsis of Day 2 at The Pipe Masters
For a little background, the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals yuk yuk yuk) is the governing body responsible for determining the best contest surfer every year. They organize 10-12 WCT (World Championship Tour) contests a year, and in each of those contests, the surfers accumulate points based on their results. At the end of the year, whoever has the most points wins. In addition, the 22 highest scorers remain on the WCT for the following year.
In addition to the WCT, there is also the WQS (World Qualifying Series), where there are literally hundreds of contests all around the world where surfers accumulate points in contests weighted by their "status" (i.e. prize money). The top 10 finishers (who may also be current non qualifiers on the WCT) in the WQS also surf the WCT for the following year.
Then the ASP gets to hand pick two ASP wild cards for each event on the WCT, which I think is really fucking lame, but whatever.
So right now, the WCT Title is coming down between Kelly Slater and Joel Parkinson. Parkinson is 31, has finished second probably 10 times. He is easily the best surfer in the world who has never won a world title. He is also arguably the best surfer in the world. Kelly Slater is 40 and has won 11 titles. He is definitely the best surfer of all time, and is really remarkable in his ability to adapt new styles and keep his surfing "tricks" current with the times while still surfing with the skill, power and grace that hearkens back to a time when surfers did all of their maneuvers on waves (power surfing) rather than above them (aerial surfing).
So the drama of this contest boils down to this. Kelly has to advance further than Parkinson in this contest, or Parko wins his first World Title.