Shea Lopez's Bells Preview
(Friday, March 19, 2010)
Shea Lopez's Bells Preview
By Shea Lopez
I totally blew it by changing my team for Snapper at the last minute. But I've learned my lesson. For Bells I will be picking my team and sticking by them—no matter how much I second guess myself.
After watching most of the heats at Snapper I'm sure plenty of World Tour surfers are second-guessing themselves preparing for Bells. Everyone on Tour that left Snapper with a 17th or a 33rd had better be entering WQS events right now, or be beyond confident in their ability to advance to at least the fourth round at Bells.
A few things to consider when picking your team for Bells:
The surf for the event can range from 10 feet and wild on The Bowl to mushy waist-high crappy Rincon. Even if a World Tour competitor has Bells wired, he might have his heat moved to Winkipop or even all the way to Johanna. All three of these locations can throw anyone for a loop. Bells, for example, suffers from drastic tide changes, huge flat sections to get over, and a Bowl section that is so small it should be called The Cup. Lastly, don't forget about the wildcards and how local knowledge helped Adam Robertson get all the way to the finals in '09.
My FS team for Bells consists of only one Australian, no locals, and four rookies. What was I thinking? I wasn't; I was reacting to what I saw at Snapper. From that experience, I feel these are the eight surfers that will make up the best FS team for Bells:
Kelly Slater(pictured above)
I really hope he doesn't roll over for the young guns this year to go off on some totally unrelated, yet more intriguing course of action for 2010. Kelly is still a better all-round surfer than anyone on Tour, but he doesn't handle losing very well, and the losses could pile up on his way to K10. With the current level of talent, this year's title race should be closer than ever, so even with a bunch of losses, K10 should always be in reach. There's no way Taj beats Kelly at Pipe in 2010 with the title on the line. At Bells, Kelly just needs to stay in the race.
Jordy Smith
The power he surfs with is unparalleled on Tour. Surfboards just crumble under his feet, as witnessed at Snapper. Bells favors the power surfers with the ability to displace lots of water; Jordy does that and more. Watch for the “more” part from Jordy at Bells. If the conditions are good you might see his full rotation alley-oops that you see in the magazines and movies.
Dane Reynolds
If he weren't so reasonably priced, I'd steer clear of him. As his heats at Snapper reiterated, it's all in, on black, every heat. Great to watch when he wins, almost comedic in his loses. I'm betting on black for Bells.
Bobby Martinez
Damien Hardman and Barton Lynch had repeat successes at Bells on their backhand. If Bobby can find that same formula, it's over for his competition.
Dusty Payne
Shouldn't take much of an effort for Dusty to put his frontside tail wafts all over the Bells lineup. Now catching the best waves on offer could prove to be a little harder for him. If those two elements come together, big scores will be easy for Dusty.
Owen Wright
If Owen settles down and reverts to the Owen of last year, or even the Owen from the first round at Snapper, then Bells heats will be easy to pick apart. When he's patient, calm, and focused is when “the sniper” comes out and goes for his kill shot. Owen got a little ahead of himself at Snapper and gave Taj a walk-through on superior wave choice alone.
Jadson Andre
I've watched his heats from Snapper again, and again, and I still can't believe how much his surfing has matured. Jadson should carry that same surfing over to Bells without missing a beat.
Brett Simpson
I really would've preferred Pat G. on my FS team, but my budget wouldn't allow it. Brett has everything he needs to win, except the HB pier as a backdrop. If a hypnotist could make Simpo believe he's surfing at his homebreak in front of his family and friends, then maybe his true potential could shine through.
Notable Mentions
Here are some other surfers to consider for your FS team. I'm only listing surfers valued under 7 million. If a surfer is valued above 7 million and you can afford them, get them on your team whenever possible.
Andy Irons: Dirt cheap, and Bells has been good to him in the past.
Chris Davidson: Looked good at Snapper and has taken Curren out in his prime at Bells.
Taylor Knox: Arc the movie, watch it!
2G's: Pat and Tanner both looked strong at Snapper. With a couple weeks to soak it all in, they should show up at Bells with a few new tricks up their sleeves.
Freddy P: I'm guilty of this and I think a lot of people are as well—Freddy P. has been underrated for a long time.
Wilko: Did you see a couple of those backside snaps on his Innersection.tv part? They where better than Owen's at the same wave.
Stuart Kennedy and Gabriel Medina: Both of them are gonna put all they have into beating the worlds best, and this is a distinct possibility.
(Friday, March 19, 2010)
Shea Lopez's Bells Preview
By Shea Lopez
I totally blew it by changing my team for Snapper at the last minute. But I've learned my lesson. For Bells I will be picking my team and sticking by them—no matter how much I second guess myself.
After watching most of the heats at Snapper I'm sure plenty of World Tour surfers are second-guessing themselves preparing for Bells. Everyone on Tour that left Snapper with a 17th or a 33rd had better be entering WQS events right now, or be beyond confident in their ability to advance to at least the fourth round at Bells.
A few things to consider when picking your team for Bells:
The surf for the event can range from 10 feet and wild on The Bowl to mushy waist-high crappy Rincon. Even if a World Tour competitor has Bells wired, he might have his heat moved to Winkipop or even all the way to Johanna. All three of these locations can throw anyone for a loop. Bells, for example, suffers from drastic tide changes, huge flat sections to get over, and a Bowl section that is so small it should be called The Cup. Lastly, don't forget about the wildcards and how local knowledge helped Adam Robertson get all the way to the finals in '09.
My FS team for Bells consists of only one Australian, no locals, and four rookies. What was I thinking? I wasn't; I was reacting to what I saw at Snapper. From that experience, I feel these are the eight surfers that will make up the best FS team for Bells:
Kelly Slater(pictured above)
I really hope he doesn't roll over for the young guns this year to go off on some totally unrelated, yet more intriguing course of action for 2010. Kelly is still a better all-round surfer than anyone on Tour, but he doesn't handle losing very well, and the losses could pile up on his way to K10. With the current level of talent, this year's title race should be closer than ever, so even with a bunch of losses, K10 should always be in reach. There's no way Taj beats Kelly at Pipe in 2010 with the title on the line. At Bells, Kelly just needs to stay in the race.
Jordy Smith
The power he surfs with is unparalleled on Tour. Surfboards just crumble under his feet, as witnessed at Snapper. Bells favors the power surfers with the ability to displace lots of water; Jordy does that and more. Watch for the “more” part from Jordy at Bells. If the conditions are good you might see his full rotation alley-oops that you see in the magazines and movies.
Dane Reynolds
If he weren't so reasonably priced, I'd steer clear of him. As his heats at Snapper reiterated, it's all in, on black, every heat. Great to watch when he wins, almost comedic in his loses. I'm betting on black for Bells.
Bobby Martinez
Damien Hardman and Barton Lynch had repeat successes at Bells on their backhand. If Bobby can find that same formula, it's over for his competition.
Dusty Payne
Shouldn't take much of an effort for Dusty to put his frontside tail wafts all over the Bells lineup. Now catching the best waves on offer could prove to be a little harder for him. If those two elements come together, big scores will be easy for Dusty.
Owen Wright
If Owen settles down and reverts to the Owen of last year, or even the Owen from the first round at Snapper, then Bells heats will be easy to pick apart. When he's patient, calm, and focused is when “the sniper” comes out and goes for his kill shot. Owen got a little ahead of himself at Snapper and gave Taj a walk-through on superior wave choice alone.
Jadson Andre
I've watched his heats from Snapper again, and again, and I still can't believe how much his surfing has matured. Jadson should carry that same surfing over to Bells without missing a beat.
Brett Simpson
I really would've preferred Pat G. on my FS team, but my budget wouldn't allow it. Brett has everything he needs to win, except the HB pier as a backdrop. If a hypnotist could make Simpo believe he's surfing at his homebreak in front of his family and friends, then maybe his true potential could shine through.
Notable Mentions
Here are some other surfers to consider for your FS team. I'm only listing surfers valued under 7 million. If a surfer is valued above 7 million and you can afford them, get them on your team whenever possible.
Andy Irons: Dirt cheap, and Bells has been good to him in the past.
Chris Davidson: Looked good at Snapper and has taken Curren out in his prime at Bells.
Taylor Knox: Arc the movie, watch it!
2G's: Pat and Tanner both looked strong at Snapper. With a couple weeks to soak it all in, they should show up at Bells with a few new tricks up their sleeves.
Freddy P: I'm guilty of this and I think a lot of people are as well—Freddy P. has been underrated for a long time.
Wilko: Did you see a couple of those backside snaps on his Innersection.tv part? They where better than Owen's at the same wave.
Stuart Kennedy and Gabriel Medina: Both of them are gonna put all they have into beating the worlds best, and this is a distinct possibility.
