Photo: WSL/Hughes

World-ranked Griffin Colapinto said judges should undergo a WSL test before being hired, he told Stab Mic in an interview this week.

When asked by Dooma Fahrenfort if Gerlach and Tommy Whittaker should be judges, Colapinto said he was considering the matter: “Surely they (the WSL) should look at how the judges actually surf. For those who make it to the tour, see their surfing level. Because I think if someone knows how to do a good enough carving, OK, then they know how difficult it is. Or someone who knows how to do an aerial. They know how difficult it is to do that, to learn that.”

He added: “And that’s how you can go and score that properly. But people who are just ordinary surfers, who might be judges, don’t really know how difficult it is to do… Maybe it’s harder for them to judge.”

Kelly Slater chimed in, saying, “I wonder what the standard is for other sports: boxing, MMA, gymnastics, diving, figure skating, and so on. I imagine coaches could be just as important. I don’t think that, after a long professional career, many of us want to be on the judging panel. It’s a thankless job.”