Comments for ARB Surf Ski World Cup - Strong Reaction to Laughlin Withdrawal at http://www.surfski.info , comment 0 to 14 out of 14 comments http://www.surfski.info Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:41:28 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_1017 Please world paddlers get ready for Durban and forget negative words for the positive. Good luck. - Moana Teamo Sat, 23 Jun 2007 09:14:52 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_1004 Dear Irritated Reader, Nobody likes bad losers! It's all too easy to hide behind your pseudonym and attack the messenger....why don't you start flying kites with Game Plan Media. You'll probably get a discount if you sign-up together! Hey Rob you can't please everyone all the time! Like LL, who has been bad-mouthed, try and find some positives from all the criticism. - Ed Menzies Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:13:18 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_998 First off, the only rule was that you could not ride your own escort boat's wake. Other people's boats were fair game. If, as some suggest but have not proved, that Lewis dropped off in the beginning to ride wake and save energy, I would say that was damn smart. Everyone who was competing knew right from the start that it would be a really long difficult race. I know I was in the middle of the pack and riding every little scrap that was around. This has to be about the worst case of sour grapes I can imagine. Everyone who competed that day knows just how challenging those conditions were. Anyone who emerged to win was a champion and should be treated as such. - jg Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:51:05 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_974 Great website this - however, it is doing nothing for my work productivity! For years I have been hearing excuses from some of the world's top paddlers for why they didn't win races. Looks like the sniping and inuendo has come back to bite them. I daresay that Gameplan Media is just the messenger here. Why don't we all just become a little more gracious in defeat, acknowledge this year's champion and move on. This is a sad way to diminish one of the greatest races and acheivements in the history of the sport. Rob, can we cap the number of comments and forget that this subject was ever raised? - Dave K Tue, 19 Jun 2007 03:15:19 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_969 The owners of this site really need to have a long hard look at themselves. You post slanderous remarks about a champion cheating in this years race. Where are the hard facts to back this up? Not what someone may have seen.... cold hard facts that he sat on a boat wash to win the race? The problem is, this kind of reporting isn't specific to this race, it concerns a lot of topics which have been raised of late on this site, from the ethics of different ski manufacturers to the quality of skis being manufactured. Now you are questioning the reputation of a champion paddler. Where is it going to end? Rather than trying to build the fantastic sport of ocean racing, I am of the opinion that you are only creating divides. Other paddling disciplines don't have sites like this, but they also don't have to put up with the kind of articles that are posted on here. May I also suggest that you look up internet slander laws. It's only a matter of time until you hit trouble with someone you slander. Rather than try to pull a champion down, or cut down manufacturers who are trying to make an honest living, focus on the good of the sport. If you're not happy with a guy winning a race, get off your ass and train hard and beat him yourself. Don't like a new ski or how it was made, make a better one. All to easy to hide behind a keyboard and attack everyone...... start backing your words up with actions. If you really do care about this sport, then you will realise what you are doing and change your ways. - Irritated Reader Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:53:42 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_967 I was driving Mark Sandvold's escort on race day. After he pulled out at the 3 hour mark we decided to go watch the race. Up front we first got to Oscar, then Dawid Mocke. They were each alone with their escort boats behind them. After that we came up to Lewis and Hank who were fairly even at that point on a different inside line. since Hank was without an escort we did 2 water drops for him, and it was around that time that Lewis seemed to be getting stronger as he was puling away. If there was any riding it had to have been early in the race, and almost everybody except for the lead pack was doing it, as the wakes were there! Once again, congratulations to Lewis, a great person and deserving winner! - Mark Buck Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:16:18 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_966 Rob, You guys have a great website here, I gotta admit I spend far to long on it when I should be working. I appreciate the fact that you are only reporting the news from the paddling community but I think you may have hit a nerve with this one. How would you feel, or any of us, if we had turned ourselves inside out over that horrendous Molokai event, to feel the exhilaration and respect aquired from winning. Only to have someone accuse you of cheating? I know that you were merely reporting someone else's view but the copy was pretty harsh and commited. I am a proud Saffa, however, sometimes I can understand others thinking we are relatively insular in our approach to the sport. It's tall poppy syndrome. I have met Lewis once at the World Cup and he struck me (as everyone else attests to) as a extremly nice guy. If this article was aimed at Oscar he'd be spitting fire (and so he should), but sadly it strikes me that Lewis will just take it on the chin and get on with it. I have been in many races around SA and overseas and in every single one I have seen people wash riding escorts, passing boats and the biggy each others skis. In one of your articles you say that the lead Saffa pack assumed the diamond formation?!!! In those conditions that would probably help more thanm the occassional boat wake. At the end of the day 'shit sticks' no matter whether true or not. If not true you owe it to Lewis to post another report confirming the fact. Please don't leave it up to the forum to clear it up. Great site, keep it up, post the gossip and inuendo (we love it)!! Just make sure the shit is cleaned up afterwards. My two rand. - BenH Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:12:08 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_965 Being closed to Lewis as a very good friend, I would like to express a few thoughs he shared with me this morning. This morning Lewis passed by my office to say hello, when I told him about the latest news on your surfski forum and I could see the disapointment in his eyes about all it has been written about the Molokai and he asked me if I could send a few words. Lewis speaking "To be honnest guys, I know sincerely that I would get my ass kicked at the world cup in Durban, but I would like to express my highest respect for the South africans and Australians paddlers as they are dominate in this discipline by far. I have engaged myself lately in my outrigger team as I am coach and president to an event happening on the same week end but I must admit that the flame is still burning inside of me for this prestigious and well organized event which is the world cup.." sincerely Lewis. - julien Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:54:51 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_964 Weak article, get your facts first. Lewis Laughlin is a true humble Champion. Dawid said it best when he said, "He's such an awesome paddler, very humble, couldn't be a better person to win." Who ever thinks they saw him drafting escort boat wash is full of it. Lewis is just fast, and he will win again no doubt at all. - ML Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:18:37 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_962 Good going Gameplan Media, dirt (true, false, substantiated or otherwise) always pays right? - bluesea Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:08:27 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_959 Gameplan Media is a Durban-based company that writes & distributes press releases for various sporting events. Their website is at http://www.gameplanmedia.co.za/ They can be contacted at: info@gameplanmedia.co.za - Rob Mousley Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:41:40 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_958 Rob, Please tell us who Game Plan Media is. They are a joke. Who wrote this article? This article can be attacked/criticized in so many ways. 1) LL "hit the headlines." Like he just showed up. He has been hitting the headlines his entire life. 2) The legality and Ethics? What? What about legality and ethics of a 17 pound ski vs. 25 pound ski? Taking the right line is unethical? Show me pictures and proof not words. I am hoping "legality" is a cultural SA word I am mis-interpreting. 3) I want my race to be prestigious and I want it now. Grow up! It takes years for a race to be prestigious. And here is a secret. It is not about the money. In fact corporate influence might actually hurt a race. Think of the Molokai. Changed course due to corporate influence. Perfect storm in terms of conditions. Can't compare results to other years. Many paddlers drop out. Turn out will go down. Less 50 and over and women will compete. The race will suffer. Also articles like this hurt a race. 4) I am glad to see the paddlers in the article took the high road-the author did not. I am sure others will comment as well. Thank you for the website and Aloha - JJ Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:15:59 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_957 I was there and pulled out after 2 1/2 hours and went straight to the front of the race. Lewis and Hank were up there(well ahead of anyone else on the same line) and there was no motor boat wake riding. Hank didn't have an escort and had to be helped later by someone elses, the safety and lead boats were down South near Dawid and Lewis was grinding by himself. After hearing Oscar complain at the finish line, I asked my neightbor(who was on Oscars escort boat) and he said no way did anyone ride boat wakes early on. Maybe the media types(above) and in the SA paddler Magazine ought to write things about their first hand knowledge instead of hearsay from a poor loser. Shame on you. - P Hemmens Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:15:19 +0100 http://www.surfski.info/content/view/434/147/#pc_955 Before making statements like 'lewis rode wash', actually talk to someone who wasn't making excuses for losing...and while your at it, how about not even making speculative comment like that unless you were paddling for 5 hours plus yourself. All that does is yet again encourage this valuable site to be less global and a sheltered workshop for South African propaganda. - Karl Treacher Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:42:14 +0100