Technical Issues Plague Day 1 At The 2024 ISA World Surfing Games
But Both Puerto Rico and the Surfers Shine
Are We In 2024 Or 2004?
Last year as I suffered through watching “Podium 2” competition rounds of the ISA’s 2023 World Surfing Games I thought for sure the technical crew would learn from their mistakes and improve things going forward.
Apparently I was wrong.
If you have ever tried to watch ISA surfing competition rounds that have been relegated to the dreaded “Podium 2” webcam broadcast then you understand my frustration.
That broadcast usually comes with no sound, always no commentary, and what can only be described as a halfhearted effort (if that) to provide coverage for the rounds which are not being shown on the main “podium” for the day.
For those unaware the ISA shows the main event for the day via “Podium 1” on their own website as well as on their YouTube channel. This comes with full commentary and all of the frills one expects from a professionally organized international sporting event.
Then the other round, which we’ll affectionally refer to as the non-main event round, gets shown only on the ISA’s website via the dreaded Podium 2 link with no YouTube access.
Not Just A Budgeting Issue
It would be understandable if the ISA just simply cannot afford to run that second stream with extra frills during these high stakes events but this goes beyond that.
What they provide for Podium 2 viewers is nearly unwatchable.
If you don’t believe me just tune in for the next set of rounds and check it out for yourself. If you’re reading this after the event then just trust me, it’s bad. Really bad.
More often than not you’ll see a surfer pop to their feet and then promptly disappear totally off screen. That seems to be the preferred shot for whoever it is that occasionally attempts to direct the camera.
So if your favorite surfer just so happens to be relegated to the Podium 2 broadcast for the day good luck seeing them surf.
You may get to see them, and you may not.
The person directing the camera may adjust it to match the current heat’s locale in the water, and they may not.
The scores on screen, (aka the “score bug”, "graphic overlay" or "on-screen graphic" etc), may appear, and they may not. Usually not. And even if they do show it then it may very well be scores which are actually from another heat altogether.
Don’t be fooled by the timer going and everything. You have to carefully double check to be certain you’re watching who you think you’re watching (if any surfers are even on screen in the first place) because nothing is a given when it comes to the dreaded Podium 2 webcast.
So if you’re not situationally aware enough to know better you could very well be watching a scoreboard on the screen that has no relevance to the surfers in the water whatsoever. But don’t get too concerned because there’s usually no scoreboard on the screen in the first place which mostly makes this concern moot.
As if that weren’t bad enough the scores on the website itself may get updated and then again, they may not. You really just can’t be certain.
Dreams Are On The Line
This is all bad enough for your regular everyday fans like myself but I can’t imagine being a family member or close personal friend of a competitor as they are trying to watch someone they care about achieve a lifelong dream.
It’s not every day that these athletes are in the process of qualifying for the Olympics so they go to these events giving it their all. Unfortunately they do so only to be met with technology that makes it seem more like the 2004 World Surfing Games than the 2024 World Surfing Games.
The Podium 2 webcast is horrible coverage. It’s simply a horrible effort by the ISA. There’s no two ways about it. Sorry, not sorry, but that’s the truth.
And what’s also odd for me is wondering why the non-main event round can’t be broadcast on a secondary Podium 2 backup style YouTube channel from the ISA meant just for that purpose? Why ISA? Why?
And by the way ISA, why have you turned off chat and comments on your YouTube channel anyway?
You know, if the ISA worried more about providing the effort needed to properly broadcast its competitions and less about other people’s speech then maybe us fans would actually be able to enjoy watching these young athletes surf their hearts out instead of looking at empty lineups and fishing boats with nary a surfer in sight.
(Please Note: The Podium 1 Broadcast crew did a great job on day 1 and always seems to do well, so nothing in this article is a slight against them. I especially love Barton Lynch and his expert commentary and common sense takes on the action.)
Below is a link to Day 1’s full “Podium 1” broadcast in case you want to watch it. Just keep in mind that the first heat starts 40 minutes late due to technical issues so although the Heat 1 surfers are in the water at the beginning they don’t actually start competing with scores being counted until about 40 minutes in. Poor fellas.
(PS. If this broadcast gets taken down by the ISA from YouTube I’ll try to update this article with whatever they replace it with)
ISA 2024 World Surfing Games Day 1 Competition Full Broadcast (Podium 1 Only)
All Was Not Lost
In spite of all of the above mentioned, hehem, issues, what was clear on Day 1 of competition is that Puerto Rico is lovely, the waves were mostly pretty great, and the surfers shined. There were a few upsets but since it’s Day 1 no surfers were eliminated from competition so fret not.
Any surfer that didn’t finish in the top two of their heat will now be relegated to the repechage rounds for a second chance. And if you’re discouraged and fearing that your favorite surfer might not be able to make it through that many extra rounds just remember that at last year’s ISA’s, Erin Brooks was relegated to the repechage rounds after round 2 and she not only made it all the way to the final but she also won the silver medal!
She also won a puppy in the process but that’s a story for another day.
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—Nuance Wire