BOP race this weekend

@6:40

This is the way to do it! Man up!

Are these guys racing 12'6 or 14's? I can't tell..

The whole format's ridiculous. Racing should be on flat water. Surfing in waves. That equipment just doesn't belong in waves, not to mention they took over a popular break on (presumably) a sunny weekend day. As an example, in one of the clips there's a guy on (from memory) a green board who does a bit of a cutback, so presumably he rides waves and knows how to. But then the limitations of a long, flat, boaty board kick in as he nose dives and flips. Plus the carnage of all the other competitors shown. It's a wonder they don't make helmets compulsory and it's a wonder no-one was seriously hurt, mostly from someone else's board. Even the frontrunners have to do a weird crouchy tightropey thing on the tail of their board as they catch whitewater in. Sure it's entertaining in a schadenfreude kind of way but it seems really stupid and luck plays too much of a part. A bit like sending out antiquated SLSC surfboats in a big swell - stupid.

Neither of these paddlers will get any kind of sanction because there is no sanctioning body who could decide upon or administer it. They could have sliced each other open with their paddle blades and still nothing would have happened, outside of the police being called.

And there's the problem. With more money coming into the sport for wins, and no sanctioning body to control behaviour, this sort of thing is only going to increase. There really is nothing to stop paddlers cheating like crazy at the moment, outside of obvious in-race infringements like going the wrong way round buoys etc. Anything requiring judgement such as matters of sportsmanship are not going to be dealt with by race organisers. What race organiser is going to risk their neck by DQing both Connor and Kai here? These lads know that and so it will get worse, just like the teacher has left the class alone for the afternoon. The only hope is that their sponsors have a word with them because it reflects badly on the brand if your lead paddler is acting like a cheap thug. If I was Mr Starboard or Robby Naish I'd be issuing a "cease and desist" order right now. I've lost a huge amount of respect for Kai and Connor here. They look like aggressive spoilt brats not international role-models.

DJ, Kai would not have to have "stood up for himself" if there was a sanctioning body and clear rules.

My sympathies are with Kai - although we don't know what skulduggery he might have been up to away from the cameras we have seen so far. However, two wrongs don't make a right.

If these kinds of races are all about this kind of behaviour then why maintain the illusion of "sportsmanship"? Just make it the water equivalent of rugby and let everyone tackle each other pretty much whatever way they wish. Last man standing wins. Because that is where we are headed anyway unless behaviour like Connor's (and maybe Kai's) is not stopped.

This has completely put me off BOP style races. I was considering doing a couple next year but if this is what it is about, then forget it. I'd bet your take on this would be different DJ, if one of these kids was in a wheelchair for the rest of their life. Since you work in a hospital I'd have thought you'd have been more sensitive to the issue of intentional injury.

I appreciate that you might find it all very amusing to watch the youngsters knock each other about, but eventually someone will get hurt, and I can't see many people being attracted to the sport by this - except perhaps people you wouldn't want to race with. But I guess it doesn't affect you maybe DJ since you don't take part in these sorts of races?

I'm not scared, DJ. What would stop me competing would be two things. First, the overly aggressive manner of the people, and my reaction to it. I would find it depressing, and if someone acted towards me like Connor was acting towards Kai then we might end up in a life-changing situation together. Life is too short and precious to put yourself in situations like that.

Second, I pay for my own boards. I can't imagine how much the total damage to the boards must have been at the BOP. A fair bit of that was probably avoidable since colliding with each other is a great way to get dings. I can't afford to be spending ?50-100+ on ding repair every time I race. And then there's the depreciation to the board's value.

You may have your own reasons for not taking part, but those are mine.

DJ, I suspect you've taken a position than is actually rather more extreme than you would normally do, and now can't find a way back, because usually your opinions are pretty grown-up. Or maybe you just don't want to risk any criticism of Kai since your blood runs yellow.

Are the women behaving like this in the BOP? They are professionals too. If they can race without intentionally risking the hospitalisation of their colleagues, then why can't the men?

And on that note, incidentally, I've seen lots of footage of the men's races but only one vid of the women. The most exciting thing for me at the BOP was the Candice/Annabel battle, so I'd love to see footage of it.