World Surf League on ropes after X Games announces its own transition to league format

As Daddy Josh Kerr keeps on winning heats on the men’s side!

We live in the age of nepotism.

In the NBA, current superstars Steph Curry and Jalen Brunson stand on the shoulders of their daddys Eddy Curry and Rick Brunson; Lebron ‘Bronny’ James Jr. gets more coverage than all his fellow draft prospects combined, despite being a fringe round two pick at best.

In Hollywood, nepo babies Dakota Johnson and Nicola Peltz Beckham enjoy professional opportunities that correlate directly to their parents’ fame and fortune, regardless of any dramatic skill they may (in Johnson’s case) or may not (in Peltz-Beckham’s case) possess.

In music, Miley Cyrus traded for years on the genes, upbringing and public profile of her now less-famous father, Billy Ray.

Politics (Trudeau), business (Trump), modelling (Hadid) – you name an industry and there, near the top, will be a scion fed with a spoon of silver and aided by the velvet-gloved hand of nepotism.

So too, in surfing.

The name Sierra Kerr has been on surf fans’ lips for years now, despite her being just 17 years old and so far lacking the competitive success enjoyed by fellow prodigies Erin Brooks (16) and Caitlin Simmers (18).

The reason?

Well, her hard-won prowess in the air and in heavy tubes to be sure, but the pre-Kerrsor (to borrow phrase from the title of her latest edit) to that prowess was surely the support of her certified ripper of a father.

Josh Kerr needs little introduction to the ardent surf fan, but let’s introduce him anyway.

He came onto the scene in the mid 2000s as the World Air Champ pushing the boundaries of the sport with such innovations as the Club Sandwich and clinching the last ever Airshow Series title in 2005.

Two years later he made the ‘CT and demonstrated his skill in waves, little and monstrous.

After a decade competing at the highest level Kerr hung up his singlet and began a new chapter as a freesurfer extraordinaire, twin-fin advocate and shrewd entrepreneur. Shortly thereafter the first clips of daughter Sierra started to drop and Kerrzy’s other major role as daddy to two young groms took centre stage.

Let us set the scene for Sierra Kerr’s triumph: Day 5 of the Nias Pro, one of the major events on the Asian/Australasian regional Qualification Series. The preceding day was of historic proportions, and the swell had built slightly overnight – not as perfect or consistent perhaps, but a foot bigger on the largest sets of the morning.

The first heat of the day saw the men resume their heroic efforts – Cooper Davies dropped a 16.70 heat total, Made Joi Satriawan 17.50, Shohei Kato 18.03. All threaded thick righthand pits for well-deserved 8s and 9s.

Then the women’s round of 32 started, and the high scores stopped.

Most of the women relied on turns, leaning their step-up boards into the fat tapering walls that follow the barrel section. Forays into the tube were all too brief, often limited by an inability to knife the critical takeoff. Willow Hardy and Piper Harrison pulled in deep, made it out and were rewarded with a 10 and a 9.70 respectively. No one else posted anything better than a 7.83 all round.

It was clear – these were not the ferocious ladies of the CT who made history earlier this year at Pipeline and Teahupo’o, putting reigning Men’s World Champ Filipe Toledo to shame with their heady mix of tenacity and skill. I wondered what barrel maestro Caity Simmers would have authored, had she been in the water.

Then Sierra Kerr stepped up, swung hard and knocked two perfect pitches right out of the park.

Her 10 point ride was a classic. The first wave ridden in the heat, none of the other women wanted to go near it. As they paddled towards the wave and over it, Sierra turned, stroked deep and dropped hard into a thick barrel. A few mini pumps and she was out, looking back at the shoreline.

“I paddled deep because everyone was wide, no one wanted it,” said Kerr after.

Showing perfect composure, Kerr waited 23 minutes for her next wave, a skillful pump-to-highline tubride followed by a solid grabrail cuttie, netting a 6.17.

All her competitors were firmly in comboland, and Kerr had no more work to do.

Except that she did.

With just 19 seconds left she pulled into another six-foot drainer, pumped hard three times and came out nodding like a bobble head on your dashboard as you go over a particularly sharp speed bump.

9.87+10 = one of the highest ever heat totals by a female competitive surfer, a landmark effort that backs up her fans who claim she is the future of women’s surfing.

Daddy Josh was, of course, sitting in the channel about to start his next heat.

Both Kerrs made it through the rest of their matches for the day and have the chance to make the first ever father-daughter event win pairing  in any sport when finals day unfolds.

The lesson?

Don’t hate on nepotism just because the silver spoon isn’t in your mouth. Enjoy it. Revel in it.

Parenthood is a beautiful thing, and so is prodigous excellence.

So much the better when one is entwined with the other.