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After per week of getting raked over the coals by the browsing neighborhood, Vans has had a change of coronary heart over Jamie O’Brien. The freesurfer, YouTuber and Pipeline specialist was initially relegated to an alternate slot for the upcoming Vans Pipe Masters, however with the announcement of the official roster, he discovered himself again in the principle occasion. Nevertheless, regardless of the reversal, O’Brien remains to be not proud of the corporate.

The controversy kicked off when Josh Moniz took to Instagram to precise his disappointment that JOB was solely invited to the occasion as an alternate (although the official roster had but to be confirmed on the time). In response, the skilled browsing neighborhood shortly banded collectively on-line to lambaste Vans, with many claiming the Pipe Masters had misplaced its credibility after being faraway from the Championship Tour schedule and became a standalone occasion in 2022.

Quickly after, O’Brien adopted up together with his personal Instagram put up, expressing his disappointment with each the choice and Vans as an organization. He additionally revealed {that a} Vans consultant had advised him he was “too previous” for the occasion. Together with the admonition, O’Brien included a listing of different surfers he believed ought to have landed invitations, together with Josh Moniz, Kalani Chapman, Torrey Meister, Lucas Godfrey, Eli Olson, Tyler Newton, Bruce Irons, Reef McIntosh, Landon Mcnamara, Mikey Bruno, Flynn Novak, Joey Johnston and Mark Healey.

Plainly Vans heard the response. Per week later, the official roster was introduced, with Jamie on it. “GUESS WHO’S BACK IN THE EVENT,” wrote O’Brien on Instagram, “and solely since you guys spoke up and had my again, love you guys!”

Once I requested O’Brien in regards to the dustup, he  made it clear in no unsure phrases that Vans had not made up for the misstep. “My two cents is that, slowly however certainly, Vans is ruining the prestigiousness of the occasion that surfers earlier than our time paved the best way to make nice,” he mentioned over the cellphone. ”I believe they shouldn’t personal the identify Pipeline Masters, as a result of they’re destroying it. I believe they need to give it again to the WSL, as a result of clearly they did a fantastic job with it over time.”

“I believe that individuals within the company workplace are clearly not watching Pipeline on the day-to-day they usually don’t perceive what’s taking place on the market. In the event that they’re calling me too previous and I’m on the market getting high 5 greatest waves each single swell for the final 25 years – If I’m too previous, then Vans the corporate is method too previous and I believe the choice makers should not certified.” Afterward, he added, “I believe there’s a whole lot of cool issues that they did carry to the occasion, like bringing in X quantity of Hawai’ian surfers, however on the on the finish of the day, there’s those who earn their stripes on the market that needs to be within the occasion that weren’t even on the alternate checklist.”

In the long run, he wished to make it clear that his emotions in regards to the firm weren’t only a response to being snubbed, but in addition in regards to the checklist of different excluded surfers he’d named in his Instagram put up, and the browsing neighborhood as an entire. “I don’t wish to make this nearly me,” he mentioned. “I believe it’s greater than simply me. I believe it’s about our neighborhood. I believe it’s in regards to the different surfers. I believe it’s the disrespect that Vans brings to our neighborhood. I believe the craziest a part of the entire thing is nobody’s proudly owning as much as who made the choice. All of them level fingers round in circles to the place nobody will get in bother, however it’s not like they’re gonna get in bother. I wish to say, ‘Hey, it’s clear as day that you realize nothing about Pipeline and also you guys are operating this occasion.’”