Iron X: Why Surf Life Saving Australia’s Ninja Warrior meets surf sports monstrosity isn’t the answer

I’ve got an opinion about Iron X.

I’ve got an opinion about Iron X.

Following the running of the much criticised exhibition event on Monday at Mooloolaba, you’re probably in the minority if you don’t have something to say about Surf Life Saving Australia’s new Ninja Warrior meets surf sports love child.

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So as someone who’s spent the last six months reporting on the raging war that’s divided the surf sports community, here’s my two cents.

Here’s why you should care even if you don’t know the first thing about surf life saving.

Imagine being told your sport, one that is steeped in more than 100 years of tradition, is dying and needs a complete overhaul to regain prominence.

Courtney Hancock crawls under a cargo net during Iron X. Pic: Harvpix

Combining traditional iron racing with stand-up paddleboarding and beach obstacles is like putting hurdles on an AFL field and telling players they need to leap six before they can kick a goal; like adding a go-karting leg at the Australian Open; like the Titans playing a half of NRL before being told at half time it’s time to switch to netball.

As a spectacle, it was intriguing to watch as athletes pushed themselves to their physical limits and attempted things never seen in a surf life saving arena before.

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But mooted as the future of surf life saving and the sport’s saving grace?

There’s no successful professional sport anywhere in the world that’s change its fundamental skill set.

You can change the garment, but not the DNA.

Emma Dick carries a sandbag during Iron X. Pic: Harvpix

The differential in prize money is something that still astounds me.

I understand that there had to be an incentive for surf stars to go beyond their comfort zone and train for new disciplines, but why not reward our current Nutri-Grain athletes who have been training since July last year to compete?

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How can just over 30 minutes of work be comparable to months of training and extended consistency across five rounds of competition?

In round two of the series at Burleigh, Matt Poole won $2,500 for an Endurosurf race consisting of just over 30 minutes … a tenth of the prize money the Iron X winners picked up for the same amount of work.

Male athletes take on an obstacle during Iron X. Pic: Harvpix

It’s so easy to understand how devastated the athletes feel yet so hard to predict how this plays out.

But despite my gripes with Iron X, you can trust me to park my personal feelings and report both sides of the debate equally.

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Surf Life Saving Australia’s intent was sound, but Iron X isn’t the answer.

Hopefully we soon have a solution, I’m just not quite sure what that might be.