Men’s
The Association of Surfing Professional (ASP) Tours:
There are two tours in men’s competitive surfing: the ASP World Tour and the ASP World Qualifying Series.
The ASP World Tour
The ASP World Tour is the big one! It consists of 10 or more, stand-alone global events and decides surfing’s annual World Champion. This is the one you want to win! And this is the tour that stars all the big names!
At the top of the list is Red Bull team rider, Mick Fanning.
Mick is the reigning and two-times Men’s ASP World Champion.
Six additional Red Bull surfers will contest the ASP World Tour in 2010, hoping to emulate Fanning’s success and steal his title.
They are: Adriano de Souza (Brazil, world rated no. 5), Jordy Smith (South Africa, world rated no. 11), Michel Bourez (Tahiti, world rated no. 21), Tiago Pires (Portugal, world rated no. 24) and Dan Ross (Australia, the 2009 World Qualifying Series champion).
The ASP World Qualifying Series
The World Qualifying Series consists of many differently rated global events, some of which occur simultaneously. Hundreds of aspiring young surfers compete at this level, mixing it in with the top pros, hoping to crack the big time.
The Qualifying Series is sometimes referred to as ‘the Grind’ because of its taxing nature.
Red Bull’s Julian Wilson is the classic example of the World Qualifying Series competitor, gunning for the big leagues. 2010 will be Julian’s first full year on this tour.
Tim Boal (France) and Wiggolly Dantas (Brazil) will also compete full-time on the Qualifying Series throughout 2010.
The events that really count are the high-rating ‘six star’ events held at prime surf locations.
Rankings and Ratings:
2010 is a transition year for the ranking system. At the mid point of the 2010 World Tour (following the Billabong Pro, Tahiti), a single-ranking system will come into effect. So this means if you’re on the World Tour and ranked in the top 32 by halfway, you’re safe.
Anyone ranked 33rd or lower at this mid-point, will be kicked off and forced to go back and requalify via the World Qualifying Series events. Ouch!
Next year (2011) and beyond …
Once the transition to a one-ranking system has occurred, the top 10 ranked Qualifying surfers will replace the bottom 10 ranked surfers on the World Tour. This will ensure a continual update of fresh faces on the World Tour. A surfer’s best 8 results are tabulated to give them their ranking at any one time.
Results:
A win in a high-rated (6-star) World Qualifying Series event is roughly equivalent to the number of points earned for a third-place finish in a World Tour event. So basically, if you’re doing well on the World Tour, you’ll maintain a high ranking (inside the top 22) and be in the running of the world title. If you’re losing in the first or second rounds, it’s only going to be a matter of time before you’re kicked off and forced to build up points again in the Qualifying events.
Women’s
The ASP Women’s World Tour
The ASP Women’s World Tour consists of the eight or more annual global events. The top 17 ranked women compete in these events all year, to decide the World Champion. To stay on the women’s World Tour, the surfer must finish in the top 10 each year. Red Bull surfers competing at the highest level on the women’s tour include: Sofia Mulanovich (Peru, world rated no. 3 and former World Champion), Sally Fitzgibbons (Australia, world rated no. 5 and former Qualifying Series, ISA and ASP World Junior Champion) and Carissa Moore (Hawaii, 2010 World Tour rookie).
The ASP Women’s World Qualifying Series
Like the men’s, there is an annual World Qualifying Series for women. The top six ranked surfers at the end of each season Qualify for the upcoming women’s World Tour. Red Bull’s Sally Fitzgibbon’s won the 2008 Qualifying Series in order to earn her place on the World Tour and in doing so set a new record as the fastest surfer ever, male or female, to do so.
Judging!
The ASP Judging Criteria for 2010 and beyond is as follows:
Surfers must perform to the ASP Judging Key Elements to maximize their scoring potential.
Judges analyse the following major elements when scoring waves:
- Commitment and Degree of Difficulty
- Innovative and Progressive Manoeuvres
- Combination of Major Manoeuvres
- Variety of Manoeuvres
- Speed, Power and Flow
It is important to note that the emphasis on certain elements is contingent upon the location and the conditions on the day, as well as changes of conditions during the day.
Scale Utilized:
[0.0 – 1.9: Poor] [2.0 – 3.9: Fair] [4.0 – 5.9: Average] [6.0 – 7.9: Good] [8.0 – 10.0: Excellent]
Heats are typically 30 minutes in duration and a surfer’s two highest scoring waves are counted in their total. Highest score out of a maximum 20 points, wins!
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