ASP’s Al Hunt Approaches 1000 Events
Al Hunt breaks it down for Adriano de Souza (BRA), 23, at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach this season.
SUNSET BEACH, Oahu/Hawaii (Tuesday, November 22, 2010) – Al Hunt is an institution within the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). The big man, from Bateau Bay on New South Wales’ Central Coast, has served in a variety of crucial positions including ASP Head Judge, ASP World Tour Manager, ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) Tour Manager and has been instrumental in the development of the sport since its inception.
This week, Hunt will attend his 1,000th professional surfing event at the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach on Oahu’s North Shore. The accomplishment is symbolic of a life dedicated to ensuring the fledging sport of surfing was ushered from its humble beginnings to its current state as an international sensation.
Renato Hickel, current ASP World Tour Manager, offers the following words:
Imposing! That was the first impression I had from Al Hunt when I first met him back in 1985 in Brasil. It seemed to me that on any matter related to surfing, Al would have the answer for it. It wasn’t long before I discovered Al’s penchant for providing answers was not only limited to surfing, but to every issue you can imagine.
Want to know something? “Ask Al!” The man can give amplitude to what he speaks on, what he’s read and what he has seen!
Al’s success within the ASP and with the World Tour comes with great deal of passion for the sport, competence and faculty in dealing with the calculations and his unflappable workaholic approach is a rare find these days.
Talking only about his success as a professional, I don’t know of any other individual who has dedicated their life to organizing professional surfing and endured like he has. Al has always been visible and involved, since the beginning days of IPS through the opening stages of ASP, Tour changes and the Dream Tour. There are ASP employees and then there is Al Hunt! He has, with his meticulous attention to detail and unquestionable professionalism, had the maximum impact within our sport while reaping personal satisfaction in his own life. Al has given back to the sport not only through priceless hard work, but more importantly, with vision and direction in shaping the way many of its intricacies exist today.
We admire and are proud to have Al Hunt onboard, and if we were to ask him, “another 1000 surfing events to come Mr. Hunt?” he’d probably say, “Nah, Impossible!” But he may prove us wrong!
While Hunt realizes the impressive accomplishment of attending his thousandth professional surfing event this week at Sunset Beach on Oahu’s North Shore, be sure to catch the world’s best surfers do battle at the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing.
The second jewel in the prestigious Vans Hawaiian Triple Crown of Surfing (an ASP Specialty Series), the O’Neill World Cup will be webcast LIVE at http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
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