“Are You Not Entertained?” Pros Discuss Pros and Cons of ASP Tour Changes
"Are you not entertained?" Kelly Slater...modern day gladiator.
SAN CLEMENTE, California/USA (Saturday, October 8, 2011) – The ASP World Tour has undergone unprecedented changes over the last two years. Changes that involved both the tour structure and event formats. And changes activated, in collaboration with the surfers and events, that have brought about a never-before-seen level of surfing to competition as well as historic numbers of people tuning in online to watch the world’s best surfers battle it out in the world’s best waves. Having just completed our first proper rotation of the ASP Top 34 in September, discussion has ensued in the blogosphere amongst pundits, editors, fans and the pros themselves. Chris Mauro, former touring professional, is now chief wordsmith at GrindTV and recently analyzed an exchange between ASP World Champions Kelly Slater and Sunny Garcia. This…is their story…
At least they care…
Kelly Slater and Sunny Garcia got into a heated exchange on Twitter Thursday over the future of the ASP format. It’s a hot topic this week as ASP meetings in France are centered on the matter.
The biggest complaint from surfers trying to qualify is that it’s too tough. Yet 5 of 32 surfers are new to the tour over the past 12 months: a 15% annual turnover rate.
Back when the tour was 45 surfers, the average amount of rookies was 6 per year: a 13% annual turnover rate. Some would like to open the tour back up to a wider field, but Slater challenged…
Full story at GrindTV’s ‘Behind the Scenes at the Quiksilver Pro’
DISCLAIMER: May include some adult language by a certain Hawaiian…Oh, I know, we’re shocked too.
Catch Kelly and the rest of the ASP Top 34 doing battle LIVE at the Quiksilver Pro France
Comments
Category: All ASP News, ASP Editorial News
Here’s a new idea, how about in order to win your heat you have to win by at least a full point. Competitors that only have a couple of tenths lead are then judged by their third wave, so whoever is ripping the hardest actualy wins instead of it being a objective call by the judges.
Sunny is grumpy because he is washed up and has no chance of climbing back on tour like he had invisioned a year or so ago. He has voiced his opinion on how airs and above the lip turns are overrated and overscored. I feel certain it’s because they are turns he can’t do. I give respect to the power surfers but there is a saying… “If you don’t like change, you will like being irrelevent even less”. I think that applies here.
Kelly deserves most scores he gets.
Let’s face it. Sunny and Bobby are great surfers and characters but they are not necessarily Einsteins. If you analyse the situation objectively and with a bit of foresight the changes are very good for the tour! I’ve never seen better and more exciting surfing. Also, I skip 40% of heats I’m not interested in. Thus, 34 surfers are definitely enough.
Regarding the judging. Yes, sometimes it is a bit confusing especially when it comes to airs versus turns versus floaters and barrels. It would be great if the ASP could release the exact judging criteria in the form of:
360 air: 7.5-9 points (dependent on hight, wave part and wave hight)
floater: 3-5 points (dependent on wave hight etc..)
etc.
The tour is definitely slanted towards the 34 on tour as they have so much more opportunity to get points.
Right now we are seeing a shuffle as the new rules take place, but in the future as it solidifies there will be far less new faces on tour. Surfers who are not on the dream tour should be given a equal opportunity to make the tour as those that are already on it. In fact I don’t see why there isn’t a rotation for every contest, if your not in the top 34 your not in the heats.
As far as judging airs I think that we have to follow the format that has been set by skate and snowboarding, that the grace and body movement are just as important as landing, if you do a 360 air, but look like a gorilla then it’s just not a big score.
I really dont dig the whole mid season changes! I think thats not the prestige tour as it was! And please judges dont over score kelly that insanely!
over-scored!?! go re-watch His surfing and tell me who else has the poise and Flow that King Ke11y has? Really, if anything he gets underscored and has to don a cape to blow judges (and our) minds just to get “over-scored”. I bet you thought Owen should have won Trestles too? re-watch and learn…