Adrian Buchan on the State of the ASP World Tour
Adrian "Ace" Buchan taking the drop at Teahupo'o.
If you could measure a sport’s popularity by the level of debate and scrutiny that it attracts, I would say surfing has never been more loved. And I’m not just talking about the World Tour. The world of surfing is incredibly diverse, with so many sub genres under the sport’s umbrella, pro surfing and the World Tour are but a few embers in a very healthy fire.
Personally, the last 12 months on Tour have been the most challenging for me as a surfer and as a person since I qualified in 2005, but I’ve never been as excited for the start of the next season as I am now. Although surfing is an individual sport, it can get lonely on the road, and we are all a big traveling family – so losing Andy was incredibly difficult and made us all look around and appreciate just how much surfing has given us. Couple that with the changes to the competitive format and subsequent loss of one third of the guys, and it’s definitely a new system undergoing teething problems.
Everyone has a lot of questions, and I’’ll be the first to admit that the structure isn’t perfect. But as I look back at last season, I’ve come to the conclusion that all the best guys in the world are in the Top 34, and the performances that I have seen over the past year were undeniably of the highest standard.
Stylistically, the diversity is also outstanding. Not since Kelly, Dorian, Machado and co. burst onto the scene and rattled the established guard has there been such a great range of surfing styles.
From Gabriel Medina at 17 to Taylor Knox at 40, we are representing numerous generations: from the Momentum to Cooly Kids to the Modern Collective and beyond. Also, and this has not been commented on as much, the diversity in locations is allowing all different styles to flourish. Nothing exemplifies the aforementioned more than Kieren Perrow’s win and subsequent re-qualification at Pipe last week. Far from the favorite at places like Trestles and Rio, KP knows that when the waves get serious his chances of a big result rise exponentially. Every one on Tour has their strengths and weaknesses, but the schedule demands excellence across all venues, and that’s why winning the World Title is such a great feat.
The Tour is super elite now that it’s only 32 guys, and I believe, long term it, it will be in the best interest of the sport to re-expand out to incorporate more surfers and…
For Ace’s full write-up, check out The Inertia’s ‘The State of the ASP World Tour in 2012′
For more on ADRIAN BUCHAN, check out his ASP WORLD TOUR PROFILE
Comments
Category: All ASP News, ASP Editorial News, ASP World Tour News
You can understand where Bobby was coming from, however when you can’t even string a coherent sentence together without using f### as an adjective verb and noun.It’s hard for people to take in to consideration the importance of what you are trying to express.
i.e Bobby is dumb!
The State of the Mens ASP world tour: Although it’s exciting to see the Green Peas get on tour through the Mid-Year rotation, it’s a hard reality to see the the TRUE personalities of our great sport and life style change–or perhaps fade away! Bobby M. wanted out too soon;Dane just wanted out! Slater will dominate as long as he wants to, just because he can; however, many of his peers will be gone after 2012. What would help the tour all the way around is to get some rivalries going: Richards Vs Horan; Occy Vs Curren; Pottz Vs Gerlach etc, etc, etc! Shake it up, give some flair, throw some color in–and some darkness too! And most of all, BIG prize $$$$$$$!
how about 1 million for 1st place at every event! Watch surfing grow out of that; Just to surf 12′ pipe is worth the prize $$$$$$$ in sheer bravado alone!! Just one man’s opinion!
good points but the tour is too stringent and they just play around with numbers alot of great freesurfers would not wanna bother with the old LOW tech asp system.The tour should be about giving ALL the best surfers in the world the opportunity to show there stuff in the best waves,but the judging system and the whole qualification system is stuck in the past.
Maybe Bobby should read this. But then again, someone read it to him as he can not read. Dumb arse Bobby……
bobbys not dumb he just couldnt stand it anymore with the dumb asp there stuck in the past,ace likes too make sure he says all the right things as you wouldnt wanna be out casted by the asp he wants to make sure he has a NICE career.