With the stellar surfing season just starting for both the women and the men in Australia, we find out why the ASP World Tour is such a tough proposition – and that’s just working out the points-scoring.
9...
The record for the number of ASP World Tour titles goes to Kelly Slater (pictured, above right, with Mick Fanning). The American won his first way back in 1992, then, after a year’s hiatus, five on the trot from 1994–8. There followed a long absence from the champion’s rostrum, but after seven years, Slater came rushing back to form by loosening Andy Irons’ own three-year stranglehold on the title to win in 2005. Since then, Slater has won twice more, in 2006 and ’08, the latter giving him the record for the oldest champion (aged 36), to go with his youngest champion record (aged 20) from ’92. Present champion Fanning’s first two titles have sandwiched Slater’s record ninth, in 2007 and last year.
1998...
Australian Layne Beachley began an extraordinary six-year ASP Women’s World Tour winning streak in 1998, which only came to an end when Peruvian Sofia Mulanovich took the 2004 title. Layne extended her record number of titles (her nearest challengers Lisa Anderson, Wendy Botha and Freida Zamba each have four) to seven in 2006, but since then her compatriot Stephanie Gilmore has, ominously, won three on the spin…
17...
When qualifying is all done and dusted, 45 men and 16 women join the ASP World Tour and ASP Women’s World Tour. The men contest 10 events around the world, while the women have seven events to prove their title credentials.
45 + 3...
Forty-eight surfers begin a men’s competition for now, when you include three wildcards. Whoever wins their three-man opening round one heat heads straight to round three and the last 32, while second and third battle it out in a second round with the others in their position for a place in round three. From then on, 32 become 16, who become eight, who become four, and then two for the final to decide the event winner. Eighteen surfers start round one of a women’s event, with the first two in six three-way heats (ie 12 women) progressing to round three. The six ‘third-placers’ go into two round two heats, with the first two progressing to round three from each (so four more), where a straightforward round of 16 then becomes eight, etc. Incidentally from 2010's halfway point, only the top 32 in the rankings will carry on in the ASP title race, with four wildcards per event, so 36, meaning a different system ahead of more changes for 2011… Keeping up? Now for the points involved…
33...
At first glance, the scoring system for the Tour might look a little bewildering as well, but when you realise that it’s based on the knockout format, it’s quite simple. Anyone failing to make the third round of 32 is effectively equal, so they come joint 33rd. The same system then follows with points for joint 17th (missed top 16), joint ninth (missed quarter-finals), joint fifth (missed semis) and joint third (missed final). The system is the same for ladies, except that joint 17th is the lowest rank.
10,000...
New this year is that the final men's winner gets 10,000 points. Beaten finalists get 8,000, then it’s 6,500 (third), 5,250 (fifth), 3,750 (ninth), 1,750 (17th) and 500 (33rd). You even get 500 points for being injured in an event, so no one goes home empty-handed, even if they are a bit sore. In some sports, a couple of hundred points wins entire championships.
For breaking news on both the men’s and women’s ASP World Tour campaigns, suit up and head to aspworldtour.com
Comments
Add a comment