Short and slim: The ASP Women's World Tour
The ASP released their 2013 tour schedules last week and once again the women's tour has come up short. Next year the women have just eight contests scheduled with the last event wrapping up in July. Also, three of those contests are marked 'tentative' meaning the 2013 women's world champ may be decided from a meagre five contests.
The truncated tour continues a pattern that began a few years back and also reflects the overall health of the surf industry. In 2005 Roxy – the women's arm of Quiksilver – sponsored four events while in 2013 they'll sponsor just two. In 2006 Billabong sponsored 3 events, in 2013 they won't sponsor any.
For Jessi Miley-Dyer, Women's World Tour Manager, the current state of the women's tour is disappointing. "The caliber of talent amongst the ASP Top 17 has never been higher," says Miley-Dyer. And yet sponsors of women surfing have proven difficult to find.
This must be truly frustrating for Miley-Dyer as women's clothing make up a significant share of the surf clothing market. Industry reports put women's clothing sales anywhere as high as 60% of the global surfwear output and yet women's surf contests appear to be the first expense dropped during lean times.
Such facts invite questions about the role of surf competitions as marketing devices and exactly who they are marketed at. Miley-Dyer however, gives no countenance to hypotheticals instead dealing with on-the-ground realities and fairweather optimism. "We have great support from our current licensees," says Miley-Dyer, before continuing, "We're viewing 2013 as a transitional year...and believe that interest in women's surfing will only continue to grow."
I put it to Miley-Dyer that the women's tour has been suffering since Layne Beachley retired and the two may be connected, an argument she flatly refutes. "I would argue that that we have the most talented and marketable group of young female surfers on tour that we've ever had."
Miley-Dyer is correct on that score, women surfers do, at least individually, get a lot of recognition. Steph Gilmore often makes the mainstream news, Sally Fitzgibbon recently created a stir surfing the Abu Dhabi wave pool, while Alana Blanchard consistently tops the Google search terms – at least one part of her anatomy does. The current crop don't appear to have any problem making headlines.
The challenge, it would seem for the ASP and its licensees, is to create a product and market it in a way that appeals to the people buying the clothes. That is if the current surf contest business model is to continue as is. The other option is to come up with something new and I questioned Miley-Dyer on what she meant by 2013 being a transitional year – are ZoSea somehow involved? Does women's surfing have a white knight ready to rescue it?
To that I received no answer. Nothing definitive anyway. "We will continue to release information as appropriate," said Miley-Dyer. I got the feeling that she didn't know either.
Comments
I like watching the chicks surf but usually end up turning off cause of the conditions they get sent out in. Some of their stops are pretty ordinary as well - would be better to see them out at Cloudbreak, Chopes or Hawaii....instead of Dee-Why, Rio or Huntington....
Maddog,
The girls used to have a competition at Teahupoo until one year when a 6 foot swell hit and heats were getting run without any waves being surfed. Think they finished the competition down the coast?
Jessi Mi;ey-Dyer and others promoting women's surfing must know what the problem is. There may be more of us in the line-ups these days but very few are interested in Professional Surfing. Plus it's marketed at teenage girls much more than then mens is targeted at teenage boys. Go to a competition and it's bubblegum and frills.
No company targets the older female surfer, and to be perfectly blunt that's just fine with me.
The "problem", if you call it that, is the people buying women's "surf wear" aren't surfers. They're buying teenage fashion au-go-go for the shopping mall not a uniform for hardcore surfers.
Layne's time on the women's tour seemed to coincide with a peak in mainstream media interest in women's pro surfing, at least it seemed that way in Australia. She was really good selling the sport to the masses.
I wonder if Kelly's departure will lead to a similar occurrence in the men's tour. Can't really see any of the men having the personality pulling power in the mainstream that king Kelly does. It seems like mostly robotic responses to questions posed that you see on the news.
That's why I dug Medina's dummy spit so much. Just to see some emotion was a breathe of fresh air. It should have been reported heavily in the mainstream media instead of covered up. The masses eat that shit up!
"I wonder if Kelly's departure will lead to a similar occurrence in the men's tour. "
I think that's a really valid point YS. Times are tough as it is, and pro surfing needs maximum exposure for return on investment. Last year, prior to the Drug Aware Pro the organisers of the comp sent a handful of press releases each one pertaining to the appearance of Kelly Slater: how excited he was to surf at Margaret River, what boards he'd be riding, when he was surfing etc etc. You'd think he was the only fella in the comp.
After Kelly it's gonna be hard to find another surfer for organisers to rally around and take the sport to the mainstream.
I love surfing with women; they seem to get the pure stoke of surfing way more than the majority of men. Hooting, laughing and messing about seems to be the norm, its great. Perhaps women generally don't need to be competitive in the surf and this might flow through to their interest or otherwise in the so called professional element. YS is correct about Layne, not only a good communicator but a brilliant surfer to boot.
Stu, your last comment about surfing as a sport to be taken to the mainstream .... with a "surf shop" flogging T shirts in just about every shopping mall in the country not sure how much more mainstream the sport can become. There was even a surf shop in Alice Springs the last time I drove through that shameful town.
I'm on the same page with you floyd when it comes to surfing with chicks. Surfing with women is good fun.
I sometimes surf with this lady from Chiba, she comes up every summer and loves to practice her English. About 5'2" and about 40kg dripping wet (ha ha). Saw her get pole axed on a solid 6ft wave a couple of weeks ago. One where you really cringe, but laugh at the same time. She got washed all the way in and it took her half an hour to get back out. She was smiling and got right back into it. Bless her.
The whole Roxy chick thing makes me cringe though, every teen thing wants to be a model by day and rock star by night.
The chicks did have a great contest a few years back, Honalua Bay. One year, can't remember, but that place dished it up for the ladies.
@Floyd,
Surfing may well be mainstream, in fact it definitely is, but very few people could name a surfer beyond Kelly Slater. Therefore if Kelly ain't around to carry a story we may see less surfing making it to the mainstream press - nightly news, sports shows, etc..
I'd like to see more Womens events held in their own right. Usually, they're added on to the Mens events (ie Roxy with Quik, Rip Curl etc) which means they sometimes end up surfing on the lesser-quality surf days. The calibre of Womens surfing is unreal these days and I'd happily tune into a webcast to watch 'em, but only if the waves were good - which they'd be in a much better position to coordinate if they had their own waiting period.
Regardless of the reasons behind the demise of the women’s tour, the ASP need to step in and give the girls the repect of finishing their tour in Hawaii. It’s pathetic that it finishes mid year and that there is no events in Hawaii. Look at the Hawaiian surfing talent on tour today, Carissa Moore, Malia Manuel, Coco Ho and Alana Blanchard. It must be hard for them to swallow watching the men compete in all the events on the North Shore, not to mention all the other surfers in the top 17.
I could watch Steph and Carissa blow fins all day long. The standard is not up to the mens but, it is "competition" that keeps people in tune. Also, the likely hood of events held in their own right is slim Ben (i recon). If they are setting up for the mens event, then better to use that infrastructure for the chicks as well. +more peeps are tuning in to see if the blokes are on and may settle for watching the ladies instead. That's what i do anyway...
Just blow out the waiting period of the mens comps by 3 days and run the chicks as well.
But, what would i know?
I completely agree with you Ben.
Where do you surf Floyd? Lets go for a wave. Im always happy to play to stereotype if it means getting more waves:)
Stu,
Bob Kelly Slater's retirement is a two way street.
When BKS finally retires, the boys on the ASP's top shelf tour will be happy clappers.
But, the oldies surfing the ASP senior events will not be digging the change up to their Groovy Train.
I like reading Floyds comments. Looks to the positives first then puts forward a well thought out point to ponder. Thanks for putting in the effort old mate.
How old are you anyway?