ASP Surfers and Board of Directors Vote to Deactivate the Midyear Rotation in 2012
COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Wednesday, December 28, 2011) – The ASP Board of Directors has voted to deactivate the midyear rotation in 2012, citing scheduling uncertainties as the primary reason. "This has been an extremely challenging decision for us to make,” Dave Prodan, ASP International spokesman, said. “We believe that the 2011 rotation brought in some incredible talent that proved they deserved to be amongst the world’s best with their performances throughout the back half of the year. However, the instability of the ASP schedule (especially in 2012) makes the concept very difficult to manage."
"Where would we schedule the rotation? How do we ensure there are fair and balanced opportunities in every rotation for surfers to qualify? As we have been since our inception, we are a sport governed by the surfers for the surfers and it is in this spirit that we have voted to deactivate the midyear rotation in 2012. We believe this decision is best for the upcoming season and we will continue to discuss the future of the rotation within the sport." The motion to discontinue the midyear rotation was initially tabled and supported by the surfer stakeholder group, headed by representative and 2012 Billabong Pipe Master Kieren Perrow (AUS), 34. "The midyear rotation worked out better than we could have imagined this season, but looking ahead, the surfers feel that it will not have the long-term effects desired for the sport," Perrow said. "This is felt by the majority of the surfers from the very top of the ASP Top 34 to the qualifiers in the Prime and Star events. What we have created is a system in which the very best surfers in the world are currently within the ASP Top 34, but the process of getting there is becoming disorganized. We don’t want that and the decision to not have the midyear rotation in 2012 is the best thing for the sport."
Comments
So... Bobo won?
Any other sport be it football or tennis you can be taken out midyear by a low seed who is hitting form and this keeps the best on their A game all year. Not just at the end of the year when all the assignments are due. I thought the rotation was a great reward for those at the top of the QS and I would like to see it go further. I would like to see the top of the World rankings in the 34 for EVERY contest, not just every half year.
The CT has taken a massive step back to the stone age with this weak move.
Seeing the back of Gabe Kling and Cory Lopez for the introduction of John John and Gabriel Medina was a bad thing? Are you kidding me? This is just a lame decision made for the guys who never want to challenge for the title but love to be on the tour, a decision delivered by a guy who only just scraped by the whole year. To Kierans credit the tour should have more events in heavy waves and this would make it better for tube riders like him but in real day to day surfing not even the best heavy waves of the world work on cue when they're supposed to so this is just the way surfing is. The best surfers preform in all conditions. Even that said Kieran got a 13th at huge Bells, a 25th at macking Teahupoo and another 25th at off it's head Peniche. Hardly consistent earth shaking performances. Yet this guy is deciding what the surfers think. You believe it? Yeah right. Ask Miguel Pupo or Travis Logie. To have the top surfers at the top of their game every contest is what will keep surfing relevent and exciting for the fans post Kelly. To have it slip into the safe guys vs the at risk guys for a whole long year senario that so often occurs by the 5th event is just tedious and does not encourge or reward the brilliant cutting edge surfing that occurs every week at the top of the QS circuit. In my view this is a decision that highlights a cautionary/sentimental approach management style by the ASP that needs to change.
I don't believe the sport will progress with these crucial decisions being made by the surfers who have made it and really just want to stay there for as long as they can, any way they can. Understandable but is it fair and is it progressive - I think not. This is like getting panel beaters to design roundabouts and intersections VESTED INTERESTS! A year is a really long time in a sports career and the 6 month system was so much fairer as well as being more challenging interesting and progressive. If they go back to the 12 month are they going back up to the 44. If not there are going to be very few new faces and in the current economics QS surfers will not be able to fund their tours and push for their spots over the long period of time it will take to get there.If it truly is the surfers decision ("Sport governed by Surfers for Surfers")it should be all surfers ie QS as well not the elite compromised few being party to the decision.
Ahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
With this years earlier half cut, and then the year end change of plans, the collective of professional competitive surfing pulled a brilliant move and got just what they wanted.... dumped a few of the oldies who time had come and gone, and replaced 'em with the new breed... Miguel, Medina, and a heaping helping of Double John.
At least one thing didn't change,...
Old rottkamp is still a drunken pilled up kook!
And lets get rid of T20 cricket while we are at it...
And really, is one year enough for our surfing hero's to prove themselves? Perhaps a lock in of 2 or 3 years would be more suitable for the delicate geniuses of our backward sport?
hey ratta, I'm with ya on less (any) cricket.
cricket... the sporting equivalent of bad acid.
'whatever'
there were 2-3 of 12? contests worth watching - we shouldn't be too greedy