LIHU‘E — On the heels of the 2010 ASP World Tour culmination, the ASP Technical Committee has reassessed and re-evaluated the structure of the newly-instated ASP World Rankings system, slightly altering the points allocation for 2011. “We have always maintained
LIHU‘E — On the heels of the 2010 ASP World Tour culmination, the ASP Technical Committee has reassessed and re-evaluated the structure of the newly-instated ASP World Rankings system, slightly altering the points allocation for 2011.
“We have always maintained that 2010 was a bridge season and our target was to re-evaluate at year’s end and discuss appropriate alterations moving forward,” Brodie Carr, ASP International CEO, said. “The ASP Tech (Committee) has met and discussed the points structure at length, taking into account the performance of our athletes this season. With some minor tweaking, we have created a more dynamic and rewarding structure for surfers starting next season.”
Moving into this season’s final ASP Technical Committee meeting, the surfers, events and ASP administrators recognized three key, underlying philosophies in re-evaluating the points’ structure:
— Maintaining and enhancing the race for the undisputed ASP World Champion.
— Rewarding winning, and recognizing where/when performance gaps may take place.
— Creating enough opportunities for ASP PRIME surfers to qualify for the ASP World Tour and for ASP Star surfers to get into ASP PRIME events, a necessity to increase the points for ASP PRIME and ASP Star events.
“Performance gaps have been identified as the threshold just below a ‘keeper’ result, and areas where surfers are performing at the highest level in terms of format and difficulty,” said Renato Hickel, ASP World Tour Manager.
Performance gaps were noted in the following areas:
— On the ASP World Tour level, after Equal 13th place
— At the ASP PRIME level, after Equal 13th place
— At the ASP 6-Star level, after Equal 9th place
ASP World Tour-specific notes:
— World Tour 13th place kept at previous years 17th place
— 9th place points have increased by 250
— 5th place points have decreased by 50
ASP PRIME-specific notes:
— ASP International has added five PRIME events to the schedule in 2011, and $1.1 Million in prize money
— Increase in overall point pool by 70 percent in opportunity
— Points have increased for key performance positions in PRIMES (refer to table)
— Change of the format to mirror the ASP World Tour format from the Round of 24 onward
— As such, it has identified a performance gap above 13th place
— A PRIME win equals an ASP World Tour 3rd place
ASP 6-Star-specific notes:
— Rewarding individuals who make the Quarterfinals onward
— Rewarding the winners of the 6-Stars
A full ASP World Rankings table is available at http://www.aspworldtour.com/pdf/2011PointsStructure.pdf.
The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast will open up the 2011 ASP World Tour season utilizing the world-renowned breaks of Australia’s Gold Coast from Feb. 26 to March 9, 2011.
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com.
Gilmore assaulted near Australia home
LIHU‘E — On Monday evening, reigning four-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore, 22, was viciously assaulted in a random act of violence near her Tweed Heads home.
Gilmore suffered a broken wrist amongst other injuries and will be out of the water for six weeks. She has released the following statement:
“There was an incident in which I was attacked at my property,” Gilmore said. “It was a completely random act in which I was a victim in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is now a matter for the court. I have sought medical attention and am on my road to recovery in high spirits. I look forward to getting back in the water in six weeks. In the mean time, I’m staying mentally and physically fit every way I can. I have fantastic support from my family and friends and look forward to resting up for a fresh start in the New Year.”
The ASP Family wishes Steph a full and speedy recovery.