PRE-EVENT - 07/10/04
EVENT RULES & ORGANIZATION
Organisation of Pro Surfing

The ASP
The Association of Surfing Professional was created in 1983 to oversee events, ensuring both quality and prize money. The ASP supports and participates in the development of international professional surfing. Its functions are as follows :
approve the professional surfing tour, promote the event site, propose methods for official judging and ranking to conclude the season, and finally to edit the guides which constitutes the surfing bible for organisers, surfers and media alike.

The ASP has two leagues, which have their own individual tours :

The WCT
The World Championship Tour contains the elite of the surfing world. The heights of the WCT are out of reach for most, only the best 42 men and 16 women surfers in the world hold this lofty position. To stay in the WCT the following year, surfers must finish in the top 27, the 15 surfers who do not make it into these top positions do not requalify.

The WQS
The World Qualifying Series is the second tier of the ASP. Hundreds of talented surfers from around the world complete the WQS grind in an attempt to reach one of the top 15 spots in the series (6 for women). A WQS event is an extremely
competitive occasion that involves a huge pool of raw talent, which is quickly whittled down after a succession of four man heats. In these preliminary heats, the first and second place advance to the next round, leaving third and fourth packing
heir bags for the next battle in another far flung location. A surfers rating from the previous year dictates what round they are to be seeded in. The points from the current year determine their placement within that round. This means that each heat has riders of similar level. Men’s Prize money ranges from $ 10.000 to 125.000 per event. Each event is given a star rating, from 1-6 depending on the number of points the competition carries in the overall series, and the prize money offered. The surfers best results, usually eight for men and five for women, accumulated over the year are added together to give a final ranking within the series.
The top 15 men surfers and the top 6 women automatically go into the WCT. For this reason many WCT athletes compete in WQS competitions, to double their chances of staying in the WCT. For example if a surfer is resting at a low spot in the WCT league, where they run the risk of not qualifying, they can double their chances by entering WQS competitions as well. So, even if they fail to finish in the top 27 of the WCT they can till qualify by coming in the top 15 of the WQS;

THE RULES

Formats
In Men’s WCT events a 3-surfer round will be staged followed by the standard one- on-one format unless using the format without the losers round. After ASP International Board of Directors approval Round Two of the standard WCT format can be eliminated with 1st and 2nd from Round One moving directly into Round Three of the standard format. Advanced in a 4-surfer heat must be at least 50 % of the surfers in the heat unless it is a repechage heat where 50 % or more have already previously advanced.

Basics
Surfing heats generally last for twenty minutes. The start is signalled by a single blast of a horn and finishes with two blasts. A panel of judges give each surfer a score out of ten for each wave ridden. With generally a ten waves per heat, the best two rides are added together for a combined score. The heat duration and maximum number of waves allowed can vary depending on surf conditions.

Interferences
Interference is the equivalent of a free kick in football. The interfering surfer is penalized with a loss of 50 % of his second best scoring ride in non-priority situations only. The wave that the interference was called on by the majority of the judges will count in the final tally as a zero.
This normally puts them at a significant disadvantage for winning the heat. Basically, if a surfer is thought to have hindered the scoring potential of another surfer already up and riding, they are called an ‘interference’.
Types of interference :
- Dropping in : when a surfer takes off on the outside of a surfer who has the inside position.
- Paddling interference : Paddling in hard and shutting the wave down without actually taking off.
- Snaking : when a surfer attempts to catch a wave from the inside of a surfer who has already established his direction by making a turn that way.

Judges
The panel consists of five judges, who are all ranked with the ASP. With the highest and lowest score disregarded, the average is taken from the remaining three scores. Using computer judging, the score appears on the screen and is read aloud immediately. This means the surfers know how they are progressing through their heat, a positive point both for the competitors and the spectators.

Judging Criteria
Committed, stylish, radical surfing in the most critical section of the wave maximises a surfers scoring potential. Progressive style and innovating moves are also considered when scoring.
The surfer who executes this criteria with the highest degree of difficulty and control on the best waves shall be rewarded the highest score.