Contests 10/26/2008

ASP Introducing New Format for 2009?

Just found out, thanks to Team RydrHi, that the ASP is introducing a new format next year, and it’s confusing as hell!

Big changes, but can you fully understand the new format? Am I just slow?

This was posted on the Hobgood Blog by CJ:

Dear Top 45,



After thorough investigation of the options at Technical Committee level and via the WPS, a new format was passed into law for implementation in 2009. Next year WCT events will have the choice of staying with the current format or implementing the new format. Both are 48 man fields. Quiksilver have already booked the current format for Snapper, Rip Curl are at this point undecided for Bells and Billabong have confirmed all four of their events, being Tahupoo, J/Bay, Mundaka and Pipe will run with the new format, as well as overlapping heats in some cases.


As presented at the J/Bay WPS meeting, the new format has 48 competitors, broken into two rounds. All heats are knockout man on man. The first round consists of 32 surfers, being surfers ranked 17-27 on the WCT, 3 Tour/injury wildcards, Top 15 WQS and 3 Event wildcards. The seeding formula will be exactly as it is today, with #17 seed up against #32 seed in Heat 8, #18 against #31 in Heat 9 etc. After this round it will be re-seeded for Rd 2.

The Top 16 are seeded directly into Rd 2, where they will meet the 16 winners from Rd 1 in a re-seeded draw. How it works is that the Top 10 from the previous year will be guaranteed a 2nd Rd seed all year, while the next 6 seeds have to maintain their seeded position and can be replaced by better performing back 32 surfers after the 3rd WCT event of the year. So for Snapper, Bells and Teahupoo the Top 16 will be seeded into Rd 2, although seedings can be re-shuffled according to results.



After Teahupo’o only the Top 10 from the previous year will hold their spots, which is probably a good incentive to do Brazil and Pipe, while the next 6 could be replaced if guys from the back 32 secure more seeding points. Seeding points at the beginning of the year, being double seed points going into Snapper, will remain in effect.



The Technical Committee will meet in Hawaii in the first week of December and one of the issues will be to work out how long out from the start of an event window an event must notify ASP of their intention to deploy either format.


Another work in progress is the implementation of a one world ranking system, to be implemented in 2010 at the earliest, and this will involve working out how to integrate WQS Prime events with WCT events in a points scaling system that is a true reflection of ones world ranking. But that is a future work that the Technical Committee has been directed by the Board to work up and your input is welcome.



There was a prize money increase okayed for 2009. While the events argued that putting the entire 20k into 1st place was a great marketing tool for the tour, your reps successfully argued that distributing the additional purse over the Top 4 placings, being an extra 10k for 1st, 4k for 2nd and 3k each for equal 3rd was more appropriate. We have, following the wishes of the surfers, concentrated prize money increase on the bottom tiers through several increases (last 3 years) and it was time to top up the higher end of the scale.

UPDATE – Surfermag and Surfing try to explain the format a bit.

Tags: asp, cj, fantasysurfer, format, hobgood, wct