California Surfing
Photos
Competitive
surfers have to present incredible style and
grace when catching waves. It's not just about
the size of the wave, but taking what exists and
making it look great. That's what separates a
novice from a pro.
Surfing
competition can take place wherever waves are
ridden, from the winter surf of Hawaii to
artificial indoor wavepools. In competition,
surfers are judged using a subjective system
that awards points based on the size of the wave
ridden, the distance ridden, and the quality of
the maneuvers performed by the surfer.
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP),
founded in 1983, functions as the international
governing body of professional surfing. It
replaced the International Professional Surfing
tour, which was founded in 1975 by American
surfers Fred Hemmings, Jack Shipley, and Randy
Rarick. The ASP operates a professional surfing
tour using a two-tier system. The ASP’s World
Championship Tour (WCT) is limited to 44
qualifying professionals from around the world;
its World Qualifying System (WQS), which awards
qualifying points for the WCT, operates within
individual countries. Surfers are scored on a
ten-point scale by a panel of five professional
judges appointed by the ASP and its associated
national tours.
At the WQS level surfers compete in four-person
heats, while at the WCT level surfers compete
against one another individually in the majority
of heats. High and low scores for each surfer
are thrown out and the three remaining scores
are averaged for a per-wave points total.
Surfers ride a limited number of waves. The
number of waves actually scored ranges from
three for preliminary rounds to four in final
rounds
