World Championship Tour Surfing is the world’s premier professional competitive surfing league. It is comprised of a series of 10 events in 8 countries in which the top 45 surfers on the tour compete for the world title. It is a circuit organized by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP). The ASP is the foremost governing body in professional surfing. It boasts the sanctioning of six professional surfing circuits including: the ASP World Tour, the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS), the ASP World Longboard Tour (WLT), the ASP Pro Junior Series, the World Masters Championship, and Specialty Events. Some believe that the WCT has ruined surfing by taking a lifestyle based on freedom and expression and trying to make it into a competitive, soulless, spectator sport that tries to objectify a subjective artform. Additionally, the WCT has over exposed and blown up surf spots that have, for decades, intentionally remained secret, for the sake of capitalizing financially, without acknowledging the future consequences to the fragile locations. Hein Cooper at Banzai Pipeline, December 1981 Surfing is a surface water sport in which the participant is carried along the face of a breaking wave as it approaches shore, usually on a surfboard. ... The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) was organized in 1976 as governing body for professional surfing. ...

History

Back in the '60s when the first structured competitions were introduced to the sport, the guys and gals all did it for love and ego. There was no sponsorship, certainly no surfing industry, just a bunch of teenagers who gathered intermittently and pitted their respective skills against each other.

This was truly the amateur era. It is hard to think of greats such as Midget Farrelly, Joey Cabell, Mike Doyle and Bob McTavish as amateurs, but the truth of it is that after winning their respective National Championships and various international meets, there wasn't much else for them.

While the camaraderie and spirit were rich, there was very little in the way of monetary compensation from endorsements, and certainly no prize money. The rewards were personal achievement, and in line with all amateur sport of the era, time at the top was limited.

As we went from the swinging, counter culture '60s into the '70s, isolated pockets of structured competition surfing began to emerge. Hawaii was already well along the road to professionalism, with events such as the Smirnoff Pro, The Duke Kahanamoku Classic, and the Pipeline Masters offering around $10,000 in prize money.

The new superstars of the sport were Jeff Hakman, Reno Abellera and Gerry Lopez. These surfers, along with Nat Young and David Nuuiwa, were supplementing their prize money with endorsement contracts.

While the surfing industry was in its formative stages in Australia, Hawaii and Japan, and not even on the distant horizon in Europe and South America, it was well established in California. Riding on the coat tails of Gidget, the beach boys and the surf craze of the '60s, labels had established themselves and were turning to the heroes of the day to identify the public to their branding.

By the mid 70s events had popped up from Sydney to Rio, from Florida to Durban. This loose knit belt of tournaments was strung together in 1976 in what would prove to be the embryonic stage of ASP. The very first pro surfing governing body IPS crowned Peter Townend the very first pro surfing world champion and he was followed by Shaun Tomson (ZAF), Wayne Bartholomew and of course the legendary four time world champion Mark Richards. Between the four of them they ushered in the new era, and by 1984 the tour had expanded to in excess of 20 internationally rated events.

Tom Carroll and Tom Curren soon pushed to the forefront of the sport and their contribution, plus a booming surf industry, paved the way for enormous growth. With over 60 pro events worldwide, the ASP introduced a two-tiered system of ratings in 92, incorporating the Top 44, who automatically qualified for what was then called the World Championship Tour. A World Qualifying Series, (WQS), was also introduced to feed the top tour with 16 people dropping off at year's end to be replaced by red hot WQS aspirants.

After several years of consolidation, ASP then took aim in a dynamic direction. In a somewhat radical departure from the '80s and early '90s tour look, event promoters were encouraged to stage top tour events at prime surf locations.

The industry caught on quickly, the big-name labels, as part of a global promotional strategy, began positioning their respective events at such exotic locations as Grajagan in Java Indonesia,, Jeffreys Bay in South Africa, Mundaka in the Basque Country, Tavarua in Fiji, Teahupoo in Tahiti and Trestles in California.

The policy then evolved so that events were shifted in the schedule to be held in the right peak swell season, with a waiting period or swell window, with the objective being to place the world's best surfers in the world's best waves.

Giant international beer brewer Foster's have seen the return in investment in the sport and have once again signed on as tour naming rights sponsor for 2007.

That shift in focus is a far cry from the '80s and early '90s when ASP World Tour events were staged at metropolitan beaches in the middle of summer, with the objective of filling grandstands and getting butts on beaches. Too bad the surf did not pump until the fall, and many grandstand events, locked into a Sunday afternoon finish, were subject to consistently poor surf.

There are still some grandstand events on the calendar, maintaining the public face of the sport as well as the all-important public accessibility to the world's best surfers.

The new ASP, however, has implemented a formula that literally beams these insane images of the world's elite pros at the world's most dynamic surf venues, directly into the global lounge room.

The main thrust of this is an association with our broadcasting partner TWI who produce quality television packages including a 52-minute highlight TV show (beamed to 296 million lounge rooms) plus daily highlight news feeds from events which are uplinked by satellite to global networks.

On top of this we have been at the forefront of the LIVE webstreaming from events sites, which without delay are delivered directly to the desktops of anyone with access to a modem. This in itself has changed the face of the sport, as second-t-none- images of the best of the best are now accessible to one and all regardless of where an event is held.

In 2007 the umbrella will extend to include all disciplines of the sport. The World Longboard Tour will be held in Costa Rica and France, The Billabong World Junior Championships will again be held at Narrabeen and the ASP Masters will take place in Brazil.

While the rest of the circus circumnavigates the globe we also have the ASP Women's World Tour taking a similar approach to the guys. In recent years there has been an influx of talent and in 2007 we can expect the new guard to stand up and bee counted. Watch the girls as they perform in Australia, Brazil, Spain, and Hawaii.

There is an air of maturity about ASP these days. Having been around for 31 years the sport is developing a deep and enriched heritage not unlike that of more mainstream sports. With a truly professional out look, incredibly efficient business processes and practices plus healthy relationships with some outstanding business partners and events we are sure that in 2007 ASP's success will be immeasurable.

2006 Men's World Tour

Schedule

February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... Gold Coast is a city and local government area in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia. ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of November 2006)  - Population  4,164,590 (3rd)  - Density  2. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... Bells Beach Bells Beach ( ) is an internationally famous surf beach in Victoria, Australia, located 100 km south-west of Melbourne, on the Great Ocean Road near the towns of Torquay and Jan Juc. ... Capital Melbourne Government Constitutional monarchy Governor David de Kretser Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 37  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $222,022 (2nd)  - Product per capita  $44,443/person (5th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  5,110,500 (2nd)  - Density  22. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Rip Curl is a major Australian manufacturer and retailer of boardwear. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Teahupoo (pronounced Cho-pu) is a world-renowned surfing location off the south-east of the island of Tahiti, French Polynesia, southern Pacific Ocean. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_French_Polynesia. ... Bobby Martinez (born May 26, 1982) is a professional surfer from Santa Barbara, California. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... June 2 is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Fiji. ... Damien Hobgood (born July 6, 1979) is a professional surfer from Satellite Beach, Florida. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... One of the beaches at La Jolla Cove. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico. ... Rip Curl is a major Australian manufacturer and retailer of boardwear. ... Andy Irons (born 24 July 1978) is a professional surfer. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 203rd day of the year (204th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jeffreys Bay Beach Jeffreys Bay (Afrikaans: Jeffreysbaai) ( ) is a town located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Africa. ... Mick Fanning is a professional surfer from Australia. ... Portal:Currentevents September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... A trestle is a bridge that consists of a number of short spans, supported by splayed vertical elements and is usually for railroad use. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... October 2 is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Mundaka is a town located in the province of Bizkaia, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, in the North of Spain. ... Pays Basque) see Northern Basque Country. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... Bobby Martinez (born May 26, 1982) is a professional surfer from Santa Barbara, California. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... Florianópolis is the capital city of Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil. ... Santa Catarina (the Spanish- and Portuguese-language name of St. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... Mick Fanning is a professional surfer from Australia. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Banzai Pipeline, or simply Pipeline or Pipe, is a surf reef break located off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea of O`ahus North Shore. ... OÊ»ahu (usually Oahu outside Hawaiian and Hawaiian English), the Gathering Place, is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous island in the State of HawaiÊ»i. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Rip Curl is a major Australian manufacturer and retailer of boardwear. ... Andy Irons (born 24 July 1978) is a professional surfer. ...

2006 Foster’s ASP World Tour Final Ratings

Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Andy Irons (born 24 July 1978) is a professional surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Mick Fanning is a professional surfer from Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Taj Burrow (born on June 2, 1978) is one of the most talented surfers on the professional circut. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Bobby Martinez (born May 26, 1982) is a professional surfer from Santa Barbara, California. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Damien Hobgood (born July 6, 1979) is a professional surfer from Satellite Beach, Florida. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

2006 Women's World Tour

Schedule

February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... Gold Coast is a city and local government area in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia. ... Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd)  - Product per capita  $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of November 2006)  - Population  4,164,590 (3rd)  - Density  2. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Fiji. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Teahupoo (pronounced Cho-pu) is a world-renowned surfing location off the south-east of the island of Tahiti, French Polynesia, southern Pacific Ocean. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_French_Polynesia. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... August 28 is the 240th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (241st in leap years), with 125 days remaining. ... Itacaré is a town located in the cocoa zone of the state of Bahia, south of Salvador, 70 km north of Ilhéus. ... Flag of Bahia See other Brazilian States Capital Salvador Largest City Salvador Area 564 273 km² Population   - Total   - Density 13 070 250 23. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... Layne Beachley born May 24, 1972) is a professional surfer from Manly in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... Hossegor is a commune in France. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Rip Curl is a major Australian manufacturer and retailer of boardwear. ... Chelsea Georgeson (born October 15, 1983)[1] is an Australian surfer who won the world title in 2005. ... October 9 is the 282nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (283rd in Leap years). ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years). ... Categories: Australia-related stubs ... The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of 4,119,190, and 151,920 in the City of Sydney, as of the 2006 census. ... Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 50  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $305,437 (1st)  - Product per capita  $45,153/person (4th) Population (End of March 2006)  - Population  6,817,100 (1st)  - Density  8. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sunset Beach has several meanings: Sunset Beach is a television soap opera. ... OÊ»ahu (usually Oahu outside Hawaiian and Hawaiian English), the Gathering Place, is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous island in the State of HawaiÊ»i. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727 square miles (1883 km²). Maui is part of the State of Hawaii and is the largest island in Maui County. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Jessi Miley-Dyer (born March 29, 1986) is a professional surfer from New South Wales, Australia. ...

Current Rankings

Past ASP Tours

2005 World Rankings

Layne Beachley born May 24, 1972) is a professional surfer from Manly in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Chelsea Georgeson (born October 15, 1983)[1] is an Australian surfer who won the world title in 2005. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Jessi Miley-Dyer (born March 29, 1986) is a professional surfer from New South Wales, Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Sofia Mulanovich (born June 24, 1983 in Punta Hermosa, Lima, Peru) is a Peruvian surfer of Serbo-Croatian descent. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Peru. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Claire Bevilacqua (January 29, 1983) (nickname Bevo) is a professional surfer from Perth, Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ... Megan Abubo (born January 28, 1978) is a professional female surfer from Hawaii. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Andy Irons (born 24 July 1978) is a professional surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Mick Fanning is a professional surfer from Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Damien Hobgood (born July 6, 1979) is a professional surfer from Satellite Beach, Florida. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Taj Burrow (born on June 2, 1978) is one of the most talented surfers on the professional circut. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Bruce Irons (born November 16, 1979) is a talented Regularfoot surfer from Hanalei, Kauai and younger brother of three-time world champion Andy Irons. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Past World Champions

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Shaun Tomson was born on August 21, 1955 in Durban, South Africa. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Africa. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Mark Richards is a surfer from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Mark Richards is a surfer from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Mark Richards is a surfer from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Mark Richards is a surfer from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Tom Carroll is an Australian surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Tom Carroll is an Australian surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... // Tom Curren (born July 3, 1964, in Santa Barbara, California) is an American surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... // Tom Curren (born July 3, 1964, in Santa Barbara, California) is an American surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Martin Potter is a world champion surfer, winning the title in 1989. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... // Tom Curren (born July 3, 1964, in Santa Barbara, California) is an American surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Sunny Garcia is a famous surfer with several computer games using his name. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Andy Irons (born 24 July 1978) is a professional surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Andy Irons (born 24 July 1978) is a professional surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Andy Irons (born 24 July 1978) is a professional surfer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Kelly Slater in 2003 Kelly Slater (b. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

External links

• Official site
• ASP world tour news