Membership, Event, Pathways, General Information & Q/A s

Transcription

1 Membership, Event, Pathways, General Information & Q/A s Updated: 16th November

2 WSL Company & General Information 2

3 Q: What is the World Surf League? A: The World Surf League (WSL) organizes the annual tour of professional surf competitions and broadcasts events live at where you can experience the athleticism, drama and adventure of competitive surfing - - anywhere and anytime it's on. Travel alongside the world's best male and female surfers to the most remote and exotic locations in the world. Fully immerse yourself in the sport of surfing with live event broadcasts, social updates, event highlights and commentary on desktop and mobile. The World Surf League is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with offices throughout the globe, and is dedicated to: Bringing the athleticism, drama and adventure of pro surfing to fans worldwide Promoting professional surfers as world- class athletes Celebrating the history, elite athletes, diverse fans and dedicated partners who together embody professional surfing. Q: What is the World Surf League Pathway? A: The below is the basic pathway for a surfer to flow from Surfing NSW or other state bodies through to the WSL. 1. Compete in State Body grassroots pathway o Including Boardrider clubs events, Regional, State & Australian Titles events 2. Compete in WSL Regional Pro Junior Qualifying Events 3. Compete in WSL QS1000 Events 4. Compete in WSL QS1500 Events 5. Compete in WSL QS3000 Events 6. Compete in WSL QS6000 Events 7. Compete in WSL QS10000 Events 8. Compete on the WSL World Championship Tour Q: When was the WSL founded? A: The original governing body of professional surfing, the International Professional Surfers (IPS), was founded in 1976 and spearheaded by Hawaiian surfers Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick. The next evolution was the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), founded in 1983 by Ian Cairns and giving birth in the 90's to the company philosophy of "world's best surfers, world's best waves" saw the ASP officially become the World Surf League. Q: Does the World Surf League offer a mobile app? A: Yes! WSL are proud to offer native mobile apps for both Android and ios. Simply point your mobile browser to and to be directed to the App Store for each platform. 3

4 Q: Where can I watch live surfing events and learn more? A: You can find live event broadcasts, highlights, athlete interviews and much more at We've partnered with ABC and Universal Sports in the United States as well as broadcasters around the world to bring pro surfing to fans everywhere. You can also sign up to our mailing list to receive live event alerts and WSL news as well as following us on social media: Facebook: facebook.com/wsl Twitter: twitter.com/wsl Instagram: instagram.com/wsl Snapchat: worldsurfleague Q: What events does the WSL coordinate? A: The World Surf League coordinates the following: the Championship Tours (CT), the Qualifying Series (QS), the Big Wave Tour, the Longboard Championship, the Junior Championship and the Masters Championship, as well as the Big Wave Awards. WSL events are run and managed with Surfing NSW and other organisations around the country. 4

5 WSL World Championship Tour (WCT) Event Information 5

6 Q: How many events are there on the WSL World Championship Tour? A: 11 events on the Men's & 10 events on the Women's Q: Who can win the WSL World Championship? A: Any one of the World Surf League Top 34 men's surfers or Top 17 women's surfers that qualified to compete in the Championship Tour. The male and female surfers with the most points at the end of the year are named World Champions. Q: Which events can be used to count towards rankings of WCT & QS? A: There are two main rankings systems, the Championship Tour rankings and the Qualifying Series rankings. The CT rankings determine the World Champions while the QS rankings help determine who will qualify for next year's Championship Tour. The 2015 CT rankings will include results from the Top 34 and Top 17 as well as the replacement surfers. Only results from CT events will count towards the CT rankings. The best 9 of 11 results will count towards the men's ranking and the best 8 of 10 results count towards the women's rankings. The 2015 QS rankings will include results from all WSL surfers competing in QS events. The best 5 results will count towards the rankings. Therefore the 2016 WSL Top 34 will be comprised of: Top 22 finishers on the 2015 CT rankings Top 10 from the 2015 QS rankings (excluding those who have already qualified through the CT Rankings) Two WSL Wildcards The 2016 WSL Top 17 will be comprised of: Top 10 from the 2015 CT Rankings Top 6 from the 2015 QS Rankings (barring those who have already qualified through the CT Rankings) One WSL Wildcard Q: What are WSL WCT wildcards? A: Each year the World Surf League selects three surfers (two for the Men's CT and one for the Women's), who wouldn't have otherwise qualified, to join the Top 32 or Top 16 to compete in the CT for the entire season. Usually these are CT surfers who were injured in the previous season and therefore unable to re- qualify. The 2015 WSL wildcards are C.J. Hobgood (USA) & Glenn Hall (IRL) in the Men's CT & Dimity Stoyle (AUS) in the Women's CT. 6

7 Q: What are event WCT wildcards? A: In addition to the World Surf League wildcards there are also event wildcards. These are surfers who are chosen to compete alongside the CT surfers in a single CT event. A Men's CT event has a 36- man field comprised of the Top 34 plus two event wildcards. Women's CT events have an 18- woman field comprised of the Top 17 plus one event wildcard. The event wildcard is typically awarded by either the event sponsor, through a trials event or through automatic entry at the discretion of the event organizer. Typically candidates for the event wildcard will come from the event sponsor's team, the local area, or both. Not only do these surfers complete the seed list and/or fill in for injured surfers, but they also bring exciting new faces and challenges to the CT elite. Q: What are WCT replacement surfers? A: Replacement surfers are those who are chosen to fill empty spots at CT events should any of the competitors be unable to complete. Replacement surfers are chosen by the WSL before the start of the season and are offered the opportunity to fill empty places in CT events should other surfers withdraw. Q: Do event wildcards and replacement surfers get to use their results towards their CT Rankings? A: Yes, As of 2015, all event wildcards and replacement surfers will use their results towards a CT ranking. 7

8 WSL Regional Pro Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) Event Information 8

9 Q: What is the regional Pro Junior Qualifying Series (JQS)? A: This Tour is the events for Junior surfers 18 years and under. It comprises a number of events in Australasia, which form a tour of ranking points. 5 events in total will count towards the overall rankings where a team will represent Australasia and progress to the World Junior Championships. Events currently scheduled for 2016 include: Subway Pro Junior Gold Coast, QLD January 19-20, 2016 Subway Pro Junior Margaret River, WA February 6-7, 2016 Subway Pro Junior Avoca, NSW February 13-14, 2016 Hunter Business Boardriders Newcastle NSW February TBC Subway Pro Junior Philip Island, VIC March 5-6, 2016 Subway Pro Junior Fleurieu Peninsula, SA March 19-20, 2016 NZ Pro Junior NZ April TBC 2016 Subway Pro Junior Kiama, NSW April 9-10, 2016 Subway Pro Junior Cronulla, NSW April 30 1st May, 2016 All events have men & women in the above events Visit for women s tour list Visit for men s tour list Q: What is the (new) age bracket for Pro Juniors for 2016? A: The age for WSL JQS events from 2016 is 18 and Under. Therefore to be eligible to enter a WSL JQS you cannot turn 19 before December 31st of the current year. Q: What is the goal for each competitor throughout the Regional JQS? A: The end goal is to finish in the below top tour rankings to progress to the World Junior Championships: Top 4 JQS Australasian males gain entry into WSL World Junior Championships Top 2 JQS Australasian males who finish highest on the QS international ranking will also gain entry to the WSL World Junior Championships representing Aus o There is also 6x world wide wildcards for the males for the event Top 2 Australasian females gain entry into the WSL World Junior Championships o There is also 4x world wide wildcards for the males for the event Q: What is the WSL World Junior Championships? A: This is the end results of the JQS regions from all over the world. It is a single world event which allocates regions with positions into the event. E.g. 10 from Australia 10 from Hawaii 6x Japan. The goal for a JQS surfer is to finish in the top four of the World Pro Junior event. By doing this the surfers gain a seeding into world wide QS10,000 events for the following tour years first 6 months. Q: How do you win the Australasian Regional JQS? A: Compete in regional WSL JQS events. Points are allocated across all events equally e.g. all events are JQS1000 rated. From all events in the series; the top 5 results in Australasia (Aust, NZ, Indo, Asia) are counted towards a JQS ranking. (NOTE: Tahiti, from 2016, is moving out of the Australian Region from 2016 to the Hawaiian region) 9

10 WSL Regional Qualifying Series (QS) Event Information 10

11 Q: What is the International WSL World Qualifying Series (QS)? A: This series is the qualification to the WSL World Championship Tour at an international level. This series of events is the next stage as a WSL surfer post- Junior Qualifying Series. The series is open to all surfers, at any age, even junior surfers right through to WCT surfers can compete in these events. Q: What is the difference between the international QS series and the regional QS series? A: On an international view all QS events around the world is placed into a ranking and the top 10 surfers at year end will progress to the WCT for the following season. If a surfer competes in a QS event worldwide their points will be placed into the international ranking regardless of their nationality and the event location. The regional QS series is based off the same events but the ranking will only be allocated to those specific surfers region and the events in their region. E.g. the region of Australasia comprises events in Australia, NZ, Indonesia, Philippines and Taiwan. Worldwide regions include: Australasia Africa Hawaii/Oceania Europe Japan North America South America Q: What is the regional Qualifying Series? (Open age events) A: This series is a number of events in Australasia, which form a tour and overall ranking points. 5 events will count towards the overall rankings where a winner will gain QS10,000 seeding points for the next years tour. Events currently scheduled for 2016 include: Carve Pro QS1000, Maroubra Beach January Burleigh Pro QS1000, Burleigh Heads January Tweed Coast Pro QS1000, Cabarita Beach February Central Coast Pro QS1000, Avoca Beach NSW February Komunity Project Great Lakes Pro QS1000, Boomerang Beach NSW Feb Surfest, Newcastle QS6000, NSW, February Australian Open of Surfing QS6000, Manly Beach February 29 March Kumune Bali Pro QS1000, Keramas Bali Indonesia May TBC 2016 Quiksilver Uluwatu Challenge QS1000, Uluwatu Bali Indonesia August TBC 2016 Siargao Cloud 9 Surfing Cup, QS1500 Siagao Island Philippines September 2016 Mattara Pro QS1000 Newcastle NSW, October TBC 2016 Taiwan Open of Surfing QS1500, Jinzun Harbour Taiwan November TBC 2016 All have men and women in the above events Visit for mens Visit for womens This is a open age series so any age can compete in these QS events 11

12 Q: Who can enter the QS events? A: QS events are open to any age. All surfers do require a WSL QS membership to compete and enter in these events. All surfers world wide can enter and compete into all WSL QS events. All WSL QS points will be allocated to your international ranking then also points allocated to your region; if the specific entered event is within your region. E.g. An Australian Surfer competes in the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach USA - points will only be allocated to the International WSL QS ranking; but if an Australian surfer competes in the Newcastle Surfest event; points will be allocated off your results also to the Australasian region ranking. Q: By winning the Regional QS Tour what do you gain? A: The Regional WSL QS winner gains seeding into all QS6,000 and QS10,000s for the first 6 months of the following year until the mid- way point where events are seeded from current rankings. E.g. if you win the 2015 WSL QS you will be able to gain seeding into all events world wide from January July Q: How do you win the Regional QS Tour? A: Compete in regional WSL QS events. Like the JQS, all Australasian event results for surfers are placed into a ranking. All points regardless if they are a QS1000, QS1500, QS3000, QS are based off all points across all events for this. Results count top five results in Australasia (Aust, NZ, Indonesia etc list as above). At least one counting result must be from outside Australia for ranking to count. Tahiti is moving out of the Australian Region from 2016 to the Hawaiian region. 12

13 WSL Membership & Event Entry Information 13

14 Q: Where should you to enter any WSL events and how do I know if they are open? A: All will need to become a WSL member before entering an event (more information below on hoe to become a WSL member) All should click on the WSL webpage member management system, which is located on the bottom of the home page. The direct link is below: management Once on this page follow this through to the event registration page EREG&page_id=3599 You can then also see who has entered the event through this same site but clicking the PLUS sign: EREG&showRegistrations=1865&page_no=1&region_id=0&competition_cl=MWQS Q: When should you enter these events? A: All should enter as soon as entries open to ensure your spot. They generally open two months out and close when full but keep your eye open on for entry opening dates 2016 event entries open Thursday 19 th November 2015 afternoon period of the day. To enter these events all will need to become a 2016 WSL member, which is available from November Q: What is the event entry process? A: All need to become a WSL member even if you are a Surfing NSW member you will also need to become a WSL member before entering an event. Entries open with 2-3 week event opening window timeframe - all entries filter in window. Entries close but late entries filter in and those surfers loose their seeding. Q: How does event Seeding work to enter into the events? A: WSL seeding for Pro Juniors & QS events work on 6 month blocks of cut offs. E.g. the final half of 2015 (July 2015 December 2015) will become the seeding for the first block ofg 2016 (Jan 2016 June 2016). All surfers should look ahead to be able to progress to the next stage of their surfing career. It is all about building a seed over years of surfing in events to jump to the QS10,000 later in your career which then ultimately provide the most Points and Prize Money. Ways to leap above others is to do well at the World Pro Junior event or win the QS Regional Tour and gain Prime Seeding. You can always check where you sit on the rankings on This ranking is the base the Event Seeding. After this if people at in the same situation e.g. have no event results in the past it be broken down and sectioned into different categories of membership levels. 14

15 Q: What is the best way to gain a seed for Pro Junior Events or QS events and therefore simply gain entry? A: It is key to attempt to try and enter into 1-2 events in a 6 month block to try and give you a seed for the following 6 month block to really give the tour a good go. Look at the first 6 months goal to simply gain experience and seed for the following 6 months and go from there. For QS events attempt to enter QS1000 then build up to QS1500, QS3000, QS6000 then QS10000 events. Q: What happens to my entry fee if I don t get in the event and stay on the alternates list and don t end up competing? A: You will receive an from WSL to state your entry fee money will become a credit with WSL. So the next event you enter will come from this credited money. Q: How do I become a WSL member? A: All should look on management WSL members must process their membership registration and event entries via the WSL Online Membership Management System. The system allows you to register or renew memberships, enter events, view the seed list, manage your memberships, plus much more. What are the different levels of membership & Insurance? A: Below are the 2016 membership options and explanations for each option. Note: With a single event entry US$50 no prize money is given but you can upgrade post event to a Full Membership US$150 the prize money from the specific event will be reduced from the US$150 as well as your single event membership of US $50. Note: Memberships do accumulate to a Full Membership over the calendar year. E.g. if you decided to do a single event membership then a junior membership these amounts would be taken off the total of US $250 if you wanted to gain a Full Membership 15

16 A: Insurance options for 2016 are listed below. Australian surfers don t need WSL insurance to compete in the Australian WSL QS events or the Subway Pro Juniors (only for international surfers competing in Australia). However, if Australian surfers opt to compete in any other country including New Zealand as part of the WSL Australasian JQS or QS, they ll need to obtain WSL insurance. WSL insurance can be accessed via management Q: Which membership is going to help getting into larger events? A: The level of membership does assist you gain entry into event depending on the other competitors result history. For example if there is 1 space left in the event and there are 5 on the alternates list; after looking through their past results and all 5 surfers have never competed in an event and therefore don t have a seed it will then be based on their level on membership if all entered within the event opening timeframe online. If all 5 surfers have entered within the 2-3 opening window and one surfer has full membership, one has regional and three have one off memberships. Event seeding in this case will look to allocate the full membership first followed by the one off memberships. Q: How long does WSL membership last for? A: All memberships are based on the calendar year expiring on the 31 st of December no matter when you sign up. E.g. sign up January 1 st 2016 your membership will last until 31 st of December E.g. you sign up on July 21 st 2016 your membership will expire on the 31 st of December Q: Is it a different membership cost and payment for QS1000 events and Pro juniors? A: Yes. If you go in a WSL Regional Pro Junior you will need a different membership unless your gain the Full membership which covers everything. From Longboard, Juniors & all QS events throughout the year. 16

17 Extra WSL Event Information 17

18 Q: What is the Prize Money Breakdown and how and when are payments made? A: Breakdown depends on size of field. Competitors will be paid by providing a direct deposit sheet with bank details and paid 1-2 weeks post event Please see a prize money form which will be ed to you post event: Q: Rankings - where do they look for these and how often are these updated? A: WSL site for all rankings through Rankings are automatically changed post events. Q When are heat draws and schedules loaded onto the event website? A: Draws only go up a day or two out from event. Once they are done they can be posted on WSL, Surfing Australia and Surfing NSW sites. Schedule depends on the event but check event websites for exact schedule. Q: Does QS events have wildcards? A: Yes. Please Will Hayden- Smith from WSL whaydensmith@worldsurfleague.com WSL hold a small amount of wildcards as well as the event owners also hold wildcards. E.g. Round of 96 men = 1x WSL wildcard & 2x Surfing NSW event wildcards 18

19 Q: What is priority and how does it work? A: The surfer with priority has the unconditional right of way to catch any wave they choose. Other surfers in the heat can paddle for, and catch, the same wave, but only if they don't obstruct or hinder the scoring potential of the surfer with priority. At the start of the heat once the first wave has been ridden, the remaining surfer in the lineup gets automatic priority. A surfer loses priority once they catch a wave and/or their hands leave the rails (edges of the surfboard) as they attempt to stand up. If two or more surfers catch a wave, the first surfer to make it back to the lineup will get priority. Priority is indicated by colored discs at the event site. In three and four person heats the first surfer to catch a wave takes last priority and the remaining surfers have priority over that surfer. The next surfer (or two surfers, in a four person heat) to catch a wave takes last priority and the surfer yet to catch a wave takes first priority. The others surfers receive priority in the order they return to the take- off area. Q: What is "the call?" Who decides if an event is on or off? A: Each morning of an event window the Commissioners Office will make a decision about whether or not the contest will run that day - - this is called "the call". Lots of factors go into making the call and the Commissioner's Office will take into account the conditions, forecast, latest swell models, how much of the competition remains and the event permit. They also consult with the head judge, the surfer's representative and the local surfing director when making the decision each day. The call can either be: ON - - the event will run; Standby - - another call will be made at a later time that day; or OFF - - there will be no competition that day (also called a "lay day"). Q: What is an event window? A: The event window is the allotted time in which event organizers can run their event. Having an event window that is longer than the time needed to finish competition enables organizers to be selective when running their heats. This gives both the surfers and spectators the benefit of having the event run in the best possible conditions. Q: What does it mean when an event is mobile? A: A "mobile" event has the ability to run at a more than one location to ensure that competition is held in the best conditions. An event will go "mobile" when conditions at the primary event site have been assessed by the commissioners office, and a decision is made to move the competition to one of the backup sites offering more favorable conditions. 19

20 Q: Are all events mobile? A: No, not all events have the capacity for going mobile. The non- mobile events are most often at prime or exotic locations and will offer the most desired surf in the area. As far as the CT events go, the mobile events are: Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast (AUS) Drug Aware Margaret River Pro (AUS) Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach (AUS) Rio Pro (BRA) Fiji Pro (FJI) Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France (FRA) Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal and Cascais Women's Pro (PRT) Leaving the non- mobile events as: J- Bay Open (ZAF), Billabong Pro Tahiti (PYF), Hurley and Swatch Pro at Trestles (USA), Vans US Open of Surfing Huntington (USA), Target Maui Pro (HAW) and Billabong Pipe Masters (HAW). Q: What are the judging criteria? A: The current WSL judging criteria was rolled out at all events in Judges analyze the following elements when scoring waves: Commitment and degree of difficulty Innovative and progressive maneuvers Combination of major maneuvers Variety of maneuvers Speed, power and flow Read the full judging criteria within the rule book and- regulations Q: How are waves scored? A: A panel of five judges scores each wave on a scale of one to ten. For every scoring ride, the highest and lowest scores (of the five judges) are discounted and the surfer receives the average of the remaining three scores. There is no limit on the number of waves that will be scored, but the two best scoring waves (each out of a possible 10) are added together to become a surfer's heat total (out of a possible 20). Q: How many waves are scored? A: All surfers' scores are the total of their two highest- scored waves. This does not change regardless of which WSL Tour or Championship they are competing in. By scoring surfers on only two waves (formerly it was three), the level of performance is pushed as surfers attempt for bigger scores. In all Non- Priority QS Heats and CT Heats, the maximum number of waves scored is 15. In one- on- one heats, there is no wave maximum. Q: Does wave scoring differ between the CT and QS events? A: No. Wave scoring does not differ between CT and QS events. 20

21 Q: What are the entry fees for the different events? A: See most up to date entry fees for each specific event when you log into membership management and look at event entries WSL AUSTRALASIA EVENT FEE s TBC - may vary CATEGORY MEN (US $) WOMEN (US $) WORLD TOUR 10,000 (Prime) WORLD TOUR 6, WORLD TOUR 3, WORLD TOUR 1, WORLD TOUR 1, PRO JUNIOR 1, LONGBOARD Q: What are the rules & regulations of WSL events? A: Please click here to see all rules and regulations for WSL events and- regulations The World Surf League (WSL), coordinates the annual tour of professional surf competitions including the men's and women's Championship Tours (CT), the Qualifying Series (QS), the Longboard Championships, the Junior Championships, the Big Wave Tour and the XXL Big Wave Awards. There aren't too many complicated rules in professional surfing, but we do have a few that are worth getting to know as you watch the sport. The rules are in place to ensure the safety of the athletes, the fairness of competition and, ultimately, to promote the best surfing on the planet in the arena of live competition. Judging and Points Rankings Priority Interference Heat restart Doping and drug use Below we'll describe the basics and for those who want to really dig into every detail, please feel free to download the full rulebook linked at the bottom of this page. Note the following do not apply to the XXL Big Wave Awards. 21

22 Judging and Points. Events are comprised of rounds and those rounds are made up of heats with anywhere from two- to- four surfers looking to lock in their two highest- scoring waves - - both out of a possible 10 points for a possible 20- point heat total. A panel of five judges scores each wave on a scale of one to ten. For every scoring ride, the highest and lowest scores (of the five judges) are discounted and the surfer receives the average of the remaining three scores. There is no limit on the number of waves that will be scored, but the two best scoring waves (each out of a possible 10) are added together to become a surfer's heat total (out of a possible 20). Judges analyze the following elements when scoring waves (not for Longboard or BWT Events): 1 Commitment and degree of difficulty 2 Innovative and progressive maneuvers 3 Combination of major maneuvers 4 Variety of maneuvers 5 Speed, power and flow Judging scale: [ : Poor] [ : Fair] [ : Average] [ : Good] [ : Excellent] All can download the full WSL rulebook here: Q: What is the WSL Australasian Cancellation Policy? A: WSL Events are very popular therefore please ensure cancellations are advised as soon as possible. This will assist with allowing time for an alternate surfer to travel and compete in the event. All competitor cancellations must be in writing to the WSL office. Events close Tuesday at 5pm California time on the scheduled date on or around 30 days before event. Prior to the event closing: Members can cancel the event directly through the online member system. Cancellation after event has closed (within 30 days prior to event) : Once an event has closed, no refunds are due except for injury with a medical/doctors note supplied, $50 administration fee deducted. cancellations@worldsurfleague.com. Cancellation within 7 days or during the event: Inside seven days a medical note required or a fine applies, no refund due Q: What fines are involved in not showing up to a WSL event? A: Failing to attend WSL Events Entered (Money rounds) First offence $1,000 / Second offence $1,500 / Third offence $2000* Failing to attend WSL Events Entered (Non money rounds) First offence $500 / Second offence $1000 / Third offence $1,500* 22

23 Q: Who and how do I contact at WSL Australasia? A: WSL Australasia Office Sue Payne - WSL Australasia Accounts & Administration Contact for all membership, event entry and administration enquiries P:+61(0) I FAX: +61(0) E: spayne@worldsurfleague.com World Surf League - Australasia PO Box 1095 I Coolangatta I QLD 4225 I Australia Will Hayden- Smith - Australasia Tour & Communications Manager Contact for more technical and tour enquires P: E: whaydensmith@worldsurfleague.com *Subject to change per region Q: Other WSL FAQ A: Q: Who and how do I contact Surfing NSW A: The Surfing NSW office is open 9am 5pm and is located at Maroubra Beach The Pavilion Marine Pde Please or call office staff on the below: E: info@surfingnsw.com.au P: This document has been created to answer questions of Surfing NSW members while competing in WSL and while transiting into the WSL professional surfing events. 23