Surfing Types - Surfing Competitions
Modern Surfing Competition is said to have started in Hawaii with the Makaha International Surfing Championships held in 1954. This event, which has become the standard for other competitions, had separate competitions for men, women, and juniors, as well as for the different categories: Bodysurfing, tandem surfing, mat surfing, night torch surfing, and paddleboard.
After almost a decade, other Surfing Competitions have sprung in Hawaii and California. These include the Duke Kahanamoku Classic, the Smirnoff Pro-Am, and the Pipeline Masters. In 1976, the International Professional Surfing, later replaced by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), created the first world tour for professional surfers, the World Championship Tour, which also includes the feeder circuit, the World Qualifying Series.
In 1978, rules governing the events in Surfing were established after surfers, who were banned from Surfing Waimea in Hawaii, have complained four years earlier. These rules, which were established by the city of Honolulu, were amended in 1991.
ASP, now the world’s governing body of professional Surfing, awards the World Surfing Champion title every year. ASP looks at the points earned by surfers at events included in the ASP World Championship Tour Surfing to decide who the best competition surfer of the year is.
The World Championship Tour Surfing includes six professional circuits. These are the Foster's ASP World Tour and ASP Women's World Tour, the men's and women's World Qualifying Series (WQS), the World Longboarding Tour (WLT), the World Junior Championships (WJC), the World Masters Championships (WMC) and Specialty Events.
Nowadays, there are various Surfing Competitions around the world held at prime surf locations or even at developing surf villages. Like the Makaha International Surfing Competition (which is no longer held), Surfing Competitions have separate events for men and women, amateurs and professionals, body surfers and longboarders, among others.
Moreover, Surfing Competitions have been set to coincide with the right peak swell season, along with a waiting period or swell season. This scheduling is set to really determine the best surfers tackling the best waves. Surfers who join competitions not only accomplish personal successes, but they also get championship titles, endorsement contracts, and cash prizes. Through these contests, Surfing has really become a competitive sport.
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