Those who have an interest in the welfare of professional surfing might be better off questioning whether the framework of the governing body itself is the problem.

Is Running The ASP a One Person Job?

The premature announcement of Kelly Slater’s 11th world title, at The Rip Curl Search event in San Francisco, exposed weaknesses within the ASP infrastructure. While it’s easy to point the finger of blame at various individuals, those who have a genuine interest in the welfare of professional surfing might be better off questioning whether or not the framework of the governing body itself is the problem.

Despite the inglorious event which prompted his exit, former ASP CEO Brodie Carr accomplished a great deal in his six year tenure.
Photo: Nate Smith

Brodie Carr took the incident in San Francisco as a cue to resign from his post as CEO of the ASP. History would do him a disservice if this one unfortunate event, was the only thing he was remembered for. Amongst other initiatives, Brodie played an integral role in thwarting the development of a rebel tour and ensuring the ASP retained its role as the sovereign administrative body for elite professional surfing. Then, in response to the pressures applied by the rebel alliances, he helped usher in the new one world ranking system, complete with half-year rotations and a more elite, top-tier-tour that consisted of 32 rather than 45 surfers. While the merits of the changes are still being debated, it was apparent that in order to survive the ASP had to make some bold moves and Brodie acted accordingly.

Despite the criticisms levelled at the ASP and the regrettable miscalculation of WT points in San Fran’, professional surfing has never been more popular. Every time you paddle out in the water these days it seems there’s a fellow weary-eyed surfer who has been up all night watching a webcast on the other side of the world.

Given the improved live-media exposure, professional surfing is now discussed passionately at pubs, in beach carparks and at baby’s christening. The ASP administration must be doing something right and we certainly take it for granted that when we turn our computers and TV’s on, there will be a slickly run contest to watch.

If enthusiasm is at an all time high then the real question should be, ‘how can things be made even better?’ The resignation of Carr gives the ASP a chance to reflect on its past and consider how its infrastructure might be improved.

1978 world champion and tennis enthusiast, Rabbit Bartholomew was the perfect spokesperson for the ASP.

When Rabbit retired the ASP went looking for someone with a Sports admin background and came up with Brodie Carr, who had first-hand experience in how major mainstream sports, like American Pro Basketball, operated. Brodie’s expertise unquestionably helped refine the tour and guide it through some challenging times. However, Brodie might not have been the right guy to tell us how good a job the ASP was doing. The surfers and the fans probably wanted to hear that from someone like Rabbit– a former world champion with a good turn of phrase, who had the ability and the credibility to let you know why you should be excited by what’s going on.

It may be considered too expensive an alternative for a non-profit organization but the ASP could be well served by hiring two people. Firstly, someone from outside the surfing circle to do the administration grind work. Given the ASP’s desire for a blanket tour sponsor [as was the case with Fosters] it would also have to be someone who possessed the capacity to craft a good deal. A second role could then be created for a well-recognized surfing identity, [not necessarily an ex-pro] to act as the spokesperson and face of the organization. This might be a challenging alternative but those parties with an influence should at least consider it, lest they wind up in a situation again where one man or woman is not sufficient to get the job done right.