The American Pro Surfing Series, a new domestic surfing series, will kick off next month. The purpose of the series is to give professional surfers who aren’t at the top tier of the sport more opportunities to compete in the US.
Beginning April 25 in Huntington Beach, the new events are being created to fill a void for surfers who are ranked highly enough to earn sponsorships and be considered pro surfers – but have few opportunities to surf in big contests in the United States, said Scott Waring, founder of the APSS.
Three stops are scheduled at the South Side of the Pier in Huntington Beach through the year: Contest 1: April 25-29; Contest 2: September 20-26; Contest 3: October 31-November 7.
The Association of Surfing Professionals is the primary organization for pro surfing and for the past few years has geared much attention in ensuring the top 32 guys – surfers such as Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, and HB’s Brett Simpson – are taken care of, Waring said. The US Open of Surfing, which once allowed 200 up-and-coming surfers to enter, are only accessible to top-level athletes and leave few slots for mid-ranked competitors to prove themselves.
The only event that allows the mid-ranked pro surfers to compete is the Vans Pier Classic, an ASP 4-star being held in Huntington Beach later this month, March 28 – April 1, 2012.
But with the advent of the new series, we can now watch our mid-tier competitors show off their stuff, harkening back to a time when the homegrown surf series reigned supreme in the US.
“The APSS is a great opportunity for young pros and amateurs to compete in their own country, have some fun, and display some progressive surfing. I expect to see a big turnout of talented amateurs, young pros, and proven legends all mixing it up in surfing’s version of Times Square, Huntington Beach. We’ll be displaying a live webcast so if you can’t come down to the beach, you can catch all the action from your home.” says Waring.
For more information on this latest series, go to http://www.americanprosurfingseries.com/info/event-info/.
