Qualifying for worlds 2011?

[Mike Fernandez]

Sounds good Steen! Also, I just surfed for about the fourth time since Jan.
It's ugly, but hurricane season is around the corner. Hopefully I'll get a lot of surf when the next Worlds qualifier happens in Cali.

[eqKneelo]

Great read, boys. Love the passion.

[Kev]

... Personally, I'm not going to attend a comp if I feel I am being treated as a second class citizen. I don't really go to comps to watch people, I go to try and win, and to sample some foreign surf.....

Mike you don't have to feel second class,
as one of the second or third class citizens, that's what I'm for
and to make the effort to enter and get there, make up the numbers and hence make it a bigger comp.

[randiego]

Agree with Ed, great read and the passion is obvious.

What makes these events great is the gathering of the tribe, the chance to hang with the boys.

PS - love the idea of an elite round held in solid conditions. Unless it's my heat that gets bumped.

[red]

Steen,
I agree with everything you say. Pommie has long supported the idea of an elite pro circuit. Putting the best surfers out in great surf will be a spectacle for sponsors, audience and competitors alike. It might be what kneeboarding needs to get it out of the backwaters (if that's what's wanted). I can't say that this will be a "better" way of selecting a world champ, because this will detract from the achievements of previous champs. It's a different approach that has a lot of merit from a marketing perspective.

I think this discussion is a diversion in this thread. It's my understanding that the world's format for 2010 has to follow existing agreement with the ISA (correct me if I'm wrong). I do know that the organisers will do everything in their power to ensure that all competitors surf in optimal conditions and take on board problems with splitting the comp.

As Jamie points out, there have been problems with the circuit in Australia this year, and this might have bearing on whether leniency should be exercised on the Austrailians' entry to the worlds.

I sympathise with people who live far from contest venues (those Tassie kneelos, for instance, or the guys on the Hawaiian Islands, or the Virgin Islands, the Canaries, or where ever. They should eneter into negotitions with their respective representative bodies about gaining entry to the 2010 Worlds.

There is an meeting at the 2010 Worlds where alternate structures can be discussed. I will heartily support a separate elite world circuit for 2012 and beyond. But my heart will still lie at the local club level, because this is where the groms gain experience, the oldies have fun, and the magic happens.

[DYdamo]

It limits an already limited gathering.

Out of everything I've read this quote seems to be the lynch-pin to it all

More power to ya steen...............

[Steeno]

ya home damo, tell us about your travels, simon said you got hurt??

fill us in

[DYdamo]

Hey mate
yeah a few things happened,threw my back out(3 days),formally introduced to the reef (knee,flesh wound)and a spot of dysentery..........every one except the Farrer's, truly don't know how they avoided that,but lucky they did......
Had an absolute ball,a real boys own adventure,and with Ross(Dillon) and his best mate Ben as my tour guides I knew I was in for a great time......Met Halbs for the first time...True gentleman and scholar,give ya the shirt off his back type of guy........Great bloke(does'nt mind a beer or ten either)
A little bit disappointed with the waves(left's, left's, and a few more left's)
I'll post a few pic's up later,no surf related stuff though.............cheers Damo

[DYdamo]

Sorry for the Hijacking..................Now back to the politic's

[jdc]

welcome digression

[jamie]

A little bit disappointed with the waves(left's, left's, and a few more left's)
Damo

sounds like paradise!

good to hear from you Damo.

I generally agree on the limiting a limited gathering point you picked upon.

Phillip Island as a venue and the support of surfing Vic(paid for by entry fees!) would allow for the largest kneelo comp of all time to go down.
We could have two banks at Wooolamai running simultaneously, and still have 10 other banks for free surfing, this would allow us to run 20min heats all the time, get thru the first few rounds of each division in two to three days, then run the business end over two more days in conditions - size, location, tide that suits the age and ability of competitors.

Alas unless we get some kind of rethink from ksa on qualifying requirements we will miss the opportunity for the largest gathering of kneelos ever.

We have the dream location, right time of year, the AUS dollar is heading sth making it cheaper for OS guys.

note i still believe that competing in an event somewhere in the last 10 years should be the min requirement

[DYdamo]

Alas unless we get some kind of rethink from ksa on qualifying requirements we will miss the opportunity for the largest gathering of kneelos ever.



note i still believe that competing in an event somewhere in the last 10 years should be the min requirement

Jamie,
couldn't agree more,Being the apathetic bastard that I am, the politics involve in this are turning me away,I would love to make it down to PI to meet alot of the O.S guys (and to surf the place) but the qualification drama's on our side is very off putting, I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way.........

Oh and give me a right hand reef break anyday

[Johnboy Walton]

Alas unless we get some kind of rethink from ksa on qualifying requirements we will miss the opportunity for the largest gathering of kneelos ever.



note i still believe that competing in an event somewhere in the last 10 years should be the min requirement

Jamie,
couldn't agree more,Being the apathetic bastard that I am, the politics involve in this are turning me away,I would love to make it down to PI to meet alot of the O.S guys (and to surf the place) but the qualification drama's on our side is very off putting, I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way.........

Oh and give me a right hand reef break anyday

ditto - although I'm not sure what the politics are here. I just unlikely to get to enough comps to qualify - too many planets, not enough alignment. if I'm not surfing, not sure if I'll turn up even though I'd like too.

[DYdamo]

Same,same john..................

[jamie]

the politics involve in this are turning me away,I would love to make it down to PI to meet alot of the O.S guys (and to surf the place) but the qualification drama's on our side is very off putting, I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way.........
quote]
ditto - although I'm not sure what the politics are here. I just unlikely to get to enough comps to qualify - too many planets, not enough alignment. if I'm not surfing, not sure if I'll turn up even though I'd like too.

the reasons for the ksa enforcing a qualifying requirement are simple enough, they are trying to build/maintain the sport @grassroots level, by getting maximum participation in the ksa events. I will go along with this idea for the sake of getting to the points of my arguement.
The minimum entry requirements needed to be laid out on or near the first of January this year on the ksa and ksusa sites, and the contest calendar needed to be set in stone so that all competitors had a chance to get to events if they wanted to. The event locations and dates were not confirmed and the dates were changed, an event in Coffs seems to have dissappeared without any announcement, all this due to forces beyond the ksa's control. From that point on the entry requirements needed to be relaxed.

see the latest from the site
"To qualify for entry you must have competed, not just entered, in at least 2 KSA sanctioned events over the 2010 circuit and up to March 2011. This includes a combination of any Surfing Australia state event, Ma Pa Bendall 2010 or 2011, Wollongong 2010, Phillip Is 2011, Sth Australia 2010.

KSA is also in the process of organising an additional event in prior to Phillip Island 2010 and before February 2011. This is to be confirmed."

not quite sure about organising more events at this stage, perhaps it might be better to rethink the policy.....
Its probably fair to say that many would prefer if they could enter without having to compete somewhere beforehand, the policy has been around since 1996 i think, this time i dont see how it can be fairly enforced
.