Breaking up Professionals and Amateurs at Comps

[narwhal]

So after all this talk about breaking up comps into pro only...forget the monetary issues, etc. What do you want to see?


Read before voting: (which do you prefer)

Option 1: Split up contests all together. Pro Only and Am only in most all instances.

Option 2: Keep the Weekend together....but Saturday would be the AM only and Sunday would be Pros only.

Option 3: Keep it the same

Option 4: Other

[Indy]

Well, with option 2 the only people that would show is the am's, who wants to watch us ehh? The pro's are on sunday dude!!!!!

[derc a der]

^^i put option 2 but indialanticloke has a good point.

[narwhal]

Well, with option 2 the only people that would show is the am's, who wants to watch us ehh? The pro's are on sunday dude!!!!!

Pro's only on Sunday...does not exist.

[MJ - Tides Ent.]

How about Pro's skim when the waves are the best. They are the ones paying their bills by competing at a professional level, so, they should get the best waves hands down.

Like hey, it sucks now, but we can hold the pro heats till later tonight, or even the next day if its really that bad. You cannot just set a particular day to be am's only or pro's only, that just wouldn't work.

[coleberr]

i clicked other because i like the idea of splitting them up but i feel like one of the biggest draws to some competitions is that ams get the chance to feel more connected with the pro riders and the upper tier of the sport by competing on the same beach on the same day on the same waves that pro riders will be attacking only hours later. I think it is kind of an important connection to feel like "yeah i skimmed the same stuff they were and even though i got to see them rip it a new one i felt comfortable riding it too". I would so split up alot of them hold more am contests as kind of talent showcases or w/e and then hold like 2/3 of the pro contests as pro only then the remainder have everyone am and pro competition.

just my thoughts take 'em or leave just keep shredding ya dig?

[omi one]

There would be a lot of hungover pros, if they only competed on Sunday.

[ZapBulletRider]

yeah cuz they'd be partying on saturday

AMIRITE????

[DrD]

i clicked other because i like the idea of splitting them up but i feel like one of the biggest draws to some competitions is that ams get the chance to feel more connected with the pro riders and the upper tier of the sport by competing on the same beach on the same day on the same waves that pro riders will be attacking only hours later. I think it is kind of an important connection to feel like "yeah i skimmed the same stuff they were and even though i got to see them rip it a new one i felt comfortable riding it too". I would so split up alot of them hold more am contests as kind of talent showcases or w/e and then hold like 2/3 of the pro contests as pro only then the remainder have everyone am and pro competition.

just my thoughts take 'em or leave just keep shredding ya dig?

I'm sure that also brings a lot of the am's to the contest. Is it really going to hurt anyone if they keep the am's and pro's together?

[ZapBulletRider]

yeah I'm with colberr, I like skimming w/ the pros. If it was am on Saturday, the pro's would be in a different spot ripping it up so they don't have to share waves w/ noobs.

[narwhal]

How about Pro's skim when the waves are the best. They are the ones paying their bills by competing at a professional level, so, they should get the best waves hands down.

Like hey, it sucks now, but we can hold the pro heats till later tonight, or even the next day if its really that bad. You cannot just set a particular day to be am's only or pro's only, that just wouldn't work.

Option One could open up so many possibilities for better wave conditions for pros.

Waiting Period Comps

I find number one the best and the only good negative I heard so far is ZBR's point.

[skimmer-x]

Well the way things are now isn't going to fly. If you are on the gulf you can get away with pros and ams skimming the same day. usually the condidtions do not change that much for all to ride a wave. But everywhere else, people like me get to skim low tide shit and that isn't fair to me and the other divisions. Spliting them would give the pros and top am divisions the chance at better waves for longer periods. If you want to advance the sport, you have to split them. There is no ther way around it unless you have a machine that controls the tides.

[Teddy Parker]

i put option 1. i think a lot more effort goes into contests when you're not concerned about things like getting the pros heats with better waves and running the little kids and girls and all when its blown out or flat etc.

all in all. the green eggs am contest was sick and ran well and i believe cabo is an all pro contest that of course runs very well. i think we should see those as examples of how well contests can go without differentiating pros and ams...

[narwhal]

more votes!

[Ill Perfection]

Option 1 but def with the "in most all instances"

[skimNJ]

I put option 2, becuase pros should get the better day of waves of the weekend, but of they(the pros) arent competing they should be required to attend the am day. It gives a more pos rep for the pros, their companies, and the sport in general, becuase during the little kids not many people are watching but skimming off to the side, where as I see in jersey, people both competing and just watching, are excited to watch and/or skim with the pros.

[Nick]

How about Pro's skim when the waves are the best. They are the ones paying their bills by competing at a professional level, so, they should get the best waves hands down.

Like hey, it sucks now, but we can hold the pro heats till later tonight, or even the next day if its really that bad. You cannot just set a particular day to be am's only or pro's only, that just wouldn't work.

That would be too unorganized.

[narwhal]

I think the way skimboarding mixes up AMs and PROs in its biggest and premiere contests makes the sport look unorganized.

[Nick]

Yeah I do too, I think Option #2 would be the most organized... But in exchange for a loss of fans for the AMs.

[LuckyBuMmRa]

i think having pros and ams sets skim boarding apart from other board sports and you really do get a chance to skim with the same people you see killing it in videos and stuff. It's not a major draw for me but for some people it might be. This really has nothing to do with it because free skim would still allow for ams and pros to skim together, but if it was one day less, so what? But seriously, how many times have you surfed with kelly slater, I haven't and i've been surfing like 3 years, i've been skimming 1 year and i've skimmed with the equivalent skimmers, like mo, paulo, beaker. Same waves, it's really a unique experience to the sport.

[skimNJ]

If the organizers are worried about Am exposure, they could run the finals of jr. mens and mens on the pro day

[matty kerns]

why is this such a big issue for you

[skimNJ]

it's not an issue for me, i was just offering suggestion for the worry that many people were adressing in early posts. By exposure i ment fans

[narwhal]

why is this such a big issue for you

It's a fun topic for me being a contest organizer.

[skimmer-x]

If the organizers are worried about Am exposure, they could run the finals of jr. mens and mens on the pro day

I am thinking about doing that also. Robs and I have discussed it.



Matty, it's a big deal since we are trying out new thibgs with our event.

[ghostsushi]

yeah, i think its good how it is, else i'd only go see the pros

[RexSkimmer]

i think the really good spots like cabo should be pros only, that way they can really show their stuff. the east coast contests seem have more a "skim for fun" feel to them, and would do better with the pros skimming with the ams