Pro Event at Trestles Loses Sponsor

There likely will be no Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour stop on the U.S. mainland this year because surf-wear giant Billabong has dropped sponsorship of an event that was scheduled Sept. 10-15 at Trestles.

The move was a chain reaction after Irvine-based media firm Bluetorch gave up its permit for a May 8-19 contest at Tahiti’s famed Teahupo’o and Billabong snatched up the rights to the event many consider the tour’s premier stop, contested on arguably the most spectacular wave in the world.

ASP rules allow a firm to sponsor no more than three events. Billabong already has the rights to events at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, and Mundaka, Spain, and decided to drop Trestles, a contest that must be held within a very short time window because of strict permit conditions and has only a “good” wave rating from ASP. Teahupo’o, Jeffreys Bay and Mundaka all have a “prime” wave rating, the highest ASP classification, which means the events offer more points and have more impact on the tour standings.

“There is disappointment on one hand because we’re very much aware how important [Trestles] is to the U.S. market,” said Billabong Vice President Graham Stapelberg, “but at the end of the day, Billabong is a company and we have to look at what’s in our best interest. This solidifies our position on the ASP tour. It was a decision we had to make and Trestles had to go.

“There are already things in the works to ensure that Trestles goes ahead, though. I think there’s even a very slim chance it could happen this year, but I’m confident it will be back on track next year.”

There were 13 contests on the 2000 WCT tour, but a revamped schedule that shifted events from their normal time periods and other factors--including civil unrest in Indonesia causing an event in Java to be canceled--have reduced the 2001 calendar to eight.

Bluetorch, which produces action-sports television programming, decided to give up its rights to the Teahupo’o event--the most expensive WCT event because of intimidating logistics and the high cost of operating in French Polynesia--after ASP recently finalized a deal with Sportsworld Media Group, which now owns the international broadcast rights to WCT events.

The cancellation of Trestles could have an effect on the recently announced four-star World Qualifying Series event at Newport Beach scheduled Sept. 4-9. The world’s best surfers, who may have showed up at Newport as a tuneup for Trestles, probably won’t make the trip.