He is the ASP International Media Manager, no less. We asked Davey P 7 radical questions and he came back with 7 even slightly radder answers!

 

 

1. Dave Prodan, what are the most exciting things about the ASP World Tour 2012? .

1. The New Class: Gabriel Medina, Miguel Pupo, John John, Kolohe Andino, Yadin Nicol. 2. The Establishment: Literally every surfer in the ASP Top 34 can win a heat against anyone else and that’s really exciting. 3. Fiji: It’s regarded as one of the very best waves in the world and has played host to some of the best surfing that’s ever gone down. 4. Kelly Slater: Is he the greatest sportsman who has ever lived? It’s hard to argue against it. Kelly just turned 40 and it’s safe to say that he’s in better shape than I have ever been in my entire life.

2. Do you miss Dane or Brodie more? Didn’t Dane used to let you carry his boards?
Haha, well now that Dane is officially ‘off tour’, I kind of think we’ll all get to see him compete a lot more. So if that’s the price I have to pay to see him surf live more often, then I’m happy to pay it. Brodie is definitely missed. I think Chas Smith said it best: “Brodie presided over the six most exciting years in professional surfing.”

3. Who are the best 5 surfers in the world NOT on the ASP WT?
Dane: I’m not alone when I say that Dane is one of the very best surfers on the planet. Bruce: His confidence and commitment in waves of consequence is second to none. Tanner Gudang: I think Tanner is a Top 15 talent easy. He’s powerful, has a solid rail foundation, does big airs and isn’t scared. Cansdell: He’s a goofyfoot version of Joel Parkinson and the world needs more goofy-footers. Filipe Toledo: I’ve only seen this kid a few times but he’s an absolute freak.

4. Scrapping the mid-season rotation, was the ASP saying it was a mistake? Was Bobby right all along?
Bobby’s points have really become a non-issue. He was, and perhaps remains, confused about how the ASP is structured and operates and how the changes came about. In 2009, the surfer stakeholder group (of which Bobby is part of) wanted to see the structure of the tour change. The event stakeholder group agreed and changes were proposed, discussed and then activated: the reduction in field, the combining of the rankings, the midyear rotation, etc. Looking back, these changes resulted in the elevation of the ASP Prime series, the increased speed in talent turnover, and most importantly, a massive leap in terms of surfing performance in the live arena. This year’s suspension of the midyear rotation was tabled by the surfers and agreed upon by the Board of Directors. The biggest issue with activating it in 2012 was the instability of the schedule. Late in 2011, we had a number of events added or removed or changing dates. With that kind of fluctuation, it became a major issue in scheduling a rotation point to ensure that fair and balanced opportunities existed in both halves of the year. It is suspended for 2012 and may return in the future.

5. How far is the ASP away from doing a TV rights deal? Is that the key in taking it to the ‘next level’?
The advent of digital television and the further sophistication of the ASP webcasts will bring about the next great evolution in the sport of surfing. Ease of access to the world’s best surfers surfing the world’s best waves in the live arena will make the sport even more attractive to supporters. A media rights deal should be a priority for the ASP Board of Directors over the next few years, not only to bolster the sport’s appeal to financial backers but also to create a more consistent and enjoyable product for our ever-growing international fan base.

6. One of the big talking/selling points in other sports is contentious decisions from officials. Can bad judging be good for surfing?
Controversial judging attracts more debate and fans to the discussion, but in a sport like surfing, we rely on the validity of the judging panel and the respect afforded them by the world’s best surfers to ensure that the sport maintains the confidence of the fans and athletes. As a subjective sport (as well as one that’s constantly evolving), the judging will always be called into question. We certainly don’t cultivate controversy in this regard and don’t feel that it’s to the benefit of the sport to do so.

7. Which surfers are the most likely to: Become President of USA; Save the whales; Have genuine cred as a recording artist; Do a My Name is Earl style acting step-over; Open a installation art gallery in Helsinki; Become a celebrity chef.

a) In 2016, Ron Paul will covertly mentor and financially back a Kelly Slater bid for the Presidency of the United States under the Libertarian Party flag. Following the disaster that is the Republican Primary in 2012, the ‘elephant’ party will be thrown into disarray and crumble under the weight of their own party polarization and in-fighting.

b) After becoming the youngest-ever ASP World Champion, Carissa Moore will go onto cure cancer and settle unrest in the Arab world before finding the time to save the rainforests and the whales… by teaching the whales to live in rainforests and then declaring them marine sanctuaries… then she’ll turn 21.

c) Patrick Gudauskas and his band ‘The Dead Ponies’ will be signed to Isaac Brock’s Glacial Pace Recordings in 2014 and their smash single ‘Lithuanian Labradors’ will establish them as the voice of disenfranchised blond haired, blue-eyed youths around the globe.

d) Everything Matt Wilkinson does should be recorded, archived and distributed to the world. He is a funny man.

e) Stephanie Gilmore, in partnership with her new sponsor Nikon, will debut her newest collection “n’IC(K)ON” in Helsinki in 2016. The collection will be comprised solely of 296 self-portraits. No one will complain.

f) I’ve heard Adam Melling is a pretty mean chef and his zen-like demeanor will bolster his hit show “Dwelling with Melling” to the top of the Home and Garden Television (HGTV) international rankings.