This Saturday, Feb. 11 the APP World Tour will kick off it’s 8th annual season in the iconic grounds of Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu.Â
Paying Tribute to a Former Star and Great Athlete:Â Sophia Tiare Bartlow
Before the opening of the games, full of rich contenders and world rated competitors, the Tour will take a moment and honor a former star athlete, Sophia Tiare Bartlow, in a paddle out ceremony on Friday afternoon at 10AM. The paddle out is open to all and is in memorandum of a life to be celebrated, as Sophia was both a fierce competitor (9th in the 2016 World Tour Series) and a beloved friend to so many.
Sophia, daughter of World Champion surfer Jericho Poplar, was fatally injured in a car crash in late January. Her spirit, her bright smile and positive energetic presence will be missed by all in this year’s Tour and beyond.
World Tour Celebrates Top Athletes and Mixes in a few Wild Cards
The newly designed APP World Tour will hold much of it’s structure from former events but will include an increase in prize money, due to a recent infusion of backing by AID Partners and Darren Shaw for both men and women.
Main Event
The Main Event will consist of 28 elite athletes proven through their Qualifying Events, four wild cards and the Top 4 from the trials rounding out a 36 man event. The exception to this will be the Sunset Beach Pro where a 4-man heat is mandatory so the field is increased to 32 seeded athletes, 8 Wild cards and the Top 8 from the trials.
Surfing Trials
Each APP World Tour surfing competition will hold a Trials competition before the kick off to the Main Event so that up and coming athletes can earn their right to compete in the big leagues.
The Big 3
Competitors must compete in a minimum of 3 events on the Tour including Hawaii, New York and the Canaries for points in order to be in consideration for the World Title.
Cash & Prizes
Prize money is big. $30,000 is going to the Top 16 competitors for men and $10,000 being spread out among the Top 8 for women.
Online Registration
Online Entry Forms will be published on the APPWorldTour.com website across all of the events for ease in sign ups. You can also validate your registration by emailing entry@appworldtour.com.
Qualifying Series and Open Competitions to Engage New Athletes
Qualify for the 2018 World Tour!
The APP World Tour includes this year a Qualifying Series that has it’s own prize purse and will run concurrently with the Main Events along the course of the Tour. This new addition allows qualifying athletes to step into and compete in the Main Event series in 2018. This new structure was announced to keep an exciting possibility open to new, up and coming competitors to try their mettle against the best locally and abroad and earn a chance to compete with the pros in the next calendar year.
Open Level Racing
In addition, all events will feature open amateur, entry level and team racing components in order to encourage larger participation and greater spectator support than ever before. These Open Racing competitions will allow competitive (non-pro) racers and entry level participants to experience the thrills of the sport and competition at a high level for the first time. The APP World Tour has promised to provide an inclusive platform for these Open competitions across all of their events.
Team Racing
Some innovative Team Racing formats will also be included for both relay and group racing across the APP World Tour. Stay tuned for those events as they are structured into the main format.
LIVE coverage
All APP World Tour events will be broadcast LIVE on their website and updates will be provided regularly. The APP World Tour hopes to increase viewer participation by offering the best in live coverage and regular updates to keep the sport of standup paddle racing and standup surfing at the forefront of the industry, developing the competitions and hosting premiere events world wide.
Stay tuned for further updates as the APP World Tour kicks off this Saturday, Feb. 11th at the Sunset Beach Pro in Oahu!
Be sure to tune in for the Live Broadcast at the Opening of the 2017 Racing season at the Maui Pro Am on March 10th-12 at: Â www.appworldtour.com
