The ASP World Surfing Awards honours the standout performers of 2011 – Surfing News
The 29th Annual Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Surfing Awards were held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Queensland, Australia, on Thursday night, February 23.
America’s Kelly Slater and Hawaii’s Carissa Moore were officially crowned as the 2011 ASP World Champions.
The 40-year-old Slater, who was getting the coveted honours for the 11th time since stepping onto the elite tour in 1991, was looking as handsome as ever in a suit, accompanied by his beautiful girlfriend Kalani Miller.
Addressing the guests after getting called to stage to accept his 2011 ASP World Champion Award, the Florida-based surfer said, I have actually been on tour longer than some of my fellow competitors have been alive. All joking aside, it’s truly humbling
to be up here and honoured in front of such an incredible collection of surfers. I want to thank everyone in the room for pushing me to where I am.”
Slater also took home the ASP Men’s Entertainer Award that was based entirely the votes by the fans and surfers themselves.
The 19-year-old Moore took home the ASP Women’s World Champion as well as Women’s Entertainer award. The young Hawaiian had been spectacular throughout the 2011 season of women’s elite tour and managed to get the better of the likes of Australian four-time
World Champion Stephanie Gilmore to make history by becoming the youngest Women’s World Champion.
A handful of surfers received awards for their accomplishments and impressive performances during 2011. The list included Australia’s Joel Parkinson, Julian Wilson, Tyler Wright, Brazil’s Caio Ibelli, Gabriel Medina, among many others.
Larry Bertlemann, a 56-year-old iconic high-performance surfer from Hawaii, was awarded the ASP Life Membership.
“Where surfing is today is where I dreamed it should be in the 70’s,” said Bertlemann after receiving his award. “You guys absolutely deserve this and I’m so honoured to be up here in front of you all tonight.”
The evening, hosted by the American television host, was made even more entertaining with the performances of Grammy Award-winners Wolfmother and The Vernons.
The 2012 season of men’s and women’s ASP World Tour is all set to kick off with the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro respectively at Snapper Rocks in Queensland, Australia, on Saturday, February 25.
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