Will it be the all-rounders or the specialists who take the titles in the end? Philip Köster on the left, Bernd Roediger on the right.

WWT/PWA Wave Rankings

The WWT/PWA Wave Tour is heading into a thrilling finale. However, one should exercise caution when interpreting the rankings.

The combined WWT/PWA Wave Tour is heading into a thrilling and high-calibre finale with events on Sylt, Maui and in Chile. Each of these events has a five-star rating and will count towards the world rankings with the highest possible points.

Whilst jumps could once again play a major role on Sylt, it is likely that riding the waves will be the decisive factor at the events on Maui and in Chile.

From a German perspective, the current Wave World Rankings look encouraging. In the women’s standings, Lina Erpenstein is in first place. Maria Behrens is in second place. According to the WWT, Marc Paré and Philip Köster share first place in the Wave rankings.

The current calculation of the WWT rankings does not take all the rules into account
The rankings determine who will ultimately be crowned world champion. However, according to a statement from the PWA to DAILY DOSE, there is no clear agreement yet between the WWT and the PWA, particularly regarding the allocation of points for four- and five-star events.

The WWT takes a fundamentally different view, but acknowledges that, for example, tie-break rules are not (yet) applied in the WWT rankings. At the same time, the WWT’s documentation identifies the PWA as the authority responsible for setting the rules. Disagreement can therefore only arise if the PWA’s rules are not adopted verbatim.

The PWA sanctions WWT events through its ‘Special Event’ status granted by the World Sailing Federation. The relationship between the PWA and the WWT can certainly be described as complicated.

The basic rules according to the WWT
According to the WWT, the four best results (events) per rider are counted in the professional rankings. Riders can take part in as many competitions as they wish.

Wave-riding specialists such as Bernd Roediger can therefore achieve four counting events with the two events on Maui, as well as the events in Fiji and Chile. Jump-specialist riders such as Philip Köster can focus on World Cups such as Gran Canaria, Tenerife or Sylt, where jumps play a more significant role. This allows riders from different windsurfing backgrounds to collect points for the same ranking. It is even possible that top riders will hardly ever face each other in the battle for the title.

With this system and the current number of events, it is not unlikely that individual top riders will end the season on level points, in which case the tie-break rules – which are not currently in use – will decide the outcome.

Final with an uncertain outcome
What is clear is that the rankings could be thoroughly shaken up in view of the events still to come, the currently incomplete scoring system, and the disagreement between the PWA and the WWT cited by the PWA.

The tour remains exciting on many levels.

Links:
Men’s rankings: www.worldwindsurftour.com/rankings/W94592
Women’s rankings: https://www.worldwindsurftour.com/rankings/W94592?division=D96887