Change was in the air for professional surfing in the early 80’s. With the fall of the IPS (International Professional Surfers) organization in 1982, Tom Carroll became the ASP’s first world champion after winning six of the thirteen events the following season. This week we throw you back to Vol. 8.4 – to an interview with Tom Carroll, just after his maiden WCT victory over Shaun Tomson in ’83.
– Click the image below to view larger version and read article.
The ASP is fantastic the way they’ve got a prize pool, and you actually get bucks at the end of the circuit instead of being handed over this strange little prize, like a leather wallet, which happened when I came third in the last year of the IPS circuit. – Tom Carroll (extract from interview).
Long-standing Zag lensman and co-founder of SA Surfing Legends, Patrick Flanagan, snapped this shot of Tom and Shaun in ’84, the year they placed first and second respectively.
Tim Williams (who did the interview with Tom) was appointed as the first South African judge to travel on the newly formed ASP tour in 1983. This is him at the centre of Vol 9.5, looking relaxed and composed on a grinding KZN bomb – *Click Image to view larger version.
Tim also scored himself a Zag cover shot back in Vol. 5.3, 1984.
You can also watch an interview with Tim’s son, Sebastian Williams, and find out exactly why surfing runs in the family in this ZagTV short:
