ASP Head Judge Perry Hatchett Axed

“After consultation with key stakeholders, ASP International has made the decision not to renew the contract of Perry Hatchett as ASP World Tour Head Judge.”

This is the response ASL received from ASP’s head office after Perry Hatchett, the longest-serving head judge in ASP history, was sacked four weeks out from the start of the 2010 ASP World Tour.

Perry, originally from Perth and now resident in the Margarets area, is a super keen surfer who began judging at club and local amateur level in the early 1980s. He took over as ASP Head Judge in 1997 after former head judge Renato Hickel shifted to tour management.

Hatchett’s attention to detail and steady updating of the World Tour’s judging systems and criteria have earned him considerable respect from many top professional surfers.

But strains had been building between Hatchett and ASP HQ for some time, according to sources close to the organization.

Response to the sacking has largely been one of stunned confusion. “Well I thought we were trying to make things better but I guess not!!!!!” Sunny Garcia posted on his Facebook page. “Perry has been the best head judge that I’ve worked with and I know that the tour needs him!!!!”

With less than a month until the first World Tour event of 2010, the ASP has appointed Richie Porta as acting ASP World Tour Head Judge until a permanent replacement is decided on.

We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more about the reasons for this surprise turn of events.