2009 was a watershed year for the ASP. We watched the rise and fall of Joel Parkinson, we bore witness to a struggling Kelly Slater, and were privy to the World Tour format and ratings' shuffle. Although it may not have the sex appeal or luster of a faltering figurehead, the new rules and regulations structuring the ASP next year will have the greatest impact on the sport in the ensuing years. So what, exactly, does the ASP have up their sleeve for next year? Read on to find out.

Of the preeminent changes, the ASP will enact a one-ranking system beginning next year. The new system--one that has earned both praise and condemnation from surfers and industry figures--will combine the rankings' system from the WQS and the World Tour by 2011 with 2010 acting as a bridge year for the change. Essentially, the top WQS surfers will be battling it out and replacing the lower-rung World Tour surfers mid year, with a win at a 6-star or 6-star prime event being near equivalent to a solid--and from all accounts a yet-to-be cemented--result on the World Tour.

According to the ASP, "Surfers will start to accumulate their respective ASP One Ranking points from the start of the 2010 season. However, the first season will be a bridge year to allow ASP to ensure that points are correct across all events and the changeover times onto the ASP World Tour are finalized.

"After the fifth ASP World Tour event [the Billabong Pro Teahupoo], the field will be reduced to the Top 32 from the 45 who qualified for the start of the 2010 season. After the final ASP World Tour event of 2010 [the Billabong Pipe Masters], the ASP will determine the Top 32 surfers for the 2011 ASP World Tour. ASP International has built a guarantee the number of surfers that comprise the 2011 ASP Top 32, 22 from the ASP World Tour events and 10 from the ASP One Rankings events."

The ASP has also announced the new schedule for the World Tour. For the most part, the ASP will follow in the footsteps of the same locales as last year, with the major exception being the Rip Curl event in Portugal acting as a mainstay and Teahupoo going down in August as opposed to May. Also peculiar is the near two-month gap between Brazil and J-Bay in late spring and early summer...hmm. It could very well be a long break for the Tour or we're going to see a new event pop up in the coming months. Pure speculation here, but I'm rooting for a return to Indo.

The current schedule for the World Tour is as follows and will be updated here at GrindTV with any changes as they occur:

The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast: Feb 27 - March 10, 2010
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, March 30 - April 10, 2010
Hang Loos Santa Catarina Pro, April 21 - April 30, 2010
Billabong Pro J-Bay, July 15 - 25, 2010
Billabong Pro Teahupoo, August 23 - September, 2010
Hurley Pro Trestles, September 12 - 21, 2010
Quik Pro France, September 25 - October 5, 2010
Rip Curl Portugal, October 7 -18, 2010
Rip Curl Search, October 30, November 10, 2010
Billabong Pipe Master, December 8 - 20, 2010