Press Release:
2012 OAKLEY SURF SHOP CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY SURFER MAGAZINE HITS THE EAST COAST THIS WEEK FOR MID-ATLANTIC AND NORTHEAST REGIONAL QUALIFIERS
Local Surf Shops to Compete at Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head, NC (April 18) and Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ (April 19-20) for All-Expense-Paid Trip to Bali for the $10K National Championship
Suggested Tweet: Oakley Surf Shop Challenge hits the East Coast – 4/18: Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head, NC & 4/19-20: Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ #OSSC
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., April 16, 2012 – The 2012 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge presented by SURFER Magazine makes stop No. 2 at Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head, NC, on April 18 for the Mid-Atlantic regional qualifier.
Immediately following will be stop No. 3, the Northeast regional qualifier, on April 19-20 at Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ. Almost 300 surfers from 70 shops around the United States will compete at seven regional qualifying events vying for an all-expense paid trip to the eighth and final event, the National Championship in Bali, Indonesia, in October.
The event series pits four-man teams—two surf shop pros and two shop employees—against each other for a chance to win $10,000, an advertising spread in SURFER Magazine, and the title of best surf shop in the country. An exciting addition for 2012, Oakley has generously offered up an expense-paid trip to Bali, Indonesia, to compete at the National Championship event to the winning team of each region.
Sweetwater, the 2010 and 2011 National Champions, have earned the Mid-Atlantic regional title two years running and are looking to earn the three-peat Mid-Atlantic at a trip to Bali to win their third National Championship too. But it won’t be easy for the returning champs. Last year saw Coastal Edge on their heels with a second-place finish, followed by 17th Street Surf Shop in third, and OBBC in fourth. 2011 Mid-Atlantic Qualifier Video Highlights
The list of 2012 invited Mid-Atlantic teams includes:
· Wave Riding Vehicles (VA)
· Wave Riding Vehicles (NC)
· Sweetwater Surf Shop
· 17th Street Surf Shop
· Coastal Edge
· Outer Banks Boarding Company
· Whalebone Surf Shop
· The Pit
· Freedom Surf Shop
· Village Surf Shoppe
In the Northeast, Heritage Surf and Sport #1 will be looking to maintain their four-year winning streak. With so many trips to California for past National Championships under their belt, they’ll also want to up the ante to ensure a win and the upgraded trip to Bali this year. Other hot teams to watch for are 7th Street Surf Shop, Heritage Surf and Sport #2 and Bare Wire. 2011 Northeast Qualifier Video Highlights
The complete list of 2012 invited Northeast teams includes:
· 7th Street Surf Shop
· Bare WireBunger Surf Shop
· Elemental Surf and Skate
· Eastern Lines
· Farias Surf Sport
· Heritage Surf & Sport
· Inlet Outlet Surf Shop
· Ocean Hut Surf Shop
Please see page 2 for the 2012 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge calendar…
Kicking off April 6th with Event No. 1 at Seaside Reef in Cardiff, California, former National Champions (2008) SurfRide earned their ticket to Bali by winning the Southwest regional qualifier. The remaining 2012 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge calendar includes:
· April 18 – Mid-Atlantic – Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head, NC
· April 19-20 – Northeast – Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ
· June 1 – West – 54th/56th Street – Newport Beach, Calif.
· July 6 – Hawaii – Ala Moana Bowl, South Shore, Haw.
· Aug. 14-15 – Southeast – New Smyrna Beach Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
· Aug. 31 – Northwest – Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, Calif.
· Oct. 6-10 – National Championship – Keramas/Canggu, Bali, Indo.
For all of the latest information including photos, video footage, results and more, check out www.surfshopchallenge.com.
Special thanks to Oakley and other event partners, Muscle Milk, Rusty, Bubble Gum, New Era, Future Fins, Waterman’s Applied Science and Mizu for their support, without which the Surf Shop Challenge series would not be possible.
About Surf Shop Challenge
Originally conceived to provide a fun and competitive format for the hardcore surf shop riders, the SURFER Shop Team Challenge was one of the most popular and exciting Southern California contests of the early 1980s. Through the years the contest has evolved, with seven qualifying regional events around the country, culminating in a national championship in Bali, Indonesia for the first time in 2012.
The underlying principles, however, have remained the same. The Oakley Surf Shop Challenge is still about giving back to the shops, the true backbone of the industry and the heart of the sport of surfing. Each year the competition level rises, the stakes become greater and the prizes become bigger.
About Oakley, Inc.
The global leader in performance sunglasses, goggles and prescription eyewear, Oakley also offers technical and lifestyle apparel, footwear, watches and accessories. The company was created for athletes who see impossibility as just another challenge, and their dedication inspires Oakley to seek out problems, solvewith innovation and wrap invention in art.
Exceeding the limits of possibility for more than thirty years, Oakley serves the demands of world-class athletes with unbeatable technologies including High Definition Optics® (HDO®). Additional information is available at oakley.com.
About SURFER
In 1960, SURFER Magazine began as the original. After a long history of delivering provocative and insightful editorial features, revealing interviews and award winning state-of-the-artphotography, SURFER remains the authoritative voice of the surfing world and thus earned the moniker “the bible of the sport.” The SURFER brand has also grown to include Surfermag.com, Fantasy Surfer, and the SURFER message boards.
All of these assets combine to make the SURFER network the most current and reliable channel of information to the surf community. The magazine is published by Source Interlink’s GrindMedia,which reaches more than 22-million active sports enthusiasts through an integrated network of magazines, online properties, events and television programming. To learn more, visit surfermag.com.
About Grind Media
Source Interlink Media’s Grind Media is home to renowned action and adventure sports magazine brands Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Powder, Bike, Canoe & Kayak, SUP-StandupPaddler, Dirt Rider, ATV Rider, and Paved. Along with our standalone websites, including GrindTV.com, Newschoolers and Motocross.com, Grind Media is the leading provider of print and online action sports and entertainment content in the United States.
Delivering significant reach across both action sports enthusiast and various in-market consumer audiences, Grind Media produces more than 20 leading events and webcasts such as Surfer Poll Awards, Powder Video Awards, Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro, EnduroCross and International Surfing Day. Grind Media is also the exclusive action and adventure sports content provider for Yahoo! Sports. To learn more, visit grindmedia.com.
