Press release:
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., March 7, 2013 – SURFER Magazine is pleased to announce the 2013 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge schedule. The seven-event regional qualifying series will kick off on April 5th at Seaside Reef in Cardiff, Calif. and conclude on June 1 at 54th/56th Street in Newport Beach, Calif., with stops in Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, Northern California and Hawaii in between. Surf shops from around the United States will compete for an all-expense paid trip-of-a-lifetime to the National Championship in Bali, Indonesia, in conjunction with the inaugural Oakley Pro Bali, June 17-20.
The storied and unique 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. This year marks the second consecutive year for each regional qualifying team to earn an enviable trip to Bali, Indonesia, a major coup in itself, despite the National Championship outcome.
Also returning in 2013, the High School division in the Southwest and West regions, which debuted in 2012, allows the top 10 high school teams from each of the two regions to compete for the honor of regional champion.
The complete 2013 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge calendar:
· April 5-6 – Southwest – Seaside Reef, Cardiff, Calif.
· April 9-10 – Southeast – Ponce Inlet, Fla.
· April 12-13 – Mid-Atlantic – Kitty Hawk or Nags Head, Outer Banks, NC
· April 15-16 – Northeast – Casino Pier, Seaside Heights, NJ
· April 19 – Northwest – Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, Calif.
· May 10 – Hawaii – Ala Moana Bowl, South Shore, Haw.
· May 31-June 1 – West – 54th/56th Street – Newport Beach, Calif.
· June 17-20 – National Championship – Keramas/Canggu, Bali, Indo.
For all of the latest information including photos, video footage, results and more, check out surfshopchallenge.com.
Special thanks to Oakley, SURFER Magazine and other event partners, Bubble Gum Surf Wax, Futures Fins, New Era, Sol Republic, and Waterman’s Applied Science 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, solve with 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-art photography, 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 GrindMedia
Source Interlink Media’s GrindMedia is home to renowned action and adventure sports magazine brands Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Powder, Bike, Canoe & Kayak, SUP-Standup Paddler, Dirt Rider, ATV Rider, and Paved. Along with our standalone websites, including GrindTV.com, Newschoolers.com and Motocross.com, GrindMedia 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, GrindMedia produces more than 20 leading events and webcasts such as Surfer Poll, Powder Awards, Lowers Pro, EnduroCross and International Surfing Day. GrindMedia is also the exclusive action and adventure sports content provider for Yahoo! Sports. To learn more, visit grindmedia.com
