Press release:
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., April 28, 2014 – SURFER Magazine’s 2014 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge is back on the West Coast at Lower Trestles this Friday, May 2nd for the West regional qualifying event. Originally scheduled for Newport Beach, surfers will be stoked for the opportunity to surf the world-class Lowers break without a crowd.
The seven-event nationwide search is halfway through its yearly quest to find the best teams from stops in Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, Hawaii and three areas of California. Four-man teams (two surf shop pros and two shop employees) will be competing for a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to the National Championship in Central America, an advertising spread in SURFER Magazine, and the coveted title and bragging rights of best surf shop in the country.
Last year, Team Revolution led by Nathaniel Curran stole the title from 2012 National Champions Jack’s Surfboards. However, the West regional has historically been anyone’s game with Jack’s and Huntington Surf & Sport both making it to the Final last year and having Regional Championships under their belts as well.
Confirmed West OSSC teams:
Active Ride Shop
Catalyst
ET Surf
Frog House
Huntington Surf & Sport
Jack’s Surfboards (Dana Point)
Jack’s Surfboards (Huntington Beach)
Killer Dana
Laguna Surf & Sport
Revolution
Spyder Surf
Surfside Sports
T. Patterson Surfboards
Val Surf (Thousand Oaks)
Val Surf (Valley Village)
ZJ Boarding House
The complete 2014 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge calendar:
· March 28-29 – Southwest – Seaside Reef, Cardiff, Calif.
· April 11 – Mid-Atlantic – Kitty Hawk, Outer Banks, NC
· April 14 – Northeast – Manasquan Inlet, Manasquan, NJ
· May 2 – West – San Clemente, Calif.
· May 15/16 – Hawaii – Ala Moana Bowls, South Shore, Haw.
· July 23/24 – Northwest – Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, Calif.
· August 11-12 – Southeast – Ponce Inlet, Fla.
· TBD – National Championship – Central America
For all of the latest information including photos, video footage, results and more, check out surfshopchallenge.com.
Special thanks to title sponsor Oakley, media sponsor SURFER Magazine and co-sponsors New Era, Futures Fins, Watermans Sunscreen and Banzai Bowls, 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, growing into seven qualifying regional events around the country and culminating in a national championship abroad. 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 the world’s largest action/adventure/outdoor media company reaching more than 45 million engaged consumers every month through its print, online, mobile, TV/video and events platforms. Among its 29 leading media assets are brands such as GrindTV.com, SURFER, SURFING, TransWorld SKATEboarding, Bike, POWDER, TransWorld Motocross, Snowboarder, Canoe & Kayak and more. Delivering significant reach across both action sports enthusiast and various in-market consumer audiences, GrindMedia also produces more than 40 leading events and webcasts such as Surfer Poll Awards, TransWorld SKATEboarding Awards, Powder Video Awards, Lowers Pro and EnduroCross. GrindMedia is also the exclusive action and adventure sports content provider for Yahoo! Sports.To learn more, visit grindmedia.com or visit grindtv.com.
