Press release:
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Sept. 9, 2014 – Oakley quelled the location mystery for this year’s Oakley Surf Shop Challenge National Championship today with the announcement of Playa Colorado, Rivas, Nicaragua as the final destination. Seven U.S. teams have earned an all-expense-paid journey of a lifetime to the world-class Central American surfing destination October 13-18 for the chance at the coveted National title.
Last year, Sunrise claimed the title of National Champion in Bali. A perennial favorite, Sunrise have three National and eight Regional titles under their belt and have proven their mettle in various conditions including this year’s Southeast Regional win despite the event’s relocation to an artificial wave.
Joining Sunrise will be Surf Ride (Southwest), Sweetwater (Mid-Atlantic), Val Surf (West), 7th Street (Northeast), T&C Surf Designs (Hawaii), and Pacific Wave (Northwest). This roster has plenty of experience with Sunrise, Surf Ride and Sweetwater all having National Championships under their belts, and Sunrise, 7th Street and Sweetwater having finished first, second and third respectively in last year’s event in Bali. Although still on the hunt for the big title, both T&C Surf Designs and Pacific Wave have made it to the National Championship event several times as well. Regardless, the playing field will be relatively even with the new Nicaraguan venue this year.
The event series pits four-man teams (two surf shop pros and two shop employees) against each other for a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to the National Championship via seven Regional Qualifiers. This year marks the first year in Nicaragua. Prior to the move to Central America, the National Championship was held in Bali for two years and the classic California beach break shores of Huntington Beach prior to that.
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 TEN (The Enthusiast Network) 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 TEN: Action/Outdoor
TEN: Action/Outdoor 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, TEN: Action/Outdoor also produces more than 40 leading events and webcasts such as Surfer Poll Awards, TransWorld SKATEboarding Awards, Powder Video Awards, Lowers Pro and EnduroCross. TEN: Action/Outdoor is also the exclusive action and adventure sports content provider for Yahoo! Sports. TEN: Action/Outdoor is a division of the The Enthusiast Network; for more information visit enthusiastnetwork.com.
