Iconic Gulf Coast Shredder and elite WCT Campaigner, Cory Lopez, joins storied surfing legends as a 2016 East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame Inductee.
The formal ceremony will take place during the January Surf Expo trade show, January 14-16 in Orlando Florida.
A leading aerial surfing exponent and star of the “Lost Generation” series of ground breaking videos, Cory is best known for challenging the boundaries of heavy barrel riding at Teahupoo, Tahiti and other locales around the globe.
He is also the only (male) Floridian to seriously challenge for a World Title besides 11X World Champ Kelly Slater and CJ Hobgood; holding the #1 Spot in 2001 for several months after winning his maiden WCT Title at Teahupoo, Tahiti. Cory jockeyed with fellow East Coaster CJ Hobgood for the Title that year, finishing a respectable #3 in the World.
In 2003 Cory won the US Open and placed 2nd behind good friend Andy Irons in Fiji. In 2006 Cory made the Pipe Masters Final; placing 3rd over Rob Machado; following (3X World Champ) Andy Irons and Kelly Slater (in first and second place, respectively).
In between his consistent Top 10 Finishes on the ASP World Championship Tour (WSL) and Surfer Mag Poll (Top 10); Cory managed to best Slater by winning the inaugural Sebastian Inlet Pro in 2005 and helped lead the East Coast to Three (3) consecutive Gold Medals in the ESPN X Games. Along the way, Cory was part of the first expeditionary team that discovered the iconic Skeleton Bay Left Point Break in Africa. Additionally, he helped lead the U.S. Team to a Gold Medal Victory during the ISA (IOC/Olympic Recognized) World Games in Costa Rica (2010) and led the first US delegation to China in 2012, earning a Silver Medal in the inaugural ISA China Games.
Countless magazine covers, video parts and event finishes later, Cory Lopez is still charging and is in the prime of his career. No longer chasing world tour points, the father of 3 is however still chasing perfect waves around the Globe as a Global Brand Ambassador for O’Neill (Wetsuits, Clothing & Eyewear), Rockstar Energy Drink, On-a-Mission (OAM), Nekton Surf Shop and Corcicle.
“I’m really honored to be joining the East Coast Hall of Fame. To be recognized amongst my peers as one of the best is pretty cool.” -Cory Lopez.
Cory Lopez Blog: https://www.gulfster.com/corylopez/
Career Highlights: https://www.lopezbrothers.com/cory/cory-lopez-career-highlights/
East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame 2016 Inductees: https://www.eastcoastsurfinghalloffame.com/2016inductees.html
Surf Expo: https://www.surfexpo.com/
