Ten teams gathered on Monday on the south side of Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head, North Carolina, to battle for a chance to represent the Mid-Atlantic region in the National Championship of the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge. Competitors were greeted with sunny skies, 70-degree air temps, brisk water temps in the 50s and an unexpected waist-to-chest-high swell.
The unique Oakley Surf Shop Challenge event series pits two shop employees and two shop pros, working together as a team, against other area shop teams. The winning team from each of the seven event qualifiers will earn an all-expense-paid trip to Southern California to compete in the National Championship for a $5,000 prize purse, grand prize trip to the 2016 SURFER Poll at Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore of Hawaii and the title of America’s Most Core Surf Shop.
This year’s Mid-Atlantic teams included:
· Outer Banks Boarding Company
· Wave Riding Vehicles (Kitty Hawk)
· Wave Riding Vehicles (Virginia Beach)
Sweetwater Surf Shop, reigning champion two years running, was considered the team to beat going into the event. But with team leader and top professional surfer Ben Bourgeois absent this year due to travels, it appeared as though Sweetwater may finally have a chink in their armor. Also noticeably absent from this year’s competition was Mid-Atlantic power surfer Fisher Heverly leaving Surf City vulnerable minus their heavy hitter.
In no way did these absences take away from the dramatics on tap in round one. Wrightsville Beach’s Surf City Surf Shop dominated, claiming the highest round total. Sweetwater followed up in second place, 17th Street took third, Outer Banks Boarding Company fourth and Duck Village Outfitters secured fifth rounding out the five teams earning a spot into the final.
With multiple peaks lined up in the contest arena for the final, some chose the longer lefts in hopes of longer rides and connections through into the inside bowl while others stuck to the shorter more consistent rights.
Double whammy surfer and professional surfing vet Jesse Hines double whammed a solid 9.2 taking the highest scoring single ride of the event and doubling it out of the gates putting Outer Banks Boarding Company in an incredibly solid lead from the beginning of the final. Knox Harries looked noticeably quicker and more crisp than most of his fellow competitors and continued to shine bright throughout the entire event. Other key players included Philip Goold, Dylan Kowalski, Laird Myers and Dallas Tolson.
With high tide filling in as the finals continued, the ocean provided longer lulls and made things much harder for competitors to link inside connections, and even more so in a timely matter.
With time winding down and Sweetwater sitting in first place, it was up to DVO’s Jeffrey Myers to secure the needed score for the win, in just over 10 minutes, and get back to the team box avoiding a five-point deduction.
Two waves later, and not getting a third opportunity to secure a score, Team DVO was penalized with a five-point deduction, further solidifying Sweetwater’s win and dropping DVO from second to fifth overall.
Final Results:
1 – Sweetwater Surf Shop (28.53)
2 – Surf City Surf Shop (27.09)
3 – Outer Banks Boarding Company (26.83)
4 – 17th Street Surf Shop (22.89)
5 – Duck Village Outfitters (22.59)
The series lands in Manasquan Inlet, NJ, for the Northeast regional on Thursday.
The 2016 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge schedule:
· March 25 – Southwest – Seaside Reef, Cardiff, Calif.
· April 11/12 – Mid-Atlantic – Nags Head, Outer Banks, NC
· April 14/15 – Northeast – Manasquan Inlet, NJ
· April 18/19 – Southeast – Paradise Beach Park, Melbourne, Fla.
· May 26/27 – Northwest – Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, Calif.
· June 3 – West – 54th or 56th Street – Newport Beach, Calif.
· July 7/8 – Hawaii – Ala Moana Bowls, South Shore, Haw.
· Fall 2016 – National Championship – Southern California
For all of the latest information including photos, video footage, results and more, check out surfshopchallenge.com.
Special thanks to Oakley, SURFER Magazine and event partners, Futures Fins, GoPro, Xcel Wetsuits, JS Industries and Official Forecaster Surfline.com 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.
Established in 1975 and headquartered in Southern California, Oakley is one of the leading product design and sport performance brands in the world. The holder of more than 600 patents, Oakley is a culture of creators, inventors, idealists and scientists obsessed with using design and innovation to create products and experiences that inspire greatness. This philosophy has made Oakley one of the most iconic and inimitable brands on the market, with products that world-class athletes around the globe depend on to compete at the highest level possible. Oakley is known for its High Definition Optics®, which feature unparalleled optical clarity and precision along with impact resistance and UV protection, incorporated into all of the brand’s sun, prescription eyewear and premium goggles. Oakley extended its position as the world’s leading sports eyewear brand into apparel and accessories. Oakley has men’s and women’s product lines that appeal to Sports Performance, Active and Lifestyle consumers. Oakley is a subsidiary of Luxottica Group. Additional information is available at www.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 45 million active sports enthusiasts through an integrated network of magazines, online properties, events and television programming. To learn more, visit SURFERmag.com.
About TEN: The Enthusiast Network
TEN: The Enthusiast Network is the world’s premier network of enthusiast brands, such as MOTOR TREND, AUTOMOBILE, HOT ROD, SURFER, TRANSWORLD SKATEBOARDING, and GRINDTV. With more than 50 publications, 60 websites, 50 events, 1,000 branded products, MOTOR TREND OnDemand subscription video on-demand service, the world’s largest automotive VOD channel, and the world’s largest action/adventure sports media platform, TEN inspires enthusiasts to pursue their passions. For more information, visit enthusiastnetwork.com.
