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O'NEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC UNDERWAY, SOLID SWELL ON HORIZON FOR MACY'S CA TRIFECTA CONCLUSION
The O’Neill Cold Water Classic marks the final event in the continental United States, with all surfers earning ratings points towards the ASP World Tour. The Santa Cruz event also acts as the final stop on the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series, the only ASP Specialty Series in North America, which offers an additional prize purse to the series’ top three finishers. Loya was a standout in Round 1 today, using his local knowledge to pick off the clean rights on offer at his home break. The seasoned Santa Cruz competitor was extremely selective in his opening heat, catching only two waves, but his choice of quality over quantity proved to pay off. “I wanted to catch three or four waves, but they kind of stopped coming,” Loya said. “I’d rather not go on a wave if I can’t get at least a 6 or a 7, so I was just waiting it out.” The patience displayed by Loya today has proven to be successful strategy for him in the past. The powerful regular-footer was a finalist in the O’Neill Cold Water Classic last year and in 2006 as well. “It’s worked so far for me until the Final and then I just can’t find the right waves.” Bonds also won his heat by catching only two waves. Like Loya, he also used his local knowledge to advance into Round 2 today with a pair of solid scores to claim a heat win over the field. “I got a couple of waves,” Bonds said. “Sometimes it’s hard out here to get your two waves but definitely there’s enough sets out there today where everyone can get a couple of waves.” Bonds expressed the importance of using patience at Steamer Lane as a key ingredient for success in the event. “I try to wait for good ones,” Bonds said. “It’s just going to take good waves and a lot of luck. I’m just trying to go to bed early and stay out of trouble.” Eales jumped out to an early lead in his Round 1 heat, earning a solid score of an 8.50 out of a possible 10 on his opening ride with several clean forehand carves on a Steamer Lane gem. The score proved to be the highest single wave score of the day. Eales followed up with a solid second score, which was enough for the heat win. “I drove up last night and I figured I wanted to get on some waves early and get my feet under me,” Eales said. “I surfed this morning, watched the surf and just tried to sit the farthest out with the lower tide and got lucky and got a good one off the bat.” Eales expressed his satisfaction with the good conditions on offer today at Steamer Lane. “It’s so good,” Eales said. “It’s sunny, four foot and so fun and I’m stoked.” Tomorrow’s event will see the completion of Round 2 as well as the first few heats of Round 3. The second day of the O’Neill Cold Water Classic will begin tomorrow at 8am local time and will be webcast LIVE via www.coldwaterclassic.net The O’Neill Cold Water Classic, now in its 21st year, boasts a prize purse of $80,000 for the WQS event (up $5,000 from last year), $15,000 for the Oakley Pro Junior, and $25,000 for the Macy’s CA Trifecta bonus cash. The event also marks the final WQS event on the U.S. mainland and the ASP North America Championships for the Pro Juniors. As the final stop of the Macy’s CA Trifecta Surf Series, the Cold Water Classic will award a $15,000 bonus cash purse to the top three finishers in the WQS division of the series – $10,000 for first, $3,500 for second and $1,500 for third. For the second year, the Oakley Pro Junior division will also receive a significant Trifecta bonus purse, which has doubled from $5,000 to $10,000 and will award $7,000 for first, $2,000 for second, and $1,000 for third. Live streaming video and scoring will broadcast the event to the world at www.coldwaterclassic.net for all six days of competition. Special thanks to the O’Neill Cold Water Classic, Oakley Pro Junior and Macy’s CA Trifecta supporting sponsors: O’Neill, Oakley, Macy’s, Red Bull, Coors, Fosters, Palm, SURFER Magazine, SURFING Magazine, WaveWatch.com and FUEL TV. For more information on the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series visit www.catrifecta.com. WaveWatch.com Forecast for the O’Neill Cold Water Classic O’Neill Cold Water Classic Round 1 Results: O’Neill, the original Californian surf, snow and lifestyle brand, was founded in 1952 when a young man named Jack O’Neill took his unstoppable passion for surfing and used it to beat Mother Nature at her own game. Pioneering the world’s first neoprene wetsuit, Jack had successfully found a way to extend his surf sessions in the bone-chilling breaks of Northern California. He opened up the garage doors to his first surf shop in Santa Cruz soon after. While many things have changed since those humble beginnings, Jack’s initial vision of producing functional and innovative boardriding products continues to lie at the core of everything the company does. O’Neill’s set of core values – innovation in style and technology – has seen the brand devote itself wholeheartedly to the evolution of action sports. From the first ever neoprene wetsuit and surf leash, to the world’s first stitchless boardshorts and range of groundbreaking wearable electronics, O’Neill’s spirit of innovation will always drive the company forwards. Today, O’Neill can be found the world over. In touch with its rich heritage and the universal stoke of boardriding culture, O’Neill will always be committed to progressing that evolution and growing its reputation as one of the world’s leading youth lifestyle brands. About Oakley, Inc. About Source Interlink Media’s Action Sports Group (ASG) Reaching more than two million enthusiasts, Source Interlink Media’s Action Sports Group (ASG) is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to publishing leading lifestyle publications such as Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Powder and Canoe & Kayak, Source Interlink Media’s ASG delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties, events and television programming. |
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Santa Cruz, Calif., October 21, 2008 – The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 4-Star O’Neill Cold Water Classic kicked off today at Santa Cruz’s coveted Steamer Lane in three-to-four foot (1 metre) conditions. The first day of competition saw former two-time event finalist and Steamer Lane local, Josh Loya (Santa Cruz, CA), 39, and fellow Santa Cruz native Randy Bonds (Santa Cruz, CA), 39, post standout performances, while Roger Eales (San Diego, CA), 25, was one to watch as well. 