Perfect waves, ideal weather, and the top high school surfers in the country gathered this weekend to battle it at the third annual Red Bull Riders Cup. In an exciting final round, Carlsbad High prevailed taking amateur surfing to the next level by dominating the waves and becoming the Red Bull Riders Cup national champions. The game was held at San Onofre Church’s in San Clemente, California, June 14-15, 2008.
The eight regional finalists came to the national champions as winners, previously beating out the other local schools at the regional games. The championship game came down to a competitive match between San Clemente and Carlsbad High with a final score of 78 to 83. “We had a solid team, you couldn’t ask for better surfing conditions, the kids surf traditional contests all the time, but they really look forward to working as a team and competing at Red Bull Riders Cup,” says Carlsbad coach, David Barr.
Carlsbad High MVP Gabe Garcia drove the team to victory with consistent surfing throughout the competition. “San Clemente High was a super good team; they did some great surfing and it was close until the very end, we’re pumped to be the national champions.”
The NSL is a revolutionary competitive surfing organization established in 2001 by legendary pro surfer, Brad Gerlach. The NSL is dedicated to the pursuit of surfing excellence, building awareness for the sport of surfing while creating a fun competitive landscape for all types of surfers.
The National Surf League presents the Red Bull High School Cup as the premiere high- school surfing tournament, bringing together the best amateur surfers in each region. NSL founder, Brad Gerlach says, “I’m really impressed with the surfing community; we’ve had over fifty professional surfers come out to support, coach, and referee the games. There is no other surf event that brings the professional surfing community out to help the kid's progress."
VBS.tv home of the online surf show Hi-Shredability, has been documenting the story of the NSL and Red Bull Riders Cup since the beginning. Don't miss their documentary about the Red Bull Riders Cup, coming September 2008.
To learn more about VBS.tv and Hi-Shredability go to: www.vbs.tv
Santa Cruz: Soquel High South Florida: Jupiter High Central Florida: Satellite High Ventura: Carpinteria High New Jersey: Ocean City High South Bay: Mira Costa High Orange County: San Clemente High San Diego: Carlsbad High
Saturday June 14, 2008/Round One:
Game One: San Clemente High (OC) def. Mira Costa High (South Bay)
Game Two: Ocean City High (NJ) def. Jupiter High (SFL)
Game Three: Carpinteria (Ventura) High def. Satellite High (CFL)
Game Four: Carlsbad High (SD) def. Soquel High (SC)
Sunday June 15, 2008/Semi-Finals:
Game One: San Clemente High (OC) def. Ocean City High (NJ)
Game Two: Carlsbad High (SD) def. Carpinteria (Ventura)
Finals-National Championship Game:
Carlsbad High def. San Clemente High
Most Valuable Player – Gabe Garcia, Carlsbad High
Most Radical Maneuver – Riley Metcalf, San Clemente High School (Tail blast re-entry)
San Clemente's Riley Metcalf boosts for the Most Radical Manouver