San Clemente, Calif., April 24, 2008 – With less than a week until the start of the 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior, new developments abound. The Surfrider Foundation will be onsite throughout the event campaigning to “Save Trestles,” the Oakley Pro Junior has expanded its field from 32 to 48, and WaveWatch.com forecasts contestable waves for the start of the event, with conditions improving throughout the week into the finals.
Save Trestles Campaign
The Surfrider Foundation will have a booth onsite to collect letters to the Secretary of Commerce regarding the recent appeal filed by the TCA (toll road developers). The TCA’s appeal asks the Secretary of Commerce to overrule the decision of the California Coastal Commission, which overwhelmingly concluded the toll road is not compliant with several provisions of California coastal law.
Thousands of Save Trestles supporters attended the California Coastal Commission meeting – making it a record setting hearing and a watershed moment for the environmental movement. Surfrider hopes to collect hundreds of letters asking the Secretary of Commerce to uphold the California Coastal Commission decision, with deference for the legal responsibility of the states to protect their coastal resources. Surfrider will also be educating contest goers about the toll road project and the impacts the road would have on the cultural, environmental and recreational resources of San Onofre State Park.
Oakley Pro Junior Expanded Field
The Oakley Pro Junior field has expanded from 32 to 48, which will allow 16 additional competitors a chance at the $10,000 prize purse and two qualifying spots into the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge. The Trestles Oakley Pro Junior is the only North American qualifier for the six-stop Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge, which will culminate in Bali, Oct. 7-17, with a $75,000 prize purse. The expansion has allowed top competitors including Hawaii’s Dusty Payne (HAW) and John John Florence (HAW), east coasters Philip Goold (Virginia Beach, VA) and Ben Graeff (Longport, NJ), and So Cal up-and-comers Riley Metcalf (San Clemente, CA) and Dillon Perillo (Malibu, CA) into the contest, to name a few. (Complete seed list attached.)
WaveWatch.com Forecast
WaveWatch.com, the official forecaster for the event, predicts plenty of good surf for the 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior. However, it also predicts a bit of a rocky start to the contest period with a jumbled mix of local NW windswell and a small background SW swell. For the first day of competition, a bumpy mix of short-period WNW windswell and small SW swell is predicted. Surf will hold in the waist-chest high range on the average sets while the bigger, mostly windswell driven sets, will see some shoulder high+ faces. Shape will be on the marginal side with onshore winds out of the S-SW around 5+ knots through the morning and building WNW winds around 10-15 knots for the afternoon. Fortunately the sloppy conditions will not last long, the local wind patterns will begin to clean up through mid-week, and new SW swell will begin to arrive from the Southern Hemisphere eventually peaking heading into the contest finals on May 3rd. (Complete forecast attached.)
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 4-Star 6.0 Lowers Pro and Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior will bring 192 of the world’s best professional surfers and 48 of the world’s best professional juniors to Lower Trestles, April 29 to May 3, 2008. The event will unite top seeds, local and international talent, wild cards and even one female vying for an increased prize purse of $80,000 for the WQS and $10,000 for the juniors, as well as, valuable ASP points and the possibility of a Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series bonus.
Formerly known as the Body Glove Surfbout, the 6.0 Lowers Pro will continue to serve as one of the most touted events on the ASP WQS schedule due to its premiere location and history of groundbreaking competitive surfing match ups. In 2009 and 2010, the event will upgrade to a 6-Star, making it one of only two North American 6-Stars, helping to elevate the relevance of the ASP North American leg of the WQS and ensuring that the legacy of competitive surfing at Lowers continues to grow.
The Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series (an ASP North America Specialty Series) was formed in 2005 to strengthen surfing in America and has added additional cash and prize incentives each year. For 2008, the series unites the 6.0 Lowers Pro, the Oakley Newport Pro (Sept. 16-21), and the O’Neill Cold Water Classic (Oct. 21-26) under one banner, as well as, an Oakley Pro Junior at each of the three stops.
The Trifecta Series provides surfers with an opportunity to earn crucial points towards the ASP WQS and Pro Junior end-of-year rankings, which factors into advancement to the coveted ASP World Tour and ASP World Junior Championships. Additionally, the series will award a $33,333 bonus to the surfer who takes first place in all three WQS events. Should one surfer not win all three events, the overall points-winner will receive a $10,000 bonus and second and third will receive $3,500 and $1,500, respectively. Juniors will vie for an additional $10,000 bonus.
All 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior action will be viewable online with streaming video and live scoring at www.nike6lowerspro.com.
In addition to title sponsors Nike 6.0 and Oakley, the 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior are happy to have support from Red Bull, SURFER, SURFING, WaveWatch and FUEL TV.
About Nike 6.0
Welcome to Nike 6.0 … a multi-action sports brand supporting the next generation. Our mission is simple: Instigate, inspire and elevate the next generation. The barriers that once existed between action sports have been reduced by those who skate, surf, and ride with equal and inclusive passion. 6.0 is dedicated to this new crop of athletes through our multi-sport team, innovative product, and events. From the streets to the surf, from the dirt to the park, Nike 6.0 symbolizes the creativity and progression inherent in the DNA of action sports. www.nike6.com
About Oakley, Inc.
Oakley, Inc. designs, manufactures and distributes high-performance sunglasses, prescription lenses and frames, goggles and technology-enabled eyewear that utilize the company’s High Definition Optics (HDO), a collective platform of patented technologies that offer unbeatable optical performance. The company also produces technical and active apparel, footwear and accessories. For more information, please visit the company’s Web site at www.oakley.com.
About Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing’s undisputed world champions since 1976 (formerly as IPS), the ASP sanctions the following tours: the Foster’s ASP Men’s World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world's best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Japan, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America. These regions manage all their respective domestic affairs under the guidance of ASP International, which is located on the Gold Coast of Australia. ASP International and ASP North America are committed to the progression of surfing and are dedicated to continuing excellent relationships with their surfers, event operators, sponsors and media. For more information: www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.
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.