Malibu, Calif. β (October 16, 2004) β With 180,000 watts of light focusedon the action, the Red Bull 5X made history as Malibu's first-ever nightsurfing event was held in reeling, shoulder-high waves at the famous FirstPoint. Five of the sport's most talented female longboarders, includingDaize Shayne, Mary Osborne, Kassia Meador, Kim Hamrock and SchuylerMcFerran, battled it out in a 90-minute expression session.
Instead of the normal surf competition in which each surfer's performanceis critiqued by judges on the beach, the RB5X allows the surfers to pushthe limits of performance without the constraints of typical contestformats. A full film crew recorded all the action in the water and thesurfers themselves will determine the winner during a playback session tobe held on Sunday, October 17, in Malibu.
"It was so rad with no judges. You're your own judge and you're everybodyelse's judge," says pro surfer Kassia Meador of Oceanside, Calif. "The RB5Xis a cool way to push each other and push our surfing to the next level.It's more about earning the respect of your peers and seeing who threwdown, who's doing the craziest stuff and who was surfing the best."
Despite the impossibly long noserides and graceful footwork on display, itwas the unique night surfing format that caught the attention of thesurfers. "It was so beautiful on the water," says veteran pro Kim Hamrockof Huntington Beach, Calif. "Actually it was kind of hard to surf at timesbecause I was just mesmerized watching the bottom and the fish."
The complete session will air on the FUEL network later this year.
RED BULL 5X - THE NEW PICK UP GAME FOR SURFING
The Red Bull 5X asks the question, "What is good surfing?" The answer is βit's up to you. Here's how it works: Round up five surfers and head toyour favorite break. Throw in $5 each, paddle out, and surf for 90 minutesstraight. Then, judge each other on these five criteria: torque, boost,push, mojo and combo. The winner gets the cash. But more importantly, thewinner gets the respect.
Red Bull 5X Judging Criteria:Torque: Best turn. Complete the most impressive maneuver performed on awave.Boost: Think "boost" your toes to the nose.Push: Most creative. Demonstrate the most innovative or imaginativemaneuver performed on a wave or in the air. Attempts count.Mojo: Most connected. Demonstrate masterful wave judgment and utilizationfor example, the deepest tube).Combo: Smooth linkage. Complete the most impressive combination of two ormore of the above on a single wave with a clean transition.
The RB5X format can be done by anyone, anywhere. It opens the doors for afull range of surfing styles and wave conditions - from one foot waves atSan Onofre on longboards with friends, to the most progressive surfersapplying the RB5X in a display of the high-performance antics.
The girls were empowered to adapt the Red Bull 5X criteria the way they sawfit. The key is the five girls judge each other and deem the winnerthemselves with a format that rewards creativity and innovation.