Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series

Kalim Beach in Phuket
12 – 14 June 2009

Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series 09 to Kick Off at Kalim Beach in Phuket from June 12-14

Bali — The first event of the inaugural Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series 2009, named the Monsoon Riders, will kick off at Kalim Beach in Phuket Thailand on June 12 for three days of competition surfing with four divisions; Shortboard, Longboard, Women’s and Juniors.

Over 100 surfers from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hawaii, USA, France, the Philippines, the UK, and Japan have already registered to participate in the three day event that will start off on Friday morning the 11th of June with on-site registration and an opening ceremony before getting right into the competitive surfing.

Saturday and Sunday will be full days of competition and the event will wrap up with an awards party on Sunday night from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm at the Jungceylon Shopping Center in Patong. The evening’s agenda will include a live band, Thai dancing, dinner, the awards presentation and a fashion show.  Trophies, cash and non-cash prizes will be awarded to the top four finalists in each division.

Organized and presented by the Phuket Boardriders Club, the Monsoon Riders event at Kalim Beach is the first of the three international surfing competitions that will be held this year in the Phuket area of Thailand.  The second event, named The King of the Jungle will be held at Kamala Beach from 14-16 August, and the third and final event will be the Island Crown at Kata Beach from 4-6 September.

Kalim Beach is located at the curve of the coastline on the northern end on Patong Beach, a beautiful strip of white sandy beach that at low tide reveals a mass of coral right off shore. The northern half of the beach is exposed to the monsoon winds, and from June to September large storms in the Indian Ocean can generate enough swell to create surfable waves up to 6 feet in height.

According to Phuket Boardriders President Chanin “Joob” Aiyarak, “Already this early in the season we’ve had some very good days of surf, and so we are very confident that over this three day period we’ll have waves that will give the competitors in all divisions great conditions in which to compete.”

The Quilksilver Thailand Surf Series is the first Asian Surfing Championship tour event to be held in South East Asia, and is the first major surfing event in Thailand to be presented by a large international surfing brand.  Quiksilver SE Asia CEO Paul Hutson was delighted to be selected as the presenting sponsor and instantly committed to a three-year deal.

“From our point of view there is great potential here, so we’d like to assist in both the development of surfing in Thailand and to promote issues that are important to us as a company, namely keeping the beaches and water in pristine condition so we as surfers can enjoy them for years to come.”

Attending the event is ex pro surfer Jake Paterson, Quiksilver’s Sports Marketing Manager based in Bali.  He will be joined by Quiksilver Pro Surfer and Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour (ISC) CEO Tipi Jabrik, founder of the Asian Championship Tour, along with ISC/ASC Media Director Tim Hain.  Together they will assist the Phuket Boardriders Club in running the event according to ASC contest guidelines.

The Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series is hosted and supported by the following:  Quiksilver SEA, Phuket Provincial Office, Thailand Tourism and Sport Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Patong Municipality, Kamala OBT, and the Karon Municipality, with media Sponsors Phuket Gazette, PG TV, Blue Wave 90.5FM, B95FM, Phuket Bulletin, MTV, and the Phuket Neo Photo Club, as well as Jim Beam, Nok Air, Coca-Cola, Kingfisher, the Jungceylon Shopping Center, and the Patong Paragon Hotel.

For more information about the Quiksilver Thailand Surf Series and how to register for each event, please see thaisurfseries.com

About the Phuket Boardriders Club: The Phuket Boardriders Club is a non-profit organization formed in 2002 to strengthen local surfing talent and create camaraderie and friendship between local and visiting surfers. The management of the club consists of Thai office bearers and local expatriate volunteers, and over the past 7 surf seasons the Boardriders have held numerous surf contests in Phuket including the Kalim Surfing Contest, The Kamala Surfing Contest, and the Kata/Karon surfing competition (also known as The Phuket Surfing Contest).  For more information, see phuketboardriders.com

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Vans releases their first-ever book ‘Vans: Off the Wall’

It’s been talked about for many years and now is finally coming to life. On June 1, Vans released its first-ever book, Vans: Off the Wall, featuring 20-some-odd stories that collectively tell the story of the brand: from Rowley to Warped Tour, from Customs to Joel Tudor, from Alva and Cab to artist collabs.

The book is 208 pages in hardback, with more than 350 full-color photos, and published by Abrams, world renowned for high quality pop culture books. Vans is rolling out lots of bonus content and book info all of which can be tracked at vans.com/vansbook

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Ron Jon Surf Shop and Roxy will offer beachgoers and surf fashion fans a plethora of fun-filled activities on June 19. The free festivities will include a Design-A-Bikini contest, Roxy t-shirt tie-dying, manicures by OPI, flip flop making and more.

If you have ever dreamed of making it as a designer, Roxy invites you to visit Roxy.com/designabikini for details on creating your own Roxy bikini. A national winner will be selected from the designs submitted and will have their inspiration manufactured and sold worldwide. As an added bonus, the grand prize winner will also receive $3,000. Designs may be submitted at Ron Jon Cocoa Beach on Friday, June 19th from 5-8pm, and the regional winner will receive a $100 Roxy gift card.

If releasing your inner designer isn’t quite your thing, you’re still sure to have fun at one of the many Roxy activity stations set up at Ron Jon Cocoa Beach. All the stations are free and first come, first served for girls of all ages. At the conclusion of the event, Roxy is showing their new girls surf movie Dear & Yonder. This inspiring movie features a dynamic cast of ladies, ranging from seasoned surf professionals to rising stars who are just now coming into the spotlight. Each of their stories is unique, but they are all connected by a spirit of adventure and love for the ocean. The cast includes Roxy’s own Sally Fitzgibbons, Kassia Meador and many more. These talented athletes show how far women’s surfing has come, and to demonstrate just where its roots began, the film journeys back in time to uncover the sport’s rich history with icons Linda Benson, Rell Sunn and Lisa Anderson. These surfers are just some of the movie’s impressive cast, assembled not only for their skills in the water, but for their inspiring way of relating to the world and each other.

About Ron Jon Surf Shop
Ron Jon Surf Shop is celebrating its 50th Anniversary throughout 2009. Ron Jon Surf Shop was founded in 1959 by surfing enthusiast Ron DiMenna. Two years later, he opened a tiny oceanside shop in Long Beach Island, N.J. The lifestyle-apparel and board-sports-equipment retailer has since opened stores in Cocoa Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Ft. Myers, Key West, Panama City Beach, Fla., as well as in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The flagship store in Cocoa Beach is the world’s largest surf shop. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

About Roxy

Roxy is a brand of Quiksilver, Inc. (NYSE:ZQK), the world’s leading outdoor sports lifestyle company, which designs, produces and distributes a diversified mix of branded apparel, footwear, accessories and related products. The Company’s apparel and footwear brands represent a casual lifestyle for young-minded people that connect with its boardriding culture and heritage.

The reputation of Quiksilver’s brands is based on different outdoor sports. The Company’s Quiksilver, Roxy, DC and Hawk brands are synonymous with the heritage and culture of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, and its beach and water oriented swimwear brands include Raisins, Radio Fiji and Leilani. The Company continues to make snowboarding equipment under its DC, Roxy, Lib Technologies, Gnu and Bent Metal labels.

The Company’s products are sold in over 90 countries in a wide range of distribution, including surf shops, skate shops, snow shops, its proprietary Boardriders Club shops and other company-owned retail stores, other specialty stores and select department stores. Quiksilver’s corporate and Americas’ headquarters are in Huntington Beach, California, while its European headquarters are in St. Jean de Luz, France, and its Asia/Pacific headquarters are in Torquay, Australia.

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