The world’s best—voted on by you – will be competing at the Hurley US Open of Surfing
Have you ever felt deprived as a surf fan? Felt like the Dream Tour is great and all, but wish we could personally inspire a little more magic from our favorite surfers?
Well, come this July at the Hurley US Open of Surfing, those wishes will be granted. It’s called the World Professional Surfers All-Star event, where the fans finally get to decide who they want to see perform. The concept is simple. World Professional Surfers (WPS), the union that works on behalf of the ASP’s touring professionals, helped hatch an event that is our equivalent to the Home Run Derby or the Slam Dunk Contest.
The fans vote, the top 10 surfers are announced and then those surfers attend the Open at Huntington Beach, surf in the six-star, get proper recognition on stage and also compete in a PWC-assisted expression session that has to be seen to be believed.
Right now, four former world champions are guaranteed All Stars: Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, Mick Fanning and CJ Hobgood. The six remaining All Stars are entirely up to you. Just go to the World Professional Surfers site, pick your favorite surfer and cast your vote.
Then watch the magic happen in July knowing you had a hand in it.
The 2009 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy is coming to the ESPN networks this week across the USA. Known as the Oscars of surfing, the ninth-annual XXL show is scheduled for the ESPN2 channel this Thursday, May 28, at 9:30 P.M. Pacific Time, 7:30 P.M Hawaiian (1:30 A.M. late-night on the East Coast). Check your local listings for the correct channel in your area and set your TIVO or DVR now.
For a preview of the show:
The hour-long special features the biggest waves and most spectacular rides from around the world over the last year. Highlights of the high-surf action include Californian Greg Long’s unprecedented paddle-in barrel at Dungeons in South Africa which earned him the $50,000 XXL Ride of the Year prize. Long finished just ahead of a stellar list of other nominees including Australians Ryan Hipwood and James Hollmer-Cross at Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania, Hawaiian Garrett McNamara at Teahupoo, Tahiti, and Californian Brian Conley’s point-of-view tube ride deep in darkest Mexico.
Topping out other categories were Grant “Twiggy” Baker for his 60-foot-plus XXL Biggest Wave bomb at Cape Town’s ominous Tafelberg Reef and Derek Dunfee’s Monster Paddle Award winner at Maverick’s in Northern California. Also appearing in the ESPN show are Billabong GIrls Best Performance Award winner Maya Gabeira of Brazil, Monster Tube champion Mark Healey of Hawaii and Surfline Performance winner Grant Baker. In total, over $130,000 in cash and prizes — including a new Honda watercraft — were handed out at the gala presentation at the Grove Theater in Anaheim, California.
As always, one of the most visually entertaining segments of the show is the Verizon Wireless Wipeout of the Year Award, which was determined for the first time this year by the text-in voting of the surfing public. Winning by a wide margin was Australia Ross Clarke-Jones for his spine-bending detonation within the guts of a huge cavern at the newly discovered Pedra Branca break in the open ocean off Tasmania’s southern coast.
The list of presenters at this year’s XXL show was a who’s who in surfing from today and yesteryear. Celebrities announcing the prize winners with hilarious and heartfelt speeches ran the gamut from three-time ASP world champ Andy Irons and 1999 champ Mark Occhilupo to legendary big wave waterman Greg Noll to Maverick’s Pioneer Jeff Clark right through to Linda Benson, the first woman to ride Waimea Bay in 1959.
The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards show was produced and directed by David Stanfield. Executive Producers are Mark Hall, Graham Stapelberg, Bill Sharp and Sam Pontrelli. The XXL Awards are presented by Monster Energy Drinks. Verizon Wireless is the official communications provider, Surfline.com is the official surf forecast and Honda the official watercraft of the XXL. Additional support for the event comes from Air Tahiti Nui and Surfing Magazine.
Tune in to the show this Thursday night to see it all. Until then, check out the highlight clips and still photos from the 2009 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards at www.BillabongXXL.com. For more information on Monster Energy, please go to www.MonsterEnergy.com.
ERGO is proud to announce that very own team rider, Matt Keenan, has been named surf marketing director and team manager. Stepping up to his new role, Keenan will oversee all surf-related marketing, athlete and event initiatives.
“We’re fortunate to have Matt on board – between his marketing background, his knowledge of the industry, and his surfing capabilities, he is the ideal fit for the position,” says ERGO vice president Pete Dispirito. “Although he has a ton of surfing left in him as a team guy on ERGO, he is frothing to take on the responsibility of his new position.”
“I’ve been with ERGO since the beginning stages and I know that with the squad we have representing the brand along with the fresh new gear coming out this season, things will just keep blowing up for us,” says Keenan. “I’m psyched to be able to contribute more to the company’s growth and success and to play a more integral role in building ERGO’s surf program.”
Send your boy Keenzo an email to congratulate him on his new position at matt@ergophobia.com. For more information, visit www.ergophobia.com.
About ERGO:
Founded in 2005, ERGO offers a collection of quality surf and skate apparel for men and women. ERGO is committed to creating core, quality products for consumers who live a lifestyle marked by originality and distinction. ERGO’s team of designers thrives off natural progression and building a classic line that will mature over time. In addition, ERGO has cultivated a solid team of riders that support the brand’s image and raw style.
ERGO is based on the east coast in New Jersey along with a west coast office and warehouse in Costa Mesa, CA. Sold at core retailers worldwide, ERGO features a range of high quality denim, boardshorts, fleece, wovens, tees and accessories. For more information, visit www.ergophobia.com.
