Vans Pier Classic Kicks Off '07 ASP North America West Coast
March 13, 2007
The Vans Pier Classic presented by Jack¹s Surfboards will kick off the west coast leg of the 2007 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America Tour at Huntington Beach from Mar. 21-25, 2007.
In its second year as an ASP event, the Vans Pier Classic will host a field of 160 men in the World Qualifying Series (WQS) two-star event as well as 32 women in the WQS one-star event as they battle for prize money and valuable ratings points.
Micah Byrne (Huntington Beach, CA), one of the returning finalists from last season¹s Van Pier Classic, will look for a repeat stellar performance utilizing his years of experience at the venue.
³Local knowledge can play a huge factor, depending on the conditions,² Byrne said. ³If the waves are good, it's anyone¹s game, but it's when the conditions are less than ideal that the locals have a little bit of an edge over everyone else. However, as with any contest, there're so many good surfers that anyone can win this thing.²
The hallowed beachbreak peaks of Huntington Beach Pier will see the Vans Pier Classic provide five days of highperformance competition and will see several young surfers in their maiden event at the professional level.
³My motivation is that it's in my backyard, and it's a great place for an event because there're always waves here,² Byrne said. ³People don't realize that if the pier is only 2-3 ft, and you travel anywhere north or south, it will be half the size. I also like this contest because it's a great place for some of the local groms to surf in their first ASP WQS event. I saw quite a few of their names on the entry list and can't wait to see them take down some pros just not me.²
The women¹s event will feature perennial threats Karina Petroni (Atlantic Beach, FL), Sage Erickson (Oxnard, CA) and Courtney Conlogue (Santa Ana, CA) all vying for the Vans Pier Classic title as the 32-surfer field does battle.
The Ezekiel Pro Junior, running in conjunction with the Vans Pier Classic, will see 64 junior men surfers compete in the second event on the 2007 ASP North America Pro Junior Series.
SURFLINE HOME
MORE SURF WIRE
MORE SURF NEWS
|
