Wildcards Finalized for 6.0 Lowers Pro, U.S. Qualifier for Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge

Press Release

• April 27 2009
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OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE - One Spot Remains for Winner of Local Junior Trial

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (April 24, 2009) – All of the wildcards have been awarded for the 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior except one last coveted spot that will be determined by a local junior trial heat on the first day of competition.

The 6.0 Lowers Pro, the first-ever Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star PRIME on the Mainland U.S., and the ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior, the only U.S. qualifier for the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge series, hit legendary Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Calif. next week, April 28 to May 2, for five days of intense battle at one of the world’s best waves.

Bolstering an impressive list of surfers competing in the 6.0 Lowers Pro, including 17 ASP World Tour standouts, ASP wildcards include former ASP World No. 2 Rob Machado (Carlsbad, CA), who won the event in 1998, Darrell Goodrum (Leucadia, CA), who currently ranks in the top 25 on the WQS, and Anthony Petruso (Malibu, CA).

Nike 6.0 wildcards include 2008 World Junior Champion Kai Barger (HAW), 2008 O’Neill Cold Water Classic Champion Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA) and Evan Geiselman (New Smyrna Beach, FL).

“I’m so stoked the 6.0 Lowers Pro is a 6-Star now,” says Barger. “It’s one of the most rippable waves in the world and really allows the best in the world to showcase their skills. I can’t wait to tee off on a big, open-face nugget.”

One final wildcard will be awarded to the winner of a local junior trials heat of San Clemente-based juniors including Kolohe Andino, Luke Davis, Riley Metcalf and Ian Crane.

The wildcard contestants will compete in a field of 128 surfers including 17 of the ASP World Tour’s top 45: CJ Hobgood (Melbourne Beach, FL), Adriano de Souza (BRA), Dane Reynolds (Ventura, CA), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Chris Ward (San Clemente, CA), Taylor Knox (Carlsbad, CA), Damien Hobgood (Melbourne Beach, FL), Heitor Alves (BRA), Nathaniel Curran (Oxnard, CA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Nic Muscroft (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Tim Boal (FRA), Dustin Barca (HAW), and Marlon Lipke (DEU).

The stacked field will vie for a $145,000 prize purse, including $20,000 and 3,500 points for first place, the most ASP WQS ratings points possible. Also up for grabs, a wildcard into the Hurley Pro World Tour Trials for Trestles, which will be held at the Hurley U.S. Open, July 18-19, in Huntington Beach, Calif. The WQS surfer with the top result at the 6.0 Lowers Pro will be awarded a wildcard into the Trials for a chance to earn a spot into the only World Tour event on the Mainland U.S.A.

Wildcard selections for the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge U.S Qualifier are Miguel Pupo (BRA), who won the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge Qualifier in Lacanau, France in 2008, and 15-year-old Connor Coffin (Santa Barbara, CA).

Running concurrently, the ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior unites 48 juniors (20 years and younger) battling for a $10,000 prize purse and two coveted qualifying spots into the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge Finals. This will be the only U.S. qualifier for the prominent event, which gained notoriety last year due to its massive prize purse, professional format, and high caliber of qualifier location selections. Concurrently, the South Africa qualifier is in Port Alfred, South Africa, May 1-3. The series will also make stops in Brazil, Japan and France offering a total cumulative prize purse of $165,000 with $75,000 for the final event including an impressive $20,000 for first-place.

Visit the event sites at www.nike6lowerspro.com and www.oakleyprojunior.com for behind-the scenes action, analysis and exclusives. All five days of the world-class event will be webcast live at www.nike6lowerspro.com and an enhanced quality webcast will be available for the final two days exclusively at www.fuel.tv.  The additional webcast, that rivals broadcast quality, is thanks to a unique partnership between Action Sports Group and FUEL TV, the only network dedicated to the lifestyle of action sports.

The 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of sponsors Nike 6.0 and Oakley, co-sponsor Red Bull, and media sponsors Surfer (surfermag.com), Surfing (surfingthemag.com), WaveWatch.com 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 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.