HUNTINGTON BEACH, California/USA (Wednesday, January 26, 2011) –Quiksilver and the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) today announced the Quiksilver Pro New York, set to take place on Long Island’s Long Beach from September 4-15. The Quiksilver Pro New York will be the 6th stop on the 2011 ASP World Tour and the first-ever ASP World Tour stop on the East Coast of the United States.
The event will offer a $1 million dollar prize purse to competitors, an amount unprecedented in professional surfing. The Quiksilver Pro New York will expand the Quiksilver Pro Global Series, which also includes the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast in Australia (February 26-March 9) and the Quiksilver Pro France (October 4-15).
“We are beyond excited to host the biggest pro surf event in the world on Long Island this September,” said Bob McKnight, CEO of Quiksilver. “There has always been a huge contingent of dedicated surfers and surf enthusiasts on the East Coast and they will now get a chance to watch the world’s best surfers in Long Beach. We are also bringing the best and brightest Quiksilver, Roxy and DC athletes to New York City, the largest media arena in the world, for twelve days of surf, skate, BMX, fashion, art and music that will bring incredible global attention to these phenomenal athletes and the action sports culture and lifestyle.”
“When I was young, I remember some great waves on Long Island with my brother Sean and our friends,” said Kelly Slater, 10x ASP World Champion. "I'm really looking forward to being in New York. This event itself will be unique and kind of an unknown for us and bringing the ASP tour to Long Island should be fun cause there's a big surf culture there already and some great surf shops."
“ASP International is very pleased to sanction the Quiksilver Pro New York, which joins a short and prestigious list of ASP World Tour sites around the world, including Australia, Portugal, France, South America and Hawaii’s North Shore,” said Brodie Carr, ASP International CEO. "In addition to bringing the world's best surfers to the East Coast of the United States, Quiksilver is breaking boundaries as the first event in history to put up a $1 Million prize purse. This speaks volumes of Quiksilver's commitment to excellence, and the ASP has every confidence in our teams working together to produce the best possible event. Long Island is considered one of the hallowed sites of East Coast surfing and the experts at both Quiksilver and the ASP, as well as the unparalleled talent of the ASP Top 34, will come together to make this one of the most memorable events in surfing history.”
Surfline.com, the world’s leading forecaster of wave and surf conditions, conducted an independent long term 15-year wave study for western Long Island, New York, summarizing that September 4-15 is one of the most consistent time periods for sizable surf in the region. In addition, independent local feedback supports these findings, with September typically averaging 3+ hurricane swells, typically with at least one 3-4 day swell. Surfline.com is the official forecaster for The Quiksilver Pro New York.
“This was a very fascinating study,” said Sean Collins, Chief Forecaster and President of Surfline.com. “The surf climate in Western Long Island is greatly affected by the underwater Hudson Canyon offshore, which can turn average surf into very high quality surf comparable to many of the best surf spots in the world on the right day. We are also in a La Nina year, so we expect the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season to be a little more active and hopefully we can score great surf with the world’s top surfers in one of the best cities in the world.”
The competition dates will include the Quiksilver Pro Trials Presented by Unsound Surf, the premiere surf shop in Long Beach on September 3. Following will be the Quiksilver Pro New York WT competition window, set for September 4-15.
“We are happy that the Quiksilver Pro New York is coming to Long Beach,” said Long Beach City Council President Thomas R. Sofield, Jr. “These professional surfers will see first hand what the local surf community gets to appreciate every day – our beautiful white sandy beaches and some of the best waves around.”
In addition, Quiksilver, Roxy and DC will bring a world-class roster of athletes to New York City during the month of September for a series of demos, films, parties, music concerts and art exhibits that represent the best of surf, skate and snowboarding cultures.
