As The National Teams Arrive In China, The Waves At Riyue Bay Turn On For The ISA China Cup
Day Before the Inaugural Surfing Festival Begins, Energy Levels are Rising
Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival Presented by Quiksilver January 7 to 14, 2012 Wanning, Hainan Island, China
All the rosters for the ISA China Cup are confirmed. Most of the teams have already arrived in China to begin familiarizing themselves with the left-hand pointbreak wave at Riyue Bay, for the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival Presented by Quiksilver. With a solid groundswell in the water, and howling offshore winds, conditions are ideal for the lead-up to what will certainly be an exciting and groundbreaking event.
“I am so happy that the eight National Teams have traveled thousands of miles and many days to get to China. This event is certainly going to be an exciting and memorable time for everyone involved and the surfing tribe around the world” said Fernando Aguerre, the ISA President. “The Opening Ceremony is Saturday, the competition starts on Sunday, so the surfers have been practicing in the good waves all day long. The energy level is very high, and the locals are all very curious about all the athletes roaming around town…I wish we could start the event today.”
This is an unprecedented happening in China, a country of 1.3 billion people and 9,000-plus miles of coastline with very little surf culture to speak of. The plan is for the Festival to serve as the initial spark in nurturing surfing in China. The Festival is the joint work of the ISA and Womei Media, which is a Beijing sports and media organization.
Surfer Mag is celebrating the release of Clay Marzo’s new movie, Clay Came to Stay, with a massive prize pack featuring product from: Quiksilver, SUPERbrand Surfboards, Spy Optic, Skull Candy, Futures Fins, Vestal and DC.
The sport of surfing will have an exciting beginning to the 2012 contest calendar, with the ISA China Cup and the Hainan Classic taking place at Hainan Island in China as part of the Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival Presented by Quiksilver.
The two-event Festival will begin on January 7 with the ISA China Cup and conclude on January 14 with the final day of competition for the Hainan Classic, an ASP Men’s 4-Star. This is an unprecedented happening in China, a country of 1.4 billion people and 9,000-plus miles of coastline with very little surf culture to speak of. The hope is that the Festival may serve as the initial spark in cultivating a rich surfing presence. The Festival is the work of the ISA and Womei Media, a Beijing sports and media organization that is exclusively representing the ISA’s commercial interests in China.
“This will be a unique and different start to the year: a series of ground-breaking events that are happening because of the joint efforts of the ISA and Womei Media,” said ISA President Fernando Aguerre, who initiated the idea for the ISA China Cup. “I can’t wait for the horn to blow for the first heat.”
SurfAid USA announces the launch of its fundraising contest, the Get On Board campaign. The campaign begins December 26, 2011 and ends February 10, 2012.
Funds raised will directly support SurfAid’s humanitarian efforts on the Mentawai and Nias islands in Indonesia. The Get On Board campaign is sponsored by the Quiksilver Foundation, San Diego State University’s Surf Research Center, Quiksilver Travel, and Malaleuca charter boat.
At the conclusion of the campaign, the top fundraiser will be awarded two spots on a chartered surf trip where they will spend 10 days exploring and surfing the famous Mentawai waves alongside Rockstar and Quiksilver pro, Balaram Stack.
Joining the trip are sustainable surf tourism experts from SDSU Surf Research Center, along with reps from Quiksilver Travel and Quiksilver Foundation. Additionally, the winners will get a firsthand look at SurfAid’s work on the islands.
SurfAid is excited about the launch of what it hopes to become an annual campaign. “We decided the best way to help people understand why we do what we do, and why they need to get involved, was to send them to the Mentawai and show them firsthand. The challenge has always been how to get them there. Thanks to our sponsors, it’s now possible,” SurfAid USA Executive Director, Randal Schober, said.
Participants can get more information and create their personal fundraising page by visiting:
SurfAid is a non-profit humanitarian organization whose aim is to improve the health, wellbeing and self-reliance of people living in isolated regions connected to us through surfing.
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) has announced that the 2012 Quiksilver Pro New York will be cancelled.
From ASP:
“It is unfortunate that we announce the cancellation of the 2012 Quiksilver Pro New York,” Dave Prodan, ASP International spokesman, said. “The 2011 installment was a fantastic event with excellent waves, tremendous local support and some of the best surfing we enjoyed all season. That said, we understand the factors leading to Quiksilver’s withdrawal of the New York event from the 2012 schedule. We appreciate Quiksilver’s continued support of the world’s best surfers with the Australian and European elite level events in 2012.”
Quiksilver’s CEO, Bob McKnight, said, “Quiksilver is still very much committed to the ASP and the professional surfing tour in 2012 with the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast (Australia) and the Quiksilver Pro France.”
It appears Quiksilver is maximizing the marketing potential of their North Shore Quik House with a little online reality video programming. Here’s the first installment. Balaram Stack and Reef McIntosh have their cameos. Check it out below.
Clay Marzo hitting up the Quiksilver Dream Park in Huntingon Beach…proving he’s definitely more comfortable in water than on land. For more day-in-the-life videos, check out Clay’s blog.
