Ventura Hosts Second Stop on North American ASP LQS Series
April 20, 2009
Ventura, California - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) is set to host the second of five ASP LQS 1-Star events in North America this weekend with the men's PLA and women's Gidget PLA Pro events from April 25-26, 2009 at Ventura Pier.
The ASP LQS acts as a gateway for the ASP World Longboard Tour (WLT) with each region sending its top two finishers to the ASP WLT in an attempt to earn an ASP World Longboarding Title the following year.
Colin McPhillips (San Clemente, CA), 34, who is a former ASP World Longboard Champion and the current ratings leader on the ASP LQS in North America, is looking to use his competitive experience as an advantage over the up-and-coming field of competitive talent.
"I feel I have some really good experience in competing," McPhillips said. "Knowing you only need two good waves and how to be patient to make sure you catch the best two waves definitely comes with experience. The tactical side of competing seems to take years to get down. I feel my head is in the right place during a heat more than ever."
Taylor Jensen (Oceanside, CA), 25, who is the defending two-time regional ASP Longboard Champion, will begin his quest to win a third regional title in Ventura over fellow ASP WLT competitors like McPhillips.
"I feel very fortunate to have won the past two years in a row," Jensen said. "It has definitely been a blessing and a third ASP North America title would be great. I'm just taking things one-step at a time right now. This will be my first event in North America this year and I'm coming off of a really solid run in Australia, so I feel pretty good, but in order to win title you really have to take things heat by heat.
Cori Schumacher (Cardiff, CA), 32, is the defending women's ASP LQS regional champion and will be out to defend her title at the upcoming Gidget PLA Pro. Schumacher put on a stellar performance last year, but knows that a repeat performance will be no easy task.
"I would love to win another regional title back-to-back, but I know there will be some good competition going against me," Schumacher said. "Last year's title was decided by one event whereas this year's title will be cumulative, which I think is a better situation overall. The girls are really stepping up to the plate and I expect this year's PLA events will be exciting to watch."
The ASP LQS 1-Star PLA event will run from April 25-26, 2009 and the final day of competition will be webcast LIVE via www.surfpla.com
Professional Longboard Association Welcomes Gidget Clothing as Women's Presenting Sponsor, Raises Event Ratings
April 13, 2009
The Professional Longboard Association announced today that they have signed The Gidget Foundation as the Presenting Sponsor to the Women's Professional Division for the remainder of the 2009 season.
The Gidget Foundation is a subsidiary of Gidget Worldwide, Inc, which is a global licensing & apparel company that specializes in goods and services for young women and girls. The Company has over 400 lines of hard goods, soft goods and entertainment services available for licensees who want to be part of the Gidget team. The Gidget name is synonymous with a clean, wholesome image that Gidget Worldwide, Inc. will bring to young women and girls around the world.
Gidget Worldwide President, Founder and CEO, Victor Valles said, "We are extremely excited about this opportunity. We feel the PLA exemplifies the lifestyle and image that Gidget is bringing back to the world. The original Gidget was a long boarder and as many of us who grew up at the beach have observed, long boarding has seen a renewed surge of interest in the sport, especially with young girls and women. Since Gidget launched the "Golden Age of Surfing" in the late 1950's its only right she return to her roots 50 years later."
Gidget Worldwide is currently working with its Hollywood partners to develop and re-launch a series of various Gidget entertainment properties. These properties will help define Gidget as a role model for young women and girls while moms and grandmothers who grew up with Gidget can be confident that an icon from their past will be appealing to an entirely new generation of "Gidget girls."
The Gidget Foundation works with local environmental agencies and non-profit organizations to promote beach re-nourishment; beach restoration programs; and ocean & beach cleanup. The Executive Team at Gidget Worldwide believes it is important that Gidget help preserve beaches around the world for recreational amenities, provide levels of storm protection, enhance our natural habitat and so on.
The Gidget Foundation will promote and license surf events and action sport competitions for female surfers and athletes. The Foundation will establish and promote Gidget surf instruction schools and will teach non-traditional surfing demographic children how to surf or participate in other action sports and give them access to an entire new world and lifestyle.
The company's website is currently being revamped to be an all-inclusive stop for all Gidget girls. The site will include games, social networking, news, videos, music and products. The website address is: www.gidgetworldwide.com.
The addition of Gidget as the Presenting Sponsor of the PLA's Women's Division allows the PLA to increase the star rating of the remaining four events from One Star to Two Star events. Remaining events include April 25-26 in Ventura, June 20-21 in Huntington Beach, October3-4 in San Diego, and November 14-15 in Oceanside.
"All of us here at the PLA are excited to have a company like Gidget involved with the PLA, a company such as this not only brings tradition, and brand recognition, but also helps the PLA continue to grow as a surf series, allowing the opportunity to produce world class events for these longboarders", said Jeff Stoner, Executive Director of the PLA.
Mothershead and Williams take the inaugural Smarts Concrete Agnes Water Longboard Classic
April 4, 2009
In idyllic, postcard conditions at Agnes Water it was Troy Mothershead (USA) and Chelsea Williams (Tweed Heads, NSW) who shone the brightest, taking the inaugural Smarts Concrete Agnes Water Longboard Classic presented by Sandcastles.
Having seen a congregation of the best longboard riders in the world, the final day of Smarts Concrete Agnes Water Longboard Classic presented by Sandcastles did not disappoint, with big scores and great waves on offer. As the best in the business revelled in the one-metre conditions on Queensland's famed Discovery Coast, it was Mothershead and Williams who were in a league of their own.
Pitted against a world-class calibre in the final, Mothershead defeated three WLT competitors on his way to the crown - Jared Neal (Coffs Harbour, NSW), Taylor Jensen (USA) and Jackson Close (Currumbin, QLD) - in an entertaining encounter.
"I never ever expected to win," Mothershead beamed after his win. "The level of talent in the final was through the roof." Having gotten off to a great start in the final, Mothershead held his nerve towards the latter stages, staving off possible comeback's from all three "I managed to grab a couple of really solid early waves and my momentum and confidence just grew," he said.
Having never before seen the beauty and surfing capabilities of the Discovery Coast, Mothershead, a study abroad student, was more than impressed with what he saw. "This is my first time here," he stated. "It's a beautiful place, that has so much potential, hopefully one day I can come here an score it good.
"I'm studying abroad until May, so to win and make a bit of money is awesome," he added. Whilst in the final of the women's division it was reining Australian champion, Williams, who took the spoils of victory.
"I'm really happy to get the win," she said after racking up a total heat score of 11.20 (out of a possible 20). Finishing ahead of 2007 WLT World Champion Jennifer Smith (USA), Georgia Young (WA) and Rosie Locke (QLD), who finished second, third and fourth respectively, Williams was humble in victory.
"I'm surprised to walk away with the title as the girls were surfing so well and the competition was really hard," she admitted. "It's definitely good to get one back over Jen (Smith) after she completely dominated everything I competed in last year." Having had her eyes firmly set on the prize well before the beginning of the event, Williams was focused to do well.
"I came into this event wanting to start the year off well, to win is amazing and I'll take this confidence through to the rest of 2009," she stated. "Celebrations will be sweet tonight."
Taylor Jensen Claims Top Honors at Prestigious Noosa Pro
March 22, 2009
Huntington Beach, California - Current Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North American Longboard Champion and current ASP World Longboard Tour (WLT) competitor Taylor Jensen (Oceanside, CA), 25, claimed top honors at the Noosa Pro, a prestigious longboard festival, when he won the ASP LQS 1-Star Golden Breed pro in clean three-to-four foot (1 metre) conditions this weekend.
The ASP LQS acts as a qualifier for the ASP WLT. Surfers qualify for the ASP WLT by finishing atop the ratings in their respective region and despite Jensen's impressive win, his ratings points earned from the event will not transfer to his regional rating.
After competing in the event for five consecutive years, Jensen posted an impressive performance at the Noosa Pro, taking out a win over professional longboarding veteran and event local Josh Constable (Noosa Heads, AUS) in the Final by posting a near perfect heat total of 18.70 out of 20.
"The waves out there today were unbelievable, just about as good as it possibly gets for surfing longboards and I pretty much knew before the Final started that the winner would need to score a pair of 9-point plus rides," Jensen said. "With waves like these that peel so perfect the scope to score big is just endless and it worked out perfectly for me today."
After losing to Constable in a critical heat during an ASP WLT event in 2006, Jensen claimed his revenge on the Australian longboarder at this year's Golden Breed pro.
"I've had plenty of great battles with Constable over the years and he beat me in the Semifinals of the 2006 ASP World Titles which he went on and won so I feel I have just got one back on him today," Jensen said.
Christian Wach (San Clemente, CA), 19, accompanied Jensen as a fellow American finalist in the Australian event. The young longboarding talent finished with an impressive third place result overall and established himself as an up-and-coming talent amongst the top surfers in the event. Wach advanced through the Quarterfinals and Semifinals alongside Jensen to earn his result.
Other American standouts amongst the international field were Darren Eudaly (Laguna Beach, CA), who finished fifth, Troy Mothershead (San Diego, CA), 19, who finished ninth and Tony Silvagni (Kure Beach, NC), 22, who finished 13th overall.
In the women's ASP LQS division, ASP North America Longboard Champion Cori Schumacher (Cardiff, CA), 31, and Lindsay Steinriede (Dana Point, CA), 23, were the top American performers with equal fifth place finishes.
Colin McPhillips Snatches Costa Del Mar Pro Victory
March 15, 2009
Huntington Beach, California - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) saw three-time ASP World Longboard Champion Colin McPhillips (San Clemente, CA), 33, claim the ASP LQS 1-Star Costa Del Mar Pro this afternoon in peaky three-to-four foot (1 metre) surf at Ninth Street in Huntington Beach over Hawaiian talent Kai Sallas (Honolulu, HI), 27.
The ASP LQS North American regional series allows the nation's top two performers to qualify for the prestigious ASP World Longboard Tour (WLT) the following year where each surfer strives to earn the title of ASP World Longboard Champion.
McPhillips claimed the event by smashing the Final's highest single wave score of an 8.33 out of a possible 10 with three massive backside carves on a steep Huntington Beach lefthander. The former champ followed up with a second solid score, which proved to be enough to take out the win over Sallas.
"That one wave was the best wave I caught all day," McPhillips said. "I caught one wave and got a low score and decided I was going to wait until I got a good one and luckily that set came through, it was the only good wave in the heat."
Although bumpy afternoon conditions were not ideal for longboarding, McPhillips was able to capitalize on the best waves over his tough competitor.
"I haven't surfed that many heats in a long time," McPhillips said. "It was really bumpy and tough and there was tons of current, so I'm beat, but I'm happy with the win and it's a great start to the year."
Sallas smashed some of the day's highest scores in earlier heats, but was unable to find a rhythm in the Final and could not uncover the scores needed to overtake McPhillips.
"I didn't have to wait more than two minutes to catch a wave all day and in the Final I just felt like it shut off," Sallas said. "I just could not get into rhythm out there."
Sallas is now looking to utilize the joint ratings between ASP North America and ASP Hawaii in the longboarding division to keep a top Hawaiian seed.
"It's great that we have these events because we don't have any in Hawaii," Sallas said. "This way I can sharpen my competitive skills. Coming over to California to compete is good for me because all of my sponsors are here. I feel like I live here half of the year."
Local Huntington Beach Longboarder Josh Mohr (Huntington Beach, CA), 33, entered the contest via a last-minute entry and surfed his way through to the Semifinals. Mohr utilized his local knowledge to oust current ASP WLT veteran Josh Baxter (San Clemente, CA), 38, on the way to his third place finish.
"At least there are waves and it's always good to do well at home," Mohr said. " I just couldn't find a rhythm out there against Colin (McPhillips), but I'm still happy to get the year off to a good start."
Steve Newton (San Clemente, CA), 22, also donated a strong performance at North America's ASP LQS season opener, working his way through to the Semifinals where he fell short of a Final berth to Sallas. The stylish longboarder is hoping he can continue to contribute solid results throughout the entire season in order to reach his goal of qualifying for the ASP WLT in 2010.
"I wanted to start the year off strong because I really want to finish within the top two on the North American series this year so I can qualify for the WLT," Newton said. "I'm going to focus on doing all of the regional contest this year, so hopefully I'll qualify."
The next ASP LQS contest will be the PLA 1-Star in Ventura from April 24-26, 2009
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org
Costa Del Mar Pro Results - Final:
Costa Del Mar Pro Semifinals Results:
PLA Kicks Off Season Opener in Good Huntington Beach Surf
March 14, 2009
Huntington Beach, California - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) kicked off its 2009 season at Ninth Street in Huntington Beach this morning with the Costa Del Mar Pro, an ASP LQS 1-Star event, in peaky two-to-four foot (1 metre) conditions. Today's action saw Bianca Valenti (Dana Point, CA), 23, win the women's division and Tommy Witt (San Clemente, CA), 22, put on an impressive performance in the opening round of men's competition.
The ASP LQS regional series allows all competitors a chance to qualify for the coveted ASP World Longboard Championships, with the top two surfers from each region earning a berth on to the coveted tour where they join the previous year's standouts in a chance to earn the title of ASP World Longboard Champion.
Valenti, who entered the contest as an alternate, built up momentum throughout the day and eventually posted the women's highest heat total of a 16.17 out of 20, placing fellow finalists Hallie Rohr (San Clemente, CA), 14, Michelle Layton (San Diego, CA), 16, and Kelly Sloan (Vista, CA), 33, in a combination situation on the way to her event victory.
"It's great to win the event especially because I got in as an alternate," Valenti said. "I just found out about the contest the other day, so I'm happy that I was able to get in and winning is that much better."
The Orange County surfer generally spends her time free-surfing, but she proved today that she is a strong competitor as well.
"I mostly free-surf and don't usually do many contests," Valenti said. "I am going to Hawaii to compete in the Pipeline event though and I'm looking forward to that."
Rohr was the youngest competitor in the event and posted an impressive second place finish in her first professional contest while competing alongside a few of her surfing idols.
"This is my first PLA event so I'm happy to have made the Final," Rohr said. "Today was kind of intimidating for me because I was surfing against people that I see online and in magazines."
Witt, who was a dark-horse in last year's ASP World Longboard Tour event at San Onofre State Beach, started off his 2009 ASP LQS campaign in excellent form when he amassed the day's highest heat total of a 16.33 out of a possible 20 in the opening heat of men's competition by taking advantage of the peaky beach-break conditions.
"It's really fun surf for Huntington Beach," Witt said. "It's glassy and clean and the forecast looks good for the rest of the weekend, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the event.
The San Clemente local is looking to continue his charge into the latter rounds tomorrow and hopes to carry his momentum throughout the entire ASP LQS season.
"I'm hoping to get off to a good start here for the year," Witt said. "I'm hoping to do all of the PLA events and would like to start my season with a strong result."
The final day of the Costa Del Mar ASP PLA 1-Star event will continue competition with the Round of 32 tomorrow at 8am and will crown an event champion by day's end.
Costa Del Mar Women's Final Results:
Costa Del Mar Women's Semifinals Results:
Costa Del Mar Women's Round of 16 Results:
Costa Del Mar Men's Round of 48 Results:
Costa Del Mar Pro Hosts North American ASP LQS Season Opener
March 9, 2009
Huntington Beach, California - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) is ready to start the 2009 season with the Professional Longboard Association (PLA) ASP 1-Star Costa Del Mar Pro event at 9th Street in Huntington Beach, California on the weekend of March 14-15, 2009 which will host both men's and women's divisions.
The upcoming contest is the first of five events sponsored by the PLA for the 2009 season which include both men's and women's divisions in each contest, allowing ASP North America to establish a legitimate tour for male and female ASP LQS competitors to earn points towards qualification for the ASP World Longboard Tour.
"We are excited to get the 2009 season underway," Jeff Stoner, Executive PLA Director said. "Being able to now provide both pro men and women longboarders an authentic qualifying tour has always been a top priority for us. These surfers deserve a series such as this and we couldn't be happier that we are giving them a chance to qualify here in North America for the world longboard tour. It should be an exciting year with lots of great competition"
Three-time ASP World Longboard Champion and current ASP World No. 5 Colin McPhillips (San Clemente, CA), 33, will be one top competitor to surf in the PLA event this weekend and the seasoned veteran is fired up over this year's significantly improved schedule.
"It's huge that the PLA is stepping up," McPhillips said. "We haven't had a series in about five years now and these events really allow for surfers to earn points towards qualification for the World Longboard Tour. It also alleviates a lot of pressure on competitors because in previous years we have only had a few events to qualify, so it was do-or-die, now surfers have several events to piece together a few good results."
McPhillips is also looking to use the ASP LQS regional series to prepare for his 2009 ASP WLT campaign.
"These events will totally help my mindset for this year on the WLT," McPhillips said. "It allows me to get in rhythm and it's also an excellent stepping stone for the younger surfers who are looking to qualify for the World Tour events."
Joe Aaron (Capistrano Beach, CA), 18, is one younger surfer who is looking to capitalize on this year's series in hopes to qualify for the ASP WLT. They stylish talent did some serious damage at the Oxbow Pro at San Onofre State Beach when he entered the event as a wildcard, and now Aaron hopes to utilize this season to make a permanent presence on the ASP WLT.
"For me, it's great to have all of these events this year because I can tell my sponsors that I have a legitimate tour to compete on," Aaron said. "Last year we only had two events, so it's hard to really work on gaining points on qualifying for the ASP World Longboard Tour. This year will be better because it will allow surfers to work on their competitive strategy throughout the season, whereas in past years it has been tough to get in to the competitive mindset with only a few events."
The Costa Del Mar Pro will be held at 9th Street in Huntington Beach, California from March 14-15, 2009 and the final day of competition will be webcast LIVE via www.surfpla.com
For additional ASP information long on to www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org
Jensen Cruises To Victory
February 22, 2009
Christchurch - The ex World number two is in New Zealand on holiday and took the opportunity to compete in the fourth event of the tour trouncing his Kiwi competitors. The surf was smaller for the final day of the event with less than 1.0m of swell that was affected by the moderate northerly cross-shore winds that blew throughout the day.
Jensen posted huge score after huge score all weekend and the final was no different as he surfed to a 17.07 heat total. Jensen scored 9.0 on his first wave to put the pressure on his fellow three competitors. He then shot out into the lead with an 8.07 and never looked back. "I've grown up surfing pretty ordinary beach breaks all my life so I was actually quite stoked to see it being held out here at New Brighton today" commented Jensen fresh out of the water."
The wind came up a bit but I was surprised at how fun it was out there, I have heard it can be worse so I think we were lucky to get the good waves we had". Jensen continues his holiday in New Zealand until Tuesday when he will then travel to Australia where his partner Nava Young lives and compete in the three ASP Longboard Qualifying Series events in Australia.
While the large crowd on the beach as well as New Zealand's top longboarders all enjoyed the display put on by Jensen, they also knew they were battling for tour points in a bid to catch ratings leader Daniel Proctor (Gis). Michael Burling (Gis) fought hard to keep in touch with Jensen for an upset win and was the only surfer not 'combed' in the final.
Professional Longboard Association Membership Helps the Beaches, Gives Donations
February 4, 2009
The Professional Longboard Association is pleased to announce that 2009 membership and event registration is now available on the PLA website, www.surfpla.com. To help create a more interactive outreach, the PLA is currently upgrading their website and membership in 2009. Additions to the PLA website will include Surfer Profiles, Swell Charts, Forecasts, beach cameras, video, webcasting, and more, as well as a new and improved membership program which includes charitable donations, free PLA gear, and thousands of dollars in merchandise give-aways, donated on behalf of all PLA sponsors.
Charitable Donations: The PLA will donate 10% ($1.50) of every $15 membership received to the WiLDCOAST Foundation, to help support their efforts of Beach and Ocean Wildlife Preservation. PLA goal is to raise over $5000 for the WiLDCOAST Foundation in 2009.
PLA Gear/Info: Every person who signs up for a PLA membership will receive a free PLA t-shirt, PLA sticker, membership card, and be included on all PLA email blast, and newsletters throughout the year. Membership available to all surfers, surf enthusiasts, media, spectators, and the average Joe.
Give-aways: Every Member will automatically qualify for monthly prize give-away through the PLA website. Prizes are donated by PLA sponsors and partners, and include possible products such as; sunglasses, travel packages, clothing, surf training tools, gift packs, and goodie bags. 3 winners/month. Give-aways held on last day of every month starting in March.
Professional Longboard Association to partner with WiLDCOAST on Beach and Ocean Preservation
February 4, 2009
The Professional Longboard Association announced, today, their partnership with the WiLDCOAST foundation for the 2009 season. In an effort to help raise awareness on the importance of preserving beaches and ocean wildlife, the PLA will work alongside WiLDCOAST on a number of projects, such as organized beach clean-ups in designated communities.
As a charitable partner, the PLA, will help raise money for WiLDCOAST efforts and programs by donating 10% of every PLA membership registration received, 1% of all advertising sales on the PLA website, and through onsite event donations at all PLA events. PLA memberships can be found on the PLA website www.surfpla.com , and are only $15.
"This is a great opportunity to help bring more awareness to the surfing community on the importance of beach preservation. Without these beautiful beaches we wouldn't be able to hold any contests. We look forward to this partnership not only in 2009 but in the future as well. Our initial goal is to try and raise about $5000", said Jeff Stoner, Executive Director of the PLA.
WiLDCOAST protects and preserves coastal ecosystems and wildlife in California and Latin America by building grassroots support, conducting media campaigns and establishing protected areas.
For more information on WiLDCOAST, and their programs please visit, www.wildcoast.net
ASP N America and ASP Hawaii combine regional ratings
February 1, 2009
Huntington Beach - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) North America and ASP Hawaii have officially decided to combine their ratings in the Pro Junior and Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) divisions for the 2009 season.
The ASP regional Pro Junior Series act as qualifier for the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships the following year, with each region sending its top seeds to Narrabeen, Australia in an attempt to earn the title of ASP World Junior Champion. The ASP LQS allows aspiring professional longboarders the chance to qualify for the ASP World Longboard Tour (WLT), which crowns a World Longboard Champion each year.
The ASP North America Pro Junior Series currently has eight events scheduled in the men's division and one for women for the 2009 season which allows all regional competitors the chance to qualify for the prestigious Billabong ASP World Junior Championships the following year by finishing within the top five on the ratings in the men's division and top two for the women.
ASP Hawaii tentatively has two events for men and one for women, so the merge allows Hawaiian surfers the chance to compete in more events throughout their season, broadening their campaign towards a berth at the coveted event in Australia, while allowing mainland American surfers the chance to add points to their ratings by competing in Hawaii.
"There have always been a long list of Hawaiians that have wanted to compete in Pro Junior and Longboard events in North America, but we have only had a few spots available in the past," ASP North America Executive Manager Meg Bernardo said. "Merging the ratings into one system allows an unlimited number of Hawaiian surfers to compete in more events based on their overall rating."
In previous years, North American and Hawaiian surfers have been allowed to compete in each other's respective regions, but the significant ratings points needed by surfers to qualify for the ASP World Junior Championships and ASP World Longboard Tour are not awarded when a surfer competes out of their region. The merge between Hawaii and North America increases each surfer's ability to garner those points while competing in either region's events.
"Most of the top Hawaiian juniors have been travelling to the mainland to compete in the ASP North America series junior events as they have only two in Hawaii," ASP WQS manager Al Hunt said. "Unfortunately this did not help them in qualification for the World Juniors, just experience. Opening it up to a combined rating gives the Hawaiians a real series of events to contest for qualification, experience and also opens up the Hawaii junior events to the mainland guys who I'm sure would love to compete in Hawaii."
Both Hawaii and North America will still separately send their top five surfers to represent their region at the ASP World Junior Championships, the ratings merge solely allows more opportunity for mainland and Hawaiian surfers to broaden their competitive prospects to earn ratings points for each of their regions.
"ASP Hawaii is pleased to be joining ranks with ASP North America," ASP Hawaii Regional Office Manager Faith Wenzl said. "Our regional competitors, including Junior and Longboard members, will surely benefit from an increased pool of events and sponsors. Hawaii and Mainland surfers have long enjoyed a friendly rivalry and this latest effort will drive performance higher again."
The first event on the 2009 ASP North America Pro Junior campaign will be the ASP Grade-2 Ezekiel Pro Junior pres. by Jack's Surfboards at Huntington Beach Pier from March 25-29, 2009, while the ASP LQS will host its season opener with the PLA 1-Star from March 13-15, 2009 at ninth Street in Huntington Beach.
Professional Longboard Association announces 2009 schedule
December 22, 2008
The Professional Longboard Association announced, today, their 2009 surf series schedule. In its first year, the PLA, held a four contest event series that saw two of those events sanctioned by the ASP, and over 30 pro men surfers per contest. In 2009, the PLA, has already expanded and grown into an official qualifying series for the ASP's Longboard division.
The PLA will run five contests; all sanctioned by the ASP, and will see both ASP Men and Women longboard professionals in attendance. Currently all events are set at one-star events, with a possible three-star event to finish off the season, details on the championship and whether the PLA will make it a three-star event will be announced later.
2009 PLA schedule:
- March 13-15 Huntington Beach, CA - 9th St
- April 24-26 Ventura, CA - "C" St
- June 19-21 Huntington Beach, CA - HB Pier
- October 2-4 San Diego, CA - Crystal Pier (PB)
- November 13-15 Oceanside, CA - Oceanside Pier
"FDt Marketing is excited to bring the PLA back for its second year at this magnitude. With the addition of three more ASP sanctioned events to the PLA calendar, alongside a PLA ASP women's series, we feel this is a strong step in the right direction in helping build longboarding back up", Jeff Stoner, owner of FDt Marketing and Executive Director to the PLA.