ASP Prime Lowers Pro - Lower Trestles, San Clemente, California

RED BULL SIGNATURE SERIES LOWERS PRO PREVIEW

GMevents — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:12:09 +0000

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – June 12, 2012 – Host extraordinaire Sal Masekela will take us to the 2012 Nike Lowers Pro contest this Saturday, June 16 on NBC (1 pm ET/10 am PT) as part of the Red Bull Signature Series. The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME event is held annually at the high-performance Lower Trestles at San Onofre State Park in San Clemente, California. With $250,000 on the line, consistently good conditions and the most valuable trophy in surfing (a 14-karat gold railroad spike valued at $40,000), the Nike Lowers Pro is always a who’s who of the world’s top surfing talent.

NIKE LOWERS PRO HIGHLIGHTS TO AIR ON NBC

GMevents — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 22:43:35 +0000

Lower Trestles delivered near-perfect conditions for five straight days during the 2012 Nike Lowers Pro

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – June 12, 2012 – Host extraordinaire Sal Masekela will take us to the 2012 Nike Lowers Pro contest this Saturday, June 16 on NBC (1 pm ET/10 am PT) as part of the Red Bull Signature Series. The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME event is held annually at the high-performance Lower Trestles surf break at San Onofre State Park in San Clemente, California. With $250,000 on the line, consistently good conditions and the most valuable trophy in surfing (a 14-karat gold railroad spike valued at $40,000), the Nike Lowers Pro is always a who’s who of the world’s top surfing talent.

Now in its fifth consecutive year, the Nike Lowers Pro offers the deadly combination of a high-performance wave and the best surfing talent, both seasoned professionals and up-and-comers, which pushes the boundaries of typical contest surfing. Aerials and other progressive maneuvers are the norm in this event with conditions that typically cater to the highest level of performance seen in contest surfing today. It’s not uncommon to see perfect-10 scores.

With a field of 96 competitors, a win at the Nike Lowers Pro is equivalent in ratings points to a third-place finish at an ASP World Tour event. For this reason, most of the World’s Elite 34 show up to compete. Past winners have included World Champions Kelly Slater, the late Andy Irons, and the legendary Tom Curren, to name a few.

The last few years have seen a surge in the uprising of young Brazilian talent. Tune in to see highlights from the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Final, as well as, some of the world’s most progressive talent such as John John Florence and Gabriel Medina.

The Nike Lowers Pro is part of the Red Bull Signature Series – made up of 35 hours of one-of-a-kind programming on NBC and the NBC Sports Network all year long. Red Bull Media House and Alli Sports, a division of the NBC Sports Group, are building the most progressive and innovative snowboarding, mountain biking, freestyle motocross, ice cross downhill, skiing and BMX events, showcased on custom courses from the inspiration of the athletes themselves. Go to http://www.redbullsignatureseries.com/video/nike-lowers-pro-trestles for Nike Lowers Pro preview videos, photo galleries and to see more of the action that makes up the Red Bull Signature Series.

Upcoming Red Bull Signature Series programming includes:
• Red Bull X-Fighters – Istanbul (June 26 at 11 pm ET/8 pm PT on NBC Sports Network): The world’s best freestyle motocross riders travel the globe to compete in the premiere FMX series in front of thousands of fans at some of the most iconic locations on the planet.

GABRIEL MEDINA: VICTORY AT LOWERS

GMevents — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:20:40 +0000

Brazilian Gabriel Medina pushed high-performance surfing to a new level at the prime-rated Nike Lowers Pro, demolishing one of the largest fields of high-end talents ever assembled to capture the $40,000 and a solid gold trophy valued at 30-grand more.

“I feel better than ever,” said the 18-year-old ASP World Tour rookie after being carried up the beach by a passionate pack of Brazilian fans that invaded San Clemente, Calif. “I don’t even know what to say.”

That’s okay…his surfing did all the talking.

Music: Sparklers, Gunships – Rio Rio

DAY 5 HIGHLIGHTS

Shari Coble — Sat, 05 May 2012 23:09:32 +0000

After putting on one of the most inspirational performances ever seen in a competition, Brazil’s Gabriel Medina took down Ireland’s Glenn Hall to become the 2012 Nike Lowers Pro champ. For his victory, Medina earned a $40,000 paycheck and the coveted golden spike, valued at more than $30,000.

Music: More Than a Friend – D/Wolves

GABRIEL MEDINA WINS NIKE LOWERS PRO

Shari Coble — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:42:54 +0000

Medina and the coveted gold spike trophy

Young Brazilian Pockets $40,000 Cash, Most Valuable Trophy in Surfing and 6,500 ASP World Ranking Points

Gabriel Medina, 18, has claimed the 2012 ASP PRIME Nike Lowers Pro title, defeating veteran campaigner Glenn Hall, 30, in two-to-four foot waves at Lower Trestles. The win earns him a $40,000 paycheck, a 14-karat solid-gold spike (the richest trophy in surfing valued at $30,000) and major ASP World Ranking points.

Medina got the best of an opening exchange against Hall and held the lead throughout the heat’s entirety, marking him as the second consecutive Brazilian to win the Nike Lowers Pro following Miguel Pupo, 20, in 2011.

“This is a very special win and it has been a long week,” Medina said. “I’m going to Brazil now with more confidence and this has been great.”

Medina’s run at the Nike Lowers Pro was one of complete dominance, as the young Brazilian earned several of the event’s top scores including the only flawless 10-point ride en route to the event’s highest heat-total of 19.80 out of 20 in his Semifinals victory over Adrian Buchan (AUS), 29.

“I love Trestles so much,” Medina said. “It’s just such a good wave and it’s one of my favorites, I just don’t even have words to explain how I’m feeling right now. I’m stoked.”

Glenn Hall proved to be the dark-horse of the event, consistently putting on solid performances on both his forehand and backhand to top ASP World Championship Tour surfers Jeremy Flores, 24, and John John Florence, 19, on his way to the final, but was unable to surpass Medina, finishing runner-up overall.

“It’s Lowers, it can turn on or off at any time in the day. You kind of have to be on to it and luck has to go your way as well,” Hall said. “I had a few lucky heats earlier in the event and that heat was funny with Gabriel. I thought we were going to have an interference in the beginning and they didn’t call it, but it’s all good though. He surfed well and he won.”

Hall, who has been knocking on the door for elite ASP World Championship Tour qualification for several years, is hoping his result at the Nike Lowers Pro kick-starts his qualification campaign for 2013.

“This is a great result for sure,” Hall said. “The way the system is now, if you don’t get results in PRIME events, you don’t qualify, so I’m relieved with this result and am in a good position to try and qualify now. I’m going to do all of the PRIMES and see how we go.”

John John Florence was dangerous at this year’s Nike Lowers Pro, constantly dismantling the Lowers right-handers with stylish carves and massive aerials. Florence launched a full-rotation 360 air in his Semifinal against Glenn Hall for a 9-point score, but was unable to find a second backup score and finished equal 3rd overall.

“I kept having these slow heats and I tried to get a quick start and I just couldn’t put it together,” Florence said. “I had the one big air and got a good score and only needed a small score, I got it and then Micro got a score at the end.”

Florence’s equal 3rd place finish marked the end to an amazing win-streak for the young Hawaiian, who had consecutively won the ASP PRIME at Sunset Beach, the ASP 5-Star at Pipeline and the ASP PRIME at Margaret River. His equal 3rd place result at the Nike Lowers Pro continues to secure his position among the top competitors on the ASP World Ranking.

Gabriel Medina going for the gold. Photo: Hilleman

“I’m stoked to have made the Semis, but it would have been nice to have made the Final,” Florence said. “I was having fun and the waves have been fun all week, so I’m stoked.”

Adrian Buchan consistently put on polished performances at this year’s Nike Lowers Pro, but fell short of a Final berth when Gabriel Medina surfed a near-perfect 19.80 heat in their Semifinal clash and finished with an equal 3rd place result.

“Gabe surfed an amazing heat and obviously got the jump on me from the start,” Buchan said. “I didn’t feel like I ever really hit top gear. I feel like I surfed well in some of my other heats and didn’t catch the best waves, but I guess that’s something I can take away from this event and to still walk away with a 3rd, I’m happy. That heat was disappointing, but you can’t let Gabe have any of those lefts.”

Gabriel Medina won MVP for day four for an outstanding single maneuver. The win pocketed him $500 and the golden jersey for the day. Daily MVP winners John John Florence, Dane Reynolds and Gabriel Medina all went head-to-head in the Final Four, with Medina chosen as the event’s most groundbreaking surfer and overall event MVP adding another $1,500 to his day’s earnings. Visit NikeLowersPro.com/mvp to watch all of the MVP maneuvers.

Time Warner Cable will re-broadcast the Nike Lowers Pro to over 2.5 million subscribers in Hawaii (Ch. 250 & 1250 HD), Los Angeles (Ch. 101), San Diego (Ch. 411), and the Desert Cities areas (Ch. 111) as part of their ongoing carriage of top -flight domestic and international professional surfing events.

On June 16th, highlights from the 2012 Nike Lowers Pro will air on NBC as part of the “Red Bull Signature Series”. The broadcast is scheduled for 1 pm ET (10 am PT). For more information, visit redbullsignatureseries.com.

For all of the results, highlights and more information, visit NikeLowersPro.com, on Facebook NikeSurfing and SurferMag and on Twitter and Instagram @NikeSurfing and @Surfer_Magazine. Continue the discussion using #NIKELOWERSPRO.

DAY 5: MEDINA CROWNED

Shari Coble — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:02:20 +0000
The final day started off with a beautiful morning and heated competition as the athletes worked their way to the finals. Brazil's Gabriel Medina put on an exceptional performance, winning the gold spike trophy, $40,000, and another $1,500 for being voted the MVP of 2012.

DAY 4 HIGHLIGHTS

GMevents — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:46:35 +0000

The fourth day of competition proved to be one for the record books as the field was dramatically narrowed to the final eight competitors. Filled with fireworks, the likes of Gabriel Medina, John John Florence and Dane Reynolds all put on truly phenomenal performances. With plenty of swell on tap, tune in tomorrow as we crown a champion here on the tracks at the Nike Lowers Pro.

Music: Hands – Brave Motion

OPERATION AMPED SURF CLINIC

GMevents — Sat, 05 May 2012 01:42:12 +0000

POWERED BY

As a means to introduce surfing to America’s psychologically and physically wounded veterans, Verizon and Operation Amped recently put together a memorable session at San Onofre. Vets from all branches of the service and their instructors were greeted with a playful swell and a day that none would soon forget. Special thanks to Verizon Wireless, Oakley and GoPro for their participation in the event as well.

QUARTERFINALISTS DECIDED AMONG EPIC PERFORMANCES ON DAY FOUR

Shari Coble — Sat, 05 May 2012 00:32:14 +0000

Dane Reynolds had another impressive day at Lowers

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Nike Lowers Pro saw the Quarterfinalists decided in glassy two-to-four foot waves at Lower Trestles with the remaining surfers consistently putting on amazing performances throughout the day.

The Nike Lowers Pro attracts several elite ASP World Championship Tour surfers and the finest up-and-coming pedigree to Lowers’ flawless surf, which consistently provides the perfect platform for a high-performance showdown. The Nike Lowers Pro, now in its fifth consecutive year, touts a $250,000 prize purse, a plethora of points towards the ASP World Rankings and the most valuable trophy in surfing, a one-of-a-kind 14-karat gold railroad spike worth more than $30,000.

Dane Reynolds, 26, got the best of a slow heat against hard-working Brazilian Heitor Alves, 30, in the Round of 24 and roared to life in the afternoon, topping Granger Larsen, 22, with the day’s highest scores of a near-perfect 9.80 single wave score en route to a combined heat-total of 18.63 out of 20 with his unpredictable dissection of the Lower Trestles right-handers.

“I’ve been feeling really sketchy this event and been having unsuccessful free-surfs,” Reynolds said. “I was feeling better in that one. I had been riding a different board in every heat and I rode this one this morning and just stuck with it.”

Gabriel Medina, 18, battled back in an action-packed heat against Brett Simpson, 27. Medina was in need of an excellent ride with time winding down in the Round of 16 match and launched a gigantic air-reverse to earn a 9.50 out of 10 to solidify a victory over the Huntington Beach surfer in a high-scoring heat of 17.96 to 17.43.

“I was comfortable and I knew that was going to be a tough heat,” Medina said. “Brett surfed really well, he had the 9 and the 8 and it was the hardest heat that I’ve had here. I was just waiting for one more wave and I fell on the one before. I needed the last one and I went big and got the score.”

Medina, who will face Dane Reynolds in the Quarterfinals, admittedly has his eye on the coveted 14-karat gold-spike trophy and the Nike Lowers Pro title tomorrow.

“I’m excited for tomorrow and I want to try and win the contest,” Medina said. “That’s my goal. Hopefully tomorrow we have good waves.”

Jeremy Flores, 24, also took out two heat wins today. The talented surfer from Reunion Island notched his first victory over Sebastian Zietz, 24, in the Round of 24, despite breaking his board, and went on to win on a borrowed board from former ASP Women’s World Champion Lisa Anderson, 43.

“I broke my board on this lay-back and Lisa was really nice and let me borrow her board,” Flores said. “It actually goes pretty good, but it’s a lot different from what I’m used to riding. I was lazy this morning and had a hard time waking up. Early morning heats are not really my thing. I didn’t bring that many boards. That one I broke was my best one and I don’t know, I might keep surfing this one.”

Flores went on to get the best of a high-scoring affair over Californian Nat Young, 20, on an unfamiliar backup board in his Round of 16 heat, but looked in rhythm with today’s conditions regardless of his struggle with equipment.

“I got two really good rights with a long wall on the whole wave,” Flores said. “I think I was lucky to get those waves and get some scores. I was kind of trying out this board, I haven’t ridden it in a couple of years so I didn’t really know how it was going to go and it went pretty good.”

Tanner Gudauskas, 23, runner-up at last year’s Nike Lowers Pro, continued to keep the hope of a potential local champion alive when he defeated ASP World Championship Tour veteran C.J. Hobgood, 32, with a dominant performance on both the lefts and rights in his heats.

“It’s just fun to start your heat with rhythm,” Gudauskas said. “I got off to a good start and then it seemed like it just hit the brakes and we didn’t have any waves. Luckily I had that first score and I wouldn’t have been as comfortable had I not.”

Tanner Gudauskas, the 2011 finalist, on his way to the quarter finals

John John Florence, 19, further asserted his dominance in the Nike Lowers Pro, topping his idol Cory Lopez, 35, in the Round of 16.

“The waves were super fun and I was nervous going against Cory,” Florence said. “He’s been one of my favorite surfers since I started surfing and surfing against him is pretty scary. He’s so consistent and he’s got airs down like nothing. He’s been looking so sharp and I’m just really happy to have made it through that heat.”

Florence, a progressive leader of the next generation, has appreciated the high-scores awarded for the variety of both power-surfing and above-the-lip maneuvers at this year’s Nike Lowers Pro.

“I love it,” Florence said. “Not everybody surfs the same, everyone has a different style and I like that the judges have been rewarding guys for the way they’re surfing.”

Gabriel Medina won MVP for day three for an outstanding single maneuver. The win pocketed him $500 and the golden jersey for the day. MVP candidates for day four are John John Florence, Jeremy Flores, Dane Reynolds and Cory Lopez. Fans can vote at NikeLowersPro.com/mvp to decide who will win $500 and wear the golden jersey tomorrow.

The Nike Lowers Pro features an HD-quality online broadcast at NikeLowersPro.com with live video coverage and scoring for all five days of competition. A “#JudgeIt” game gives users the opportunity to guess the winner and the winning score of heats via Twitter to win gear and other prizes.

Time Warner Cable is broadcasting the Nike Lowers Pro to over 2.5 million subscribers in Hawaii (Ch. 250 & 1250 HD), Los Angeles (Ch. 101), San Diego (Ch. 411), and the Desert Cities areas (Ch. 111) as part of their ongoing carriage of top flight domestic and international professional surfing events.

On June 16th, highlights from the 2012 Nike Lowers Pro will air on NBC as part of the “Red Bull Signature Series”. The broadcast is scheduled for 1 pm ET (10 am PT). For more information, visit redbullsignatureseries.com.

For more information on the Nike Lowers Pro, follow the action before, during and after the event online at NikeLowersPro.com, on Facebook NikeSurfing and SurferMag and on Twitter and Instagram @NikeSurfing and @Surfer_Magazine. Start the discussion using #NIKELOWERSPRO.

The 2012 Nike Lowers Pro would not be possible without the generous support of sponsors. Special thanks go out to Nike and other event partners Oakley, Verizon, Red Bull, SURFER and ASP.

THE OFFICIAL NIKE LOWERS PRO PARTY

Shari Coble — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:38:32 +0000