Enjoy this playlist featuring all the music from the Lowers Pro. Special thanks to all of the bands and Tony Accosta for keeping our ears entertained.

View from the 2011 Nike Lowers Pro

 
Location: Lower Trestles, San Clemente California
Holding Period: May 1-5, 2012
Event duration: 5-Day Contest

EVENT ELEMENTS:
Rating: ASP Men’s Prime Event
Prize Purse: $250,000 prize purse
Field of competition: 96
Local Trials: 2

The Nike Lowers Pro is an ASP Men’s Prime event that boasts a field of 96 international professional surfers who will compete for a part of the impressive $250,000 prize purse and ASP ratings points.

Enticed by the opportunity to surf perfect Lower Trestles—one of the most high-performance waves on the Southern California coast—with only three other surfers out, the Nike Lowers Pro is a must on the calendars of some of the world’s best competitors. In addition, with a recent transition to the ASP One Ranking System, 96 surfers in this Prime event will have even more at stake going into the competition. Lowers is one of the few singular events on the ASP Prime schedule that has played a critical role in defining the path that future greats would walk down. Jeff Booth, Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, Shane Beschen, CJ Hobgood, Benny Bourgeois, Fred Patacchia, Gabe Kling and most recently, Miguel Pupo, all have raised the coveted trophy. With increasing talent and a whole new host of contenders entering the scene, 2012 promises to be yet another unforgettable year.

MAYOR JIM EVERT WELCOMES THE 2012 NIKE LOWERS PRO TO SAN CLEMENTE

San Clemente Mayor Jim Evert

On behalf of the citizens of San Clemente, welcome! We hope you enjoy your time in San Clemente and get a sense of the wonderful characteristics inherent in our beautiful Spanish village by the sea. Here you’ll find the most friendly, relaxed atmosphere known to the surfing world.

Surfing definitely reigns strong in San Clemente. The sport is iconic within San Clemente’s culture and its surf spots are world-renowned. Surfers can literally catch swells all year long and the town’s rich surfing heritage is instrumental to the success of our local economy. Surf contests, such as the Nike Lowers Pro, are not only a positive for our town’s viability, but also a well-fit event for our community, as many up and coming and professional surfers call San Clemente their home.

Trestles (technically just south of the city line) offers some of the best surf on our coast. Lower Trestles is easily one of the most high performance waves in the world, bringing both amateur and professional surfers year-round. Nearby is San Onofre, which has been one of the most well enjoyed surfing beaches in California since the 1930’s. Every day, families drive from all directions to visit “San-O” and enjoy the surf that the area has to offer. San-O has some of the better surf on the coast, and is great for all levels of surfers.

While visiting San Clemente, spend some time enjoying our historic downtown village, complete with restaurants and shops, and within walking distance to the beach where you can enjoy our Coastal Trail for a safe and scenic walk spanning the entire stretch of San Clemente beaches. If you have time to explore further, travel inland and witness the beauty of the natural scenery that exists along an amazing trail system surrounded mostly by open space with outstanding views looking down on San Clemente’s backcountry developments and the ocean beyond.

We hope you enjoy your stay in San Clemente and come back soon!

Sincerely,
Jim Evert
Mayor, San Clemente

In the history of competitive surfing in California, there have been two key flashpoints at Lower Trestles. The first occurred in 1989 when a longhaired local named Christian Fletcher became the first person in history to win a contest based solely on aerial mastery. Sure, others had done airs in contests, but Fletcher proved that it was a viable way to surf. Twenty-two years later, if you don’t have an air reverse or an alley-oop in your repertoire you might as well not even show up at the beach. Fletcher’s antics caused quite a scene at the time, ruffling more than just the feathers of a conservative older guard, but, just like today, the kids loved it.

And then there was the coming out of Kelly Slater the following year in 1990. The wonder kid from Florida had gone full-steam ahead into a much-anticipated professional career. And there, as was documented in the now-historic Quiksilver flick, Kelly Slater in Black and White, a young Slater proceeded to destroy everyone in his path. Seventeen years later in 2007, the following year in 2008 at the Boost Mobile Pro, and back-to-back at the 2010 and 2011 Hurley Pro, Slater reasserted his dominance on what the majority of people call the highest-performance wave in the world.

2011 Nike Lowers Pro Champion: Miguel Pupo

For Californians, both Jeff Booth and local boy Shane Beschen have dominated Lowers over the course of their careers, each winning this event three times. Booth was California’s highest-rated surfer through most of the early ’90s, and Beschen, who is three years Booth’s junior, picked up where Booth left off, both at Lowers and on the world stage. Andy Irons, Rob Machado, Taylor Knox, Tim Curran, and CJ Hobgood are also past winners at Lowers, and their multitude of successes beyond the peak speaks for itself.

In more recent years, Benny Bourgeois registered a win at the Nike Lowers Pro in 2008 and Fred Patacchia took home the WQS Prime title in 2009. Gabe Kling won in 2010 and last year, Miguel Pupo took home the coveted gold spike.

Over the years, the Nike Lowers Pro at Lower Trestles has evolved into one of the most coveted prizes in mainland competitive surfing. There’s never been a shortage of talent at this PRIME showdown. With its wide-open faces, everyone turns it up a notch when they take off on a wave at Lowers. Thanks to the San Onofre State Park for helping us hold the event at this idyllic California setting, and rest assured, be it from behind a computer or down on the cobblestone shore, the world is watching and waiting for another surfer to make history.

As the Nike Lowers Pro is a PRIME event, you can expect to see the ASP’s top WQS and World Tour surfers show up, throw down, and create a new chapter in surfing’s history books.

2012 OFFICIAL SCHEDULE
PRIME 96 / Local Trials

By: Surfer Magazine

Sometimes we forget just how precious the resources of San Onofre State Beach and San Mateo Creek are to Southern California. Sure, they play host to one of North America’s premiere waves, but there are plenty of lesser-known reasons that make the park equally compelling; not to mention a horde of environmental concerns worth considering on your next visit. Here are a few facts that may surprise you:

“The Trestles Wetlands Preserve is the highest level of protection that State Parks have,” says Rich Haydon, South Sector Superintendent of Orange Coast District, California State Parks. “There are Recreational areas and State Beaches and State Parks, but a Preserve is a sacred spot for us and something we will pull out all the stops to protect.

“A lot of people don’t realize that we don’t own the park outright,” says Haydon. “It’s still owned by the Department of the Navy, and is on a fifty-year lease which runs out in 2022. We’re hoping that we’ll at least get a lease extension; if not we’ll get the opportunity to purchase the property.

Nixon did some good for the environment. “When Richard Nixon was president at the Western Whitehouse, his love for this area is a large reason that it became a state park,” says Haydon. “That’s a good legacy to leave. They recognized the value of the area and wanted it to be made a park for preservation purposes. We like to assume that his intent, instead of doing a lease before his presidency terminated, was to bid the area over to the state of California.”

The area is home to a lot of endangered species. The list includes: the Arroyo Toad, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, Least Bell’s Vireo, Southern Steelhead, Tidewater Goby, Pacific Pocket Mouse, Leaf Terns, Plovers, and many more.

Every time you cross the railroad tracks at Lowers you’re breaking the law. The offense could potentially cost a $5,500 fine if punished to the furthest extent.

The risk of wildfire in this park is high when Santa Ana winds occurx. “It’s a high threat,” says Haydon. “One spark will set it off here; all it takes is one cigarette butt and it has the potential to cause a lot of damage.”

Here are a few tips for surfers and spectators alike to help keep the park clean:

• Use the Port-O-Potty. Don’t go in the wetlands.

• Stickers. “Everyone puts stickers up all over the place,” says Haydon. “it’s a blight and they end up in the sand.”

• Graffiti. “We have to use resources to cover the graffiti and it’s a waste of time and money,” says Haydon. “Some of it we have to power wash out or paint over top of, but we get rid of it.”

• Don’t burn pressure-treated wood in your bonfires. Pressure treated wood often bears a greenish tint and releases toxins like arsenic when burned.

• Don’t use the trail through the wetlands to access Lowers.It invades the natural habitat of rare species and causes unnecessary damage to the environment.

• Pack up your trash. “Surfers’ worst contribution to the beach is litter,” says Haydon. “Pack it in and pack it out; Instead of using plastic water bottles bring a polycarbonate reusable bottle. I think surfers are a lot better about it then they used to be, but if everyone took a second to consider their affect on the environment it could make a huge difference.”

[Show as slideshow]

FROM THE NORTH:

Take I5 South, exit Basilone Road in San Clemente (last exit before Camp Pendelton, don’t miss it!)

At the top of the exit ramp, turn right

100 yards after the top of the off-ramp, turn right off the road

Enter the yellow gates by the State Parks Beach sign

Follow the road to the ticket booth and into the parking lot

FROM THE SOUTH

Take I5 North, exit Basilone Road in San Clemente (first exit in San Clemente)

At the top of the exit ramp, turn left and drive over the I5 overpass

100 yards after the overpass, turn right off the road

Enter the yellow gates by the State Parks Beach sign

Follow the road to the ticket booth and into the parking lot

NEED A PLACE TO STAY? CLICK HERE FOR LOCAL LISTINGS!

View Larger Map

All the action from the 2012 Nike Lowers Pro will be webcast live and include highlights and replays, weather and scoring information, direct viewer interaction, interviews, and more throughout the holding periods for each event. The media teams for the Nike Lowers Pro and ASP North America will be supplying full media services for TV, print, radio and webcast purposes during the event. For further information during the event, or leading up to it, please contact the appropriate individuals for any media requests. Daily press releases will be available via e-mail. Digital photos will also be distributed daily.

	DOWNLOAD MEDIA CREDENTIAL REQUEST HERE
	DOWNLOAD PHOTOS, VIDEOS, PRESS RELEASES HERE

For media requests, accreditation, etc. regarding the Nike Lowers Pro contact:

GRINDMEDIA MEDIA CONTACT:
Dawn Hamilton
KHPR for GrindMedia
310.295.1189
dhamilton@khpublicrelations.com

ASP MEDIA MANAGER:
Bobby Shadley
Regional Media Officer
ASP North America
949.290.9135
bobby@aspworldtour.com

FOR SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:
Sean Nielsen
Director of Event Operations
GrindMedia
949.291.5164
sean.nielsen@sorc.com