Mon Oct 13 2008 12:30:00

 O’NEILL SEBASTIAN INLET PRO PRESENTED BY RON JON
TO KICK OFF 2009 ASP WQS YEAR JANUARY 11-18;
RED BULL TOW-AT
BACK FOR 5TH STRAIGHT YEAR

Sebastian Inlet, Fla. – For the fifth consecutive season, worldwide professional surfing begins in the United States and specifically in Florida with the commencement of the O’Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro Presented by Ron Jon Surf Shop.  The event is scheduled to run between January 11--18 and is once again timed to coincide with the semi-annual Surf Expo show in Orlando.  

Complete details can be found on the event site, www.oneillsipro.com

The 4-star Association of Surfing Professionals event will feature more than 200 of the best and best emerging surfers in the world as they battle for an $85,000.00 cash purse and valuable points leading to a berth on pro surfing’s elite World Championship Tour.

The SI Pro, as it is commonly called, also showcases the Red Bull Tow-At, a crowd favorite one of a kind event where surfers are sling-shot into waves at speeds of up to 20-miles-per-hour.  Pulled behind a Sea-Doo personal watercraft, the surfers race at speeds not possible through traditional paddle-in surfing leading to deep gouging maneuvers and huge aerials.  The winner takes all event is comprised of just 10 invited surfers with the champion winning a 2009 Sea-Doo personal watercraft.

“O’Neill is excited to continue its support of the WQS and the amazing surfing coming out of the East Coast,” said Steve Ward, O’Neill Clothing’s Vice President of Marketing.  “The O’Neill SI Pro is the biggest event on the East Coast, and a great way to kick off the 2009 WQS season.”

Presenting Sponsor Ron Jon Surf Shop is equally as thrilled to be a part of the East Coast’s most prestigious surfing event.  “For almost 50 years, Ron Jon Surf Shop has been dedicated to the surfing lifestyle,” noted Ron Jon Surf Shop President Debbie Harvey.  “Accordingly, we are proud to be the presenting sponsor of the premier East Coast surfing event at the famous Sebastian Inlet break.”  

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While the surfing world sees the O’Neill SI Pro on the global stage, it is also a valuable and eagerly awaited event for residents of East Central Florida, drawing more than 24,000 spectators during the January 2008 running of the tournament.  “Ron Jon Surf Shop is proud to sponsor the O’Neill SI Pro, which offers a truly unique opportunity for area residents and visitors to enjoy world class surfing right here on the Space Coast, said Heather Lewis, Ron Jon Surf Shop Marketing Director.  It is a real chance for Florida to showcase its talent and surf to the world.

As the first WQS event of each of the past four surfing seasons, the O’Neill SI Pro has clearly made an important impact on the careers of many of its competitors.

•    In 2005, then six-time ASP World Champion returned to his hometown for his first major pro tournament since turning professional a dozen years earlier.  Though he finished second in the event, Kelly carried his momentum from the O’Neill SI Pro onto the World Championship Tour and clinched his 7th world title and first since 1998.  Since then, Kelly has earned an additional two world titles for an unprecedented total of nine.
•    In 2006, Floridian Gabe Kling started his assault on the WQS with a finals berth in the O’Neill SI Pro, ultimately giving him a key result that helped him score a spot on the 2007 WCT.  Australian aerial wizard copped a huge win in the 2006 Red Bull Tow-At, kicking off a big year of results that also saw him qualify onto the next year’s WCT.
•    Former World Champion CJ Hobgood clinched the first of three North American WQS wins at the 2007 O’Neill SI Pro en route to capturing his country’s pro surfing title.  Upstart Dane Reynolds also initiated his WQS campaign at this year’s event and picked up steam through the season to qualify for the 2008 WCT.  Currently, Dane is in a strong position to be the ASP’s WCT Rookie of the year.
•    The 2008 O’Neill SI Pro was one for the newcomers with top results coming from surfing’s next generation of surf stars.  Event winner Pat Gudaskaus and third-place finisher Nathaniel Curran began the best surfing seasons of their lives at this past January’s event and both appear locks to qualify for the 2009 WCT.

The O’Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro Presented by Ron Jon was a 5-star ASP event ($110,000.00 purse) in 2008 but has been scaled back to its previous 4-star ($85,000.00 purse) level for 2008.

 “I was stoked that we were able to successfully pull off a 5-star event here in Florida,” said event founder Mitch Varnes of Board Sports Management.  “O’Neill, Ron Jon, Red Bull and all our other great sponsors really worked hard to take it to that level, but in the end we all agreed that it just wasn’t worth it for the surfers and that the O’Neill SI Pro is better suited as a 4-star event.”

With an increase in star ratings, the ASP places stricter criteria on the numbers of and eligibility requirements of surfers permitted to compete in those events.  It is most noticeably felt and seen in events five stars and greater.  “The O’Neill SI Pro has not only been about putting on a world class tournament here on the East Coast,” said Varnes.  “But it has just as importantly been about providing opportunities for upcoming surfers.  We can give a lot more chances to both emerging and established surfers by keeping this contest at the still quite prestigious yet less obtrusive 4-star level.”

A live web cast of the O’Neill SI Pro will run during the entirety of the event and will be accessible through www.go211.com

The O’Neill SI Pro Presented by Ron Jon is the largest single sporting event in East Central Florida and enjoys tremendous community and surf industry support.  In addition to O’Neill, Ron Jon and Red Bull, the contest is sponsored by the Space Coast Board of Tourism, www.go211.com, State Farm, Melbourne International Airport, Delta Airlines, Coors Light, Health First, Surf Expo, SUPER brand surfboards, Steve Casanova Attorney At Law, Vestal, Spy, Nirve bicycles, Transworld Surf Magazine, Surfline, Eastern Surf Magazine, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Pizza Gallery & Grill and Long Doggers Brew & Grill.

The O’Neill SI Pro Presented by Ron Jon is owned and produced by Board Sports Management, the surfing world’s leading athlete and event management firm.