A STACKED LINEUP PROMISES A FIERCE FIVE DAYS OF COMPEITION
San Clemente, CA (June 17, 2009) – The 2009 National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) National Open Championships returns to Lower Trestles in San Clemente, California Tuesday, June 23rd through Saturday, June 27th. This event marks the culmination of the 2008-09 NSSA competition season calling forth the country’s top amateurs to compete for the highly prized National Title.
The NSSA has a long history of providing aspiring amateur surfers the stage and experience they need to launch professional careers; an added bonus to the pride and sense of achievement associated with a solid performance in this contest.
Tanner Hendrickson #1 Men's Contender in Surfing's 2009 NSSA National Championship Program. PHOTO: Epes Sargent
However, with this year’s lineup stacked full of top rated competitors, the road to victory will not be easily traveled. Among the surfers vying for the Open Men’s title, are number one ranked Tanner Hendrickson (Paia, HI), Southwest Conference Open Men’s division winner Christian Saenz (Huntington Beach, CA), the ultra smooth Luke Davis (Capistrano Beach, CA), Northeast Conference surfer Balaram Stack (Point Lookout, NY) who threw down three perfect 10’s at the East Coast Regionals, and Evan Thompson (Jacksonville Beach, FL) who is amped off his 2009 East Coast Regional victory and aiming to be the first east-coaster to win the coveted National title.
While the Open Men’s is a intensely competitive field, the year’s Juniors’ leaderboard is loaded with decorated athletes including No. 1 seed Conner Coffin (Santa Barbara, CA), Kolohe Andino (San Clemente, CA) who is en route to tying, if not surpassing, Bobby Martinez’s seven National Title win-record, East Coast power house Evan Geiselman (New Smyrna Beach, FL), Kanoa Igarashi (Huntington Beach, CA) who made surfing headlines this year with his phenomenal record-smashing 30-win season and Keanu Asing (Ewa Beach, HI) who has been a force to be reckoned with since his first National Title win in the Explorer Boys division last June.
The Open Women’s field is filled with fierce rivalries among the likes of Courtney Conlogue (Santa Ana, CA), the reigning National Champ who is determined to defend her place on the podium while shooting for her second straight trifecta—Conference, Regional and National wins—and Malia Manuel (Kapaa, HI), the youngest surfer to win the US Open of Surfing to date. Two of the youngest frontrunners are 15-year old Alessa Quizon (Waianae, HI) and 14-year old Lakey Peterson (Santa Barbara, CA), both of whom have had impressive showings throughout the 2008-09 regular season and, not to be left of the mix, is Leila Hurst (Kilauea, HI) winner of double titles in last year’s Explorer Girls and Explorer Women’s divisions.
For a complete rating breakdown of the NSSA’s eight nationwide regional conferences check the NSSA website at www.nssa.org.
To see first hand how old rivalries play out and new ones are born at the 2009 NSSA National Open Championships log onto the Nike 6.0 LIVE webcast of the final three days of competition, Thursday through Saturday, June 25-27, at www.nssalive.com.
The webcast will take Nationals coverage to the next level giving surfing fans around the world the ability to watch all of the spectacular performances from the comfort of their homes with premium streaming capabilities and exceptional picture quality.
In addition to the live action, scoring and results, the webcast will feature hosts Dave Stanfield, Peter Mel, Jodie Nelson and a roster of special guests to provide viewers with expert commentary and insights. Along with the webcast, photo and video highlights will be available at www.nssalive.com as well.
Partners such as Nike 6.0, Surfing Magazine and Wavewatch.com help make the NSSA National Open Championships accessible to a world wide audience. Their support is an integral component to the success of this event.
