(Honolulu HI October 20, 1995)--Triple Crown of Surfing president Fred Williamson is pleased to announce that Plank Road Brewery remains the umbrella sponsor for the annual big wave series on Oahu's North Shore, under the new title--The Red Dog Triple Crown of Surfing.
Two women's and three men's contests make up the Series. They are:
Red Dog is offering a $15,000 prize pool to the Association of Surfing Professionals(ASP) and the top three overall Triple Crown points finishers. The highest placed surfer will be named Triple Crown Champion and the purse will be divided between the ASP and the top three.
Series defending champion is three-time winner Sunny Garcia from Hawai`i, who will pursue his fourth consecutive title this year. The only surfer to win the Triple Crown Series title four times is Hawaii's former world champion Derek Ho.
Garcia also enters the Series rated first overall on the Coca-Cola/ASP World Tour ratings and pending his performance in the Pipe Masters could be named new world champion. In second place is California's Rob Machado and third place belongs to current world champion Kelly Slater, from Florida.
As previously announced the by the ASP, the Hawaii Series concludes the Coca-Cola/ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) which decides the men's and women's world champions. Following the Series, which runs November 16 through December 20, surfers will take a much needed six week break until the 1996 tour begins in late January with the Coke Classic in Sydney, Australia.
Another pending title is for the World Qualifying Series Champion. The final WQS will also determine those surfers who will complete on the 1996 WCT.
Triple Crown is pleased to welcome Planet Hollywood as a presenting sponsor for the Wyland Galleries Hawaiian Pro.
Roxy, by Quiksilver, a California-based sportswear company, has also joined the Triple Crown as title sponsor of the two-star Roxy Women's Pro. The event will run concurrently with the Hawaiian Pro at Ali`i Beach Park. Approximately 36 women are expected to compete.
Hawaiian Airlines and the Turtle Bay Hilton Golf & Tennis Resort return again this year in sponsorship roles. The official radio station is The Edge 97.5 FM. Animal Watches, from the United Kingdom, will be the official timer for all five contests.
The Pipe Masters celebrates its 25th year with several events planned to commemorate this silver anniversary. A special tribute is planned for James "Tally Ho" Blears for his 25 years of continuous contest commentary, and a special surfing exhibition by Pipeline champions of the 1970s will take place between the semifinals and the finals.
Featured will be: Jeff Hakman (first winner, 1971) Gerry Lopez (1972-73) Jeff Crawford, (1974) Shaun Tomson, (1975) Rory Russell (1976-77) and Larry Blair (1978-79). After25 years of surfing in the Pipe Masters, Lopez has announced this will be his final competitive appearance.
Each year the Triple Crown of surfing contributes to the community with events other than surfing. Among those currently scheduled are "Surf Night", the annual fund raiser for Sunset Beach Elementary School. This year marks the 12th annual Surf Night at which top professional surfers make a special appearance for an autograph session followed by a bake sale and merchandise raffle. Each year, the Triple Crown donates $51,000 to the school during the fundraiser, scheduled for Friday, December 1, from 6 to 9 pm.
On Saturday, December 2, a free CPR(cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training session for the entire community will be presented by the organization Initial Response. City and County water safety officers will instruct participants in American Red Cross CPR techniques. Those who qualify during the 10 am to 6 pm session at Sunset Beach Elementary School will receive a Heartsaver card, good for one year.
Because lifeguards are not stationed at all North Shore beaches, help is not always immediately at hand. On Sunday, December 3, conditions permitting, City & County lifeguards will hold a surf lifesaving clinic at the Sunset Beach contest site, on what to do when you, or someone you see, gets into trouble in the surf. Lifeguards will demonstrate back-to-the-beach techniques and offer helpful beach safety advice about what to do until professional help arrives.
The recently installed Ke Ala Pupukea BikeWay will receive a sprucing up, courtesy of Triple Crown, which has contracted the "Greens People" to clean, trim, cut back and haul off excess cuttings along the entire length of the path from Sunset Beach to Waimea Bay. The project will take a three-man crew from six to ten days and will begin October 25. It will be finished in time for the start of the surf season.
All of the contests in the Triple Crown Series will be covered by DynoComm Sports which will produce television programs to be shown on ESPN at various times during 1996.
For contest information: contact executive director Randy Rarick: 808-638-7266 or contest director Bernie Baker: 808-638-7353.
For media information:
contact Carol Hogan/Ocean Promotion
Phone and Fax: 808-325-7400.
For Triple Crown information on the Internet:
http://holoholo.org/triplecrown
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