6.0 Lowers Pro
ASP Prime Mens Event
Lower Trestles, San Clemente
3 – 7 May 2011
Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior holding period runs May 3-7
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro is set to host some of surfing’s biggest names at the fabled cobblestone pointbreak of Lower Trestles in San Clemente, Califorina beginning tomorrow, May 3, 2011. Accompanying the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will be the ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior, stop No. 7 of 9 on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series. The Oakley Pro Junior will see the nation’s brightest up-and-coming talent compete for the crucial points on offer towards qualification for the prestigious ASP World Junior Tour.
Gabe Kling (St. Augustine, FL), 30, defending Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro Champion, earned his way back on to the ASP Top 34 via a wildcard following his amazing performance at Lower Trestles and the hard working Floridian has been in impressive form on the elite ranks since his victory last year. “My win at Lowers was the biggest of my career,” Kling said. “The points from the win helped me get the wildcard for the second half of the year and I got a lot of momentum from it, it was a huge win for me!”
Kling also knows that the change in the ASP World Ranking points structure will make it crucial for him to earn another keeper result at this year’s ASP PRIME rated event in order to help maintain his position on the international standings. “Yeah, there is always pressure to get keeper results and with this one dropping from my score line it would be great to get another good result at Lowers this year,” Kling said. “I’m really looking forward to surfing heats out there again.”
Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA), 19, current No. 45 on the men’s ASP World Ranking, has been building momentum on the international stage and knows that a top result at the upcoming Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro could put him in contention to qualify for the elite ASP Dream Tour.
“I am sitting in a good position and one big result would help a lot,” Young said. “Lowers is one of the biggest PRIME events, it's also one of the hardest. Doing well in this event is very important not only for points but because it’s such a prestigious event.”
Young, who has been surfing in the ASP PRIME events over the last few years, feels that competing against the top talent in the draw in events such as the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro helps push his progression in order to compete alongside the some of the world’s best surfers.
“Surfing against the World Tour guys definitely pushes me to surf my best,” Young said. “You need to be surfing your best in order to beat them. Competing against them now is also a good experience, because those are the guys you will be surfing against on the World Tour.”
Top names in the 2011 Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro also include 10-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (Cocoa Beach, FL), 39, Dane Reynolds (Ventura, CA), 25, local standout and elite ASP Top 34 surfer Patrick Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA), 25, Australian standouts Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 22, and Adrian ‘Ace’ Buchan (AUS), 28, and dangerous Brazilians Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, and Jadson Andre (BRA), 21, among several elite ASP Top 34 standouts.
Surfline has predicted excellent conditions for the start of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) PRIME Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and ASP 5-Star Oakley Pro Junior holding period (May 3-7) at San Onofre State Beach – Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Calif. According to the official forecaster, a small mix of south and southwest swells will prevail for the first couple of days of the contest, with a small southwest swell building in for the last couple of days.
The surf will generally be in the three-to-four foot range on the sets (around waist to shoulder high). Wind and weather conditions look excellent to start out the event as well, with sunny skies and morning offshore flow. For the last couple of days of the event, there will be cooler weather, cloudy skies and potential for some onshore flow.
The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will feature 26 of the World's Top 34 surfers including 10-time defending World Champion and current #1 Kelly Slater, as well as the world's best juniors in the Oakley Pro Junior. The combination of contestable swell, a world-class wave, major points and elite athletes will ensure fierce competition at the famed Southern California surf break.
According to Surfline, the forecast will break down as follows:
TUESDAY 3rd: Small mix of mid period S swell (185-195) and longer period SW swell (205) with 2-3' occasional 4' surf (waist up to shoulder high sets). Sunny skies, warm weather and light to moderate offshore/ENE flow in the morning. Moderate westerly flow develops in the afternoon.
WEDNESDAY 4th: Small mix of S and SW swell continues with more 2-4' faces (waist up to shoulder high). Slightly cooler, but plenty of sunshine still possible with weak offshore flow in the morning. Light to moderate W wind builds for the afternoon.
THURSDAY 5th: Small, long period SW swell (200-215) will build through the day as old S swell fades. Surf continues in the 2-3' occasional 4' range (waist-shoulder high sets). Light S wind in the morning with overcast skies and a little morning sickness possible. Light SW/W wind for the afternoon and a possible clean up.
FRIDAY 6th: Continued small SW swell (200-215) with more waves in the 2-3' occasional 4' range (waist up to shoulder high sets). Light S wind in the morning with overcast skies. Light SW/W wind builds for the afternoon.
SATURDAY 7th: Small SW swell continues with 3-4' faces on the larger sets (waist-shoulder high). Light S wind in the morning with overcast skies. Light SW/W wind builds for the afternoon.
Both the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior will feature an HD webcast with live video coverage and scoring for all five days of competition with announcers Sal Masekela, Mark Fewell, Dino Andino, Saxon Boucher, Chris Mauro, Brad Gerlach and Jodie Nelson. The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro will be televised live and in its entirety in Hawaii on Oceanic Time Warner Cable's Oceanic SURF Channel 250 and 1250HD.
For more information about the 6.0 Lowers Pro, visit nike6lowerspro.com. For more about the Oakley Pro Junior, visit oakleyprojunior.com. The 6.0 Lowers Pro and Oakley Pro Junior wouldn't be possible without the generous support of sponsors. A special thank you goes out to presenting sponsors Nike 6.0 and Oakley, co-sponsors Red Bull and Sierra Nevada, media sponsor SURFER Magazine and official forecaster Surfline.com.
