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JORDY SMITH GREEN-LIGHTED AT O’NEILL COLD WATER CLASSIC PRES. BY
JEEP The ASP WQS 4-Star event will host 160 of the best surfers in the world as they vie for the $75,000 prize purse as well as valuable ratings points. Smith, who has already secured a spot on the prestigious ASP World Tour in 2008, will enter the draw in the Round of 64. “I have been in America for ages and I like the wave at Steamer Lane,” Smith said. “I have qualified already so I am going to go where I can get the best waves possible.” Joining Smith as wildcards into the event will be Hawaiian wunderkind John John Florence (North Shore, HI) and local phenom Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA). “I’m really looking forward to surfing against the local guys,” Smith said. “They are always out there. They’re probably the best so it will be good to surf against them.” In addition to shaking things up in the hunt for qualifying points and prize money, the wildcards will also wreak havoc upon the current standings in the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series presented by Jeep (an ASP North America Specialty Series). As the final event of the ’07 Trifecta race, the O’Neill Cold Water Classic will decide who walks away with the $15,000 bonus prize purse for the top three performers as well as an all-new 2007 Jeep Patriot. Adam Virs (Ventura, CA), current ratings leader on the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series presented by Jeep, has made three finals this season on the ASP North America Men’s Tour, and will be a major threat at the O’Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep should he retain his consistent form. Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, CA), defending Macy’s California Trifecta Champion and current No. 2 on this year’s ratings, posted a sensational Trifecta win with a solid result in the 2006 O’Neill Cold Water Classic, and will look to repeat history this week. The dynamic goofy-footer is separated from ratings-leader Virs by less than 150 points and could potentially overtake should he outperform the competition in the running righthanders of Steamer Lane.
In addition to the ASP WQS 4-Star O’Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep, the 2007 ASP North America Pro Junior Series will culminate with the ASP North America Pro Junior Championships, the ASP Grade-3 Oakley Pro Junior, which will play a deciding role in determining qualifiers for January’s prestigious Billabong ASP World Junior Championships. The first ASP Grade-3 Pro Junior event in North American history, the Oakley Pro Junior will offer more points than any event before it and will either make or break the campaigns of the best junior surfers in the nation. Wavewatch, official forecasters of the O’Neill Cold Water Classic, have called for swell to be present throughout the waiting period, with several days seeing overhead surf, from a slew of activity in the Pacific Northwest. For more info go to: http://www.wavewatch.com/Live-Surf-Cams-Region.php?CamID=13&RegionID=4 |
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Santa Cruz, California (Monday, Oct. 8, 2007) – Jordy Smith (Durban,
ZAF), current No. 1 on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World
Qualifying Series (WQS) and reigning ASP World Junior Champion, has been
given a wildcard to compete at the O’Neill Cold Water Classic presented
by Jeep in Santa Cruz from Oct. 9 through 14, 2007.