There have been to key flashpoints in the history of competitive surfing at the infamous Lower Trestles. The first came in 1989 when a long-haired local named Christian Fletcher became the first person in history to win a contest solely on his aerial mastery. Sure, others had done airs in contests, but Fletcher proved that is was a viable way to surf. Almost 20 years later, and if you don't have an air reverse or alley-oop in your repertoire you might as well not even show up the beach. Fletcher's antics caused quite a scene at the time, ruffling more than just the feathers of a conservative older guard, but, just like today, the kid's loved it.

And then there was the coming out of Kelly Slater the following year. The wonder kid from Florida had recently gone full-steam ahead into a much anticipated professional career. And there, as documented in the now-historic Quiksilver flick Kelly Slater: Black and White, a young Slater proceeded to destroy everyone in his path. 17 years later at the 2007 Boost Mobile Pro presented by Hurley, Slater reasserted his dominance on what most people call the most high performance wave in the world.

Since then the Nike 6.0 Surfbout at Lower Trestles has evolved into one of the most coveted prizes in mainland competitive surfing. There's never been a shortage of talent at this 4-Star WQS showdown. With its wide-open faces, everyone turns it up a notch when they take off on a wave at Lowers. Thanks to the San Mateo State Park, the setting is idyllic California, and though the crowds on the beach may not be gigantic, rest assured, be it from behind a computer or down on the cobblestone shore, the world is watching and waiting for another surfer to make history.

Both Jeff Booth and local boy Shane Beschen have dominated Lowers over the course of their careers, each winning this event three times. Booth was California's highest rated surfer through most of the early '90s, and Beschen, who's three years his junior, picked up where Booth left off, both at Lowers and on the world stage. Andy Irons, Rob Machado, Taylor Knox and Tim Curran are also past winners at Lower's and their multitude of successes beyond Lowers speaks for themselves.