MICAH BYRNE AND SEBASTIAN ZIETZ CLAIM 2008 MACY'S CALIFORNIA TRIFECTA SURF SERIES TITLES
San Clemente, Calif. - Oct. 28, 2008 - The 2008 Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series came to a climactic finale this weekend at the O'Neill Cold Water Classic and Oakley Pro Junior ASP North America Championships at the famed Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, Calif. Micah Byrne overtook several surfers, including Nate Yeomans (who did not surf in the event) and local favorite Kieran Horn, for the title in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) Macy's CA Trifecta race. Junior Sebastian Zietz maintained his frontrunner status throughout the competition to claim the Macy's CA Trifecta Oakley Pro Junior division title.
The three-event series began in Lower Trestles in April with the ASP 4-Star 6.0 Lowers Pro, followed by the ASP 2-Star Oakley Newport Beach Pro in September, and the final event, the ASP 4-Star O'Neill Cold Water Classic in Santa Cruz last week. Each of the three stops also had an Oakley Pro Junior event, which ran in conjunction with the WQS main events.
Micah Byrne (Huntington Beach, CA) learned of his win during the fourth heat of the Quarterfinals. When Shaun Ward (Huntington Beach, CA) and Cory Lopez (Dana Point, CA) failed to advance, it was clear that Byrne, who made it into the Semifinals and earned an equal fifth in the contest, had claimed the Macy's CA Trifecta Surf Series title and $10,000 paycheck.
"I'm so stoked," Byrne said. "I knew I had a lot of ground to make up in the beginning because of Asher (Nolan), and Kieran (Horn) is almost guaranteed a Final here every time, so I wasn't stressed until the last day or two. I couldn't even sleep last night."
Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA) was not originally considered a Trifecta frontrunner, but he came from the depths of ratings obscurity by taking the Cold Water Classic crown. The win earned him enough points to slide into the second Trifecta spot and add $3,500 to his already huge payday. Asher Nolan (Neptune Beach, FL), who won the inaugural Macy's CA Trifecta Surf Series title in 2005, and was the highest Macy's CA Trifecta rated surfer going inot Santa Cruz, finished in third and took home $1,500.
The ASP Grade-3 Oakley Pro Junior North America Championships was also the third and final event in the Oakley Pro Junior division of the Macy's CA Trifecta Surf Series. This year was the second year the series offered a bonus for the juniors, which doubled from last year. After the completion of April's ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior at Lower Trestles and September's ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior in Newport Beach, competitors at the Santa Cruz event were vying for one of three top ratings positions, which split a bonus $10,000 purse.
Sebastian Zietz (Kilauea, HI), walked away with the win despite a disappointing finish in the Oakley Pro Junior ASP North America Championships. For the win, Zietz won a bonus of $7,000 cash and added another accolade to his growing list of accomplishments.
"Being down here today at the contest, I knew there was a rare chance for me to win the Trifecta," Zietz said. "Everybody who needed to win just one more heat ended up losing and I just got really lucky. I'm super stoked though. Party tonight."
Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA), whose O'Neill Cold Water win makes him the youngest competitor to ever win the title finished second in the Oakley Pro Junior division of the Macy's CA Trifecta Surf Series race and collected $2,000. Fisher Heverly (Emerald Isle, NC) dramatically climbed the ranks to snatch third-place and $1,000 due to a solid equal fifth-place finish in the event.
The Macy's CA Trifecta Surf Series was formed in 2005 to strengthen surfing in America and has added additional cash and prize incentives each year since its inception. The Macy's CA Trifecta provides surfers with an opportunity to earn crucial points towards the ASP WQS and ASP Pro Junior end-of-year rankings, which factors into advancement to the coveted ASP World Tour and ASP World Junior Championships.
Complete results, images and highlights are available at www.catrifecta.com.
In addition to Macy's, the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series is also supported by SURFER and Surfing magazines, WaveWatch, ASP North America and FUEL TV.
Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series Final Results:
WQS Division
1 - Micah Byrne (Huntington Beach, CA) $10,000
2 - Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA) $3,500
3 - Asher Nolan (Neptune Beach, FL) $1,500
Oakley Pro Junior Division
1 - Sebastian Zietz ((Kilauea, HI) $7,000
2 - Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA) $2,000
3 - Fisher Heverly (Emerald Isle, NC) $1,000
About Macy's
Macy's, the largest retail brand of Macys, Inc., delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at more than 800 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Offering distinctive assortments including exclusive fashion and home brands, Macy's stores are operated by four regionally based retail divisions - Macy's East, Macy's
Florida, Macy's Central, and Macy's West - and an online store at macys.com.
About Source Interlink Media's Action Sports Group (ASG)
Reaching more than two million enthusiasts, Source Interlink Media's Action Sports Group (ASG) is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to publishing leading lifestyle publications such as Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Powder and Canoe & Kayak, Source Interlink Media's ASG delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties, events and television programming.
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