Every Oakley Pro Junior event is important in its own right, but scratch below the surface a bit and there’s much more riding on each event than one may guess. In a nutshell, the ASP North American leg of the Oakley Pro Junior series is comprised of four events that draw the best young surfers the Americas have to offer. Three of these events are components of the Macy’s CA Trifetca Surf Series presented by Jeep, held in conjunction with the Surfbout presented by Jeep, Oakley NB Pro presented by Jeep, the O’Neill Coldwater Classic presented by Jeep, and the stand alone Oakley Junior Pro presented by Heritage Surf and Sport.

The ASP North America Oakley Pro Juniors are Grade-2 and 3 rated events and offer a $10,000 prize purse at both the Surfbout and Oakley NB Pro presented by Jeep. $15,000 is up for grabs at the O’Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep, which also serves as the ASP North American Junior Championships. In addition, the 2008 series will offer part of a $10,000 year-end cash bonus to the top three junior division point leaders on the Macy’s CA Trifecta presented by Jeep.
 
And if that weren’t enough, the first and second place finishers at the Surfbout stop of the Oakley Pro Junior will qualify to participate in the revolutionary inaugural Oakley Global Challenge, held in Bali this September. The qualifiers from North America will come together with competitors from around the world for a 4-day competition (held during a 10-day waiting period). Boat loads of cash will be up for grabs.

Also worthy of note, an distinguished field of international Junior competitors will face off at California’s premier competition venues, finally providing ASP North American junior competitors an opportunity to earn maximum points towards the 2009 ASP Billabong World Junior Championships. Although international competitors do not earn points towards their World qualification, it will most definitely provide them with an opportunity to surf against America’s best and vie for the Trifecta prizing. Competitors must be 19-years of age or under as of January 1, 2008.

The draw pits 10 top rated Junior competitors from around the world against the top 20+ highest rated North Americans. Qualifying through their results at the 2008 Billabong World Juniors, the two highest rated surfers from Australia, Japan, Africa, Europe, South America and Hawaii will receive seeds into the event to compete against a field of top North Americans. The American surfers are seeded into the events based on their ASP North America Junior Grade results from the previous year.

The U.S. leg of the Oakley Pro Junior culminates at the 2008 O’Neill Coldwater Classic presented by Jeep at world famous Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz with a Championship event. The Oakley Pro Junior ASP North America Championships will decide the final seeding into Billabong World Championships in addition to determining the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series Junior Champion.

The ASP World Junior Series is a global tour that offers an important competitive arena for emerging professional surfers. The Junior Tour culminates each year with the Billabong World Junior Championships, where the top five surfers from each ASP region compete for the World Junior Title. Past winners include Andy Irons (HAW), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Adriano de Souza (BRA), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Jordy Smith (ZAF).

This year, there are 10 scheduled ASP North America events for domestic competitors to accumulate qualification points. Although surfers have 10 opportunities to accumulate points, the highly competitive fields at each Oakley Pro Junior makes it crucial for them to perform at their peak in every heat. Three-quarters of their results will count toward their overall yearend standing, with only the top four surfers receiving a seed into the World Junior Championships. A fifth seed is given to the highest rated junior competitor on the WQS ratings. The Oakley Pro Junior events provide crucial opportunities for the top North American surfers to earn these coveted qualifying points.