And the 2014 Oakley Surf Shop challenge Hawai’i addition goes to T&C Surf.
The T&C Surf squad – comprised of Kekoa Bacalso, Dustin Cuizon, Travis Hashimoto and Kalei Umoto – will be heading to the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge National Championships later this year at a secret Central American spot. They got to the victor’s podium with power surfing with Kekoa “Bam” Bacalso leading the charge. . . “Man, the waves were firing all day,” said Bam. “It was an incoming swell, the tide changed and there was a couple of mental ones!”
For the official word from GrindMedia, follow the jump.SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., May 21, 2014 – Team T&C Surf was victorious at the Hawaiian leg of the 2014 Oakley Surf Shop challenge last weekend, surfing the world-class lefts of Ala Moana Bowls with poise and power. This single-day event matches up Hawai‘i’s favorite wave-sliding retailers in four-man teams to battle for a golden ticket to the national championship in Central America.
The T&C Surf squad – comprised of Kekoa Bacalso, Dustin Cuizon, Travis Hashimoto and Kalei Umoto – will be heading to the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge National Championships later this year at a secret Central American spot. They got to the victor’s podium with power surfing with Kekoa “Bam” Bacalso leading the charge.
“Man, the waves were firing all day,” said Bam. “It was an incoming swell, the tide changed and there was a couple of mental ones!”
This year the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge scored the first real South swell of the summer season, and the boys went hard in the final. The rising tide was like steroids for the swell, jacking up the 4-to 8-foot wave face heights for a frothing Kekoa “Bam” Bacalso. The 28-year-old, regular foot from Mililani unleashed his hammer of a backhand attack on Ala Moana Bowls in the final. He earned a 9.67 out of a possible 10 points and even thought the opposing team was cheering for his performance.
“I was out the back and I was waiting for that wave, and dude, that thing was a screamer; I really don’t want to sound cocky or anything like that but I looked at that wave and I went ‘game over, boys,’ explained Bam during the awards ceremony of his winning ride.”
“The heaviest part about that wave is I kicked out and I thought HIC was cheering for me,” he explained. “I was like, ‘whoa, I freaking demolished that wave, I kicked out and I heard all the HIC guys screaming: that was really, really bizarre how the HIC guys are cheering for me, but then I see Joel [Centeio from Team HIC] coming out of the pit and then I was like, ‘okay.’”
While watching Bam drop 8’s all day, T&C Captain Travis Hashimoto had a feeling after the second round that their squad had a great chance of bringing home the win. Not only was he frothing on the “W,” but he was also over-the moon-stoked on the quality of the Oakley Surf Shop Challenge as an event.
“Oakley for me, they just put it on, everything they do is first class,” explained Hashimoto, “the way they do it is always first class.”
Although Travis is a goofy foot and Bowls suited his surfing well, he is still hoping for a right-breaking wave in Central America for the Oakley Surf Shop National Championships.
“Anything but a left, I’m goofy foot but I hate surfing lefts,” admitted Hashimoto, “any right with trunks: let’s do this!”
The 2014 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge continues at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, Calif. in late July.
Final Results:
1. T&C Surf 33.73 pts
2. HIC- Haleiwa 29.23 pts
3. Pipe Dreams Surf Co. 21.13 pts
4. HI-Tech Surf Sports 10.63 pts
The complete 2014 Oakley Surf Shop Challenge calendar:
· March 28-29 – Southwest – Seaside Reef, Cardiff, Calif.
· April 11 – Mid-Atlantic – Kitty Hawk, Outer Banks, NC
· April 14 – Northeast – Manasquan Inlet, Manasquan, NJ
· May 2 – West – San Clemente, Calif.
· May 16 – Hawaii – Ala Moana Bowls, South Shore, Haw.
· July 23/24 – Northwest – Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, Calif.
· August 11-12 – Southeast – Ponce Inlet, Fla.
· TBD – National Championship – Central America
For all of the latest information including photos, video footage, results and more, check out surfshopchallenge.com.
Special thanks to title sponsor Oakley, media sponsor SURFER Magazine and co-sponsors New Era, Futures Fins, Watermans Sunscreen and Banzai Bowls, without which the Surf Shop Challenge series would not be possible.
About Surf Shop Challenge
Originally conceived to provide a fun and competitive format for the hardcore surf shop riders, the SURFER Shop Team Challenge was one of the most popular and exciting Southern California contests of the early 1980s. Through the years the contest has evolved, growing into seven qualifying regional events around the country and culminating in a national championship abroad. The underlying principles, however, have remained the same. The Oakley Surf Shop Challenge is still about giving back to the shops, the true backbone of the industry and the heart of the sport of surfing. Each year the competition level rises, the stakes become greater and the prizes become bigger.
About Oakley, Inc.
The global leader in performance sunglasses, goggles and prescription eyewear, Oakley also offers technical and lifestyle apparel, footwear, watches and accessories. The company was created for athletes who see impossibility as just another challenge, and their dedication inspires Oakley to seek out problems, solve with innovation and wrap invention in art. Exceeding the limits of possibility for more than thirty years, Oakley serves the demands of world-class athletes with unbeatable technologies including High Definition Optics® (HDO®). Additional information is available at oakley.com
About SURFER
In 1960, SURFER Magazine began as the original. After a long history of delivering provocative and insightful editorial features, revealing interviews and award winning state-of-the-art photography, SURFER remains the authoritative voice of the surfing world and thus earned the moniker “the bible of the sport.” The SURFER brand has also grown to include Surfermag.com, Fantasy Surfer, and the SURFER message boards. All of these assets combine to make the SURFER network the most current and reliable channel of information to the surf community. The magazine is published by Source Interlink’s GrindMedia, which reaches more than 22-million active sports enthusiasts through an integrated network of magazines, online properties, events and television programming. To learn more, visit surfermag.com
About GrindMedia
Source Interlink Media’s GrindMedia is the world’s largest action/adventure/outdoor media company reaching more than 45 million engaged consumers every month through its print, online, mobile, TV/video and events platforms. Among its 29 leading media assets are brands such as GrindTV.com, SURFER, SURFING, TransWorld SKATEboarding, Bike, POWDER, TransWorld Motocross, Snowboarder, Canoe & Kayak and more. Delivering significant reach across both action sports enthusiast and various in-market consumer audiences, GrindMedia also produces more than 40 leading events and webcasts such as Surfer Poll Awards, TransWorld SKATEboarding Awards, Powder Video Awards, Lowers Pro and EnduroCross. GrindMedia is also the exclusive action and adventure sports content provider for Yahoo! Sports.To learn more, visit grindmedia.com or visit grindtv.com.
