Carlsbad, CA (Monday, March 30, 2009) - Reef's latest team addition, Mike Losness, recently won the ASP WQS 2 star Van's Pier Classic at Huntington Beach, Ca over the weekend in challenging beach break conditions. The waves were less than favorable but for any surfer who grows up in the Southern California waters, these are the kind of conditions you're used to competing in. Mike Losness polished his surfing abilities in nearby San Clemente, giving him an edge on visiting surfers throughout the event. When it came down to final, Losness wasted no time by posting an 8.50 first ride then later hammered home the victory by posting a solid 7.65.
When asked about his experience at the event, Mike Losness had this to say, "So stoked to win at Huntington. This place has been a huge stomping ground for many American pros over their careers. I did the entire WQS tour over the past two years and it was a grind. I plan to just do increments this year so I don't get too burnt. My lead up to the event has been great. We were down in Australia filming for the last two weeks with all the Reef crew. There was plenty of surf during the trip so I managed to really get to know my equipment, which made me confident the whole event. Once I made it through my quarterfinal I really new that I had a great chance if I got the waves. All in all this is a great result for me. You know a win is a win and I will take it anywhere."
With this win Losness pocketed USD $5,000 and now looks to concentrate his time between surfing select WQS events and filming for Reef's upcoming movie, set out Summer 2010. Reef team manager, Heath 'Nutty' Walker supports Losness and other Reef team riders with their decisions to have a healthy mix of free-surfing and competitive surfing so that they keep focused and not get burned out on the WQS grind.
When asked about Losness and his recent victory, Walker had this to say, "I am super impressed with Mike as nobody deserves a victory more than this kid. Since we (Reef) signed Mike Losness in January 2009, I have never seen such a hard worker come to our program at Reef. We were just in Australia filming for the new Reef movie and Mike was first in the water and last out every time. His work ethic is unbelievable and some of the young up and coming kids of today could take a page out of his book."
The Van's Pier Classic is a great contest on the WQS tour and brings lot of energy to Hungtington Beach in the quite spring months. The event had a great youthful vibe and some stand out performances from Dillon Perillo, Dege O'Connell, Hank Gaskell just to name a few, but Losness' power and aggression was what gave him the nod in the final. Congratulations to Mike Losness and the crew at Van's for putting on such a great event.
Vans Pier Classic Final:
1 - Mike Losness (USA) 16.15
2 - Dillon Perillo (USA) 13.10
3 - Hank Gaskell (HAW) 12.75
4 - Eric Geiselman (USA) 12.75
About Reef
Reef is one of the premier action sports brands in the world, and exemplifies the cool and casual attitudes of today's youth driven boardsport market. Our brand is defined by the elite class of athletes that represent Reef products, as well as our core consumers who identify with the Reef brand's unique blend of surf, sensuality and irreverent sensibility. At the core of the Reef brand are authentic, stylish, and comfort engineered products for guys and girls that have appealed to the millions of Reef consumers around the world since the company originated in 1984. www.reef.com
About VF
VF Corporation is a global leader in lifestyle apparel with a diverse portfolio of jeanswear, outdoor, action sports, imagewear, sportswear and contemporary apparel brands. Its principal brands include Wrangler', Lee', Riders', The North Face', Vans', Reef', Eagle Creek', Eastpak', JanSport', Napapijri', Nautica', Kipling', John Varvatos', 7 For All Mankind , lucy , Ella Moss , Splendid , Majestic and Red Kap'.
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