Oct. 14, 2009 (PR Newswire) --
OCEANSIDE, Calif., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Team Reef earned the taste of sweet redemption when it dominated the third qualifying round in the inaugural Jim Beam® Surftag® U.S. Nationals on Sunday. The victory carries a cash prize and the chance to win in November's championship competition.
After finishing second in the previous qualifier, Team Reef overcame the sluggish waves and inconsistent sets that threatened each heat and ultimately wreaked havoc on the rest of the teams. Outpaced, contenders Happy Endings, FCS Chargers and Man Sandwich failed to complete all three waves, culminating in a 40-point win for Team Reef.
"There is definitely extra pressure on you because you don't want to let your team down, but you can also count on your team to pick up your slack," said Chris Waring, a member of Team Reef. "This is a great event!"
Team Reef has a chance to face off against top contenders from other qualifying rounds in the finale to be held Nov. 13-14. Jim Beam® Surftag® will award a total of $25,000 in cash prizes throughout the series and the title of "No. 1 Surf Club in California."
Jim Beam®, the world's No. 1-selling Bourbon, is launching the first Surftag® U.S. Nationals competition in partnership with IMG Sports & Entertainment. Surftag® is a relay competition in which the five members of each team must catch three waves and then return to the beach to tag the next team member.
The contest started in Australia in 2001 and has grown into that country's largest team boardriding competition.
Third Qualifying Event Results:
1st PLACE - Reef
Total Points: 113.6 - Teddy Navarro 22pts; Sean Marceron 25.1pts; Chris Waring 14pts; Chris Abad 28pts; Nick Rosza 20.5pts.
2nd PLACE - Happy Endings
Total Points: 66.4 - Pascal Stansfield 17.5pts; Noah Erickson 17.9pts; Danny Estes 15pts; Macy Mullen 13pts; Adam Virs 3pts.
3rd PLACE - FCS
Total Points: 64.6 - Jamie Meistrell 16.5pts; Kyle Knox 20.5pts; Anthony Petruso 14.5pts; Ricky Whitlock 8.6pts; Justin Swartz 4.5pts.
4th PLACE - Man Sandwich
Total Points: 61.3 - Benji Weatherley 14.3pts; Josh Hoyer 13.5 pts; Chippa Wilson 16.5pts; Jason Harris 15.3pts; Betet Merta 1.7pts.
Registration for the three qualifying rounds was open to the public. Five-member teams representing clubs or local breaks signed up online at www.jimbeamsurftag.com. All team members had to be listed on the registration form and be 21 or older on competition day.
