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Easily one of the toughest surfing contests on the
entire Eastern Seaboard to win, the 15th Annual Quiksilver King Of The Peak
returns to Sebastian Inlet, FL, with a waiting period stretching from November
7th to November 15th. Year after year, KOP Contest Director Matt Kechele fills
92 heat slots, drawing several touted international pros away from their
respective November preoccupations to challenge Florida’s best in an idyllic playing
field.
The history of past KOPs reads nicely, with ASP World
Champions, former WCT notables, and freesurfing savants sprinkled into the mix
of local legends and top East Coast pros. But one must also consider all the
underground talents that have gained notoriety here amongst the Sebastian
hierarchy. Originally conceptualized in 1995 by Kelly Slater, who wanted to
institute a homegrown event at the place where he first started pushing
performance barriers, the inaugural King Of The Peak doubled as a fundraiser to
bring attention to the potential closing of Slater’s alma mater, Cocoa Beach
Jr./Sr. High School.
Today, the King Of The Peak remains the nation’s most
popular skins event. The unique format is both equitable and fair, leveling the
playing field as all entrants’ names are thrown into a hat and then randomly
selected. This produces eclectic match-ups throughout the draw, and on the
second day of competition, the drawn names are then flipped upside down,
shuffling the field and allowing each competitor a second chance at redemption
and the prize purse, typically $250 a skin. To add to the drama, a surfer must
determine what he feels will be his best wave in each heat by holding his hands
up after the completion of the scoring ride, making a “claim.” At that point,
the surfer must then exit the water, and his score is called out to give his
fellow competitors an idea of what they need to post to earn a fistful of
dollars and advancement into the next bracket.
The highest scorer in each heat can then rest up
during the following 20-minute heat before heading back into battle, making the
KOP a test of endurance as well as performance. Quiksilver has applied this
same format to its King Of The Groms events, as Kechele affirms that this
raises the level of action. With each surfer being scored on his single best
wave, his opponents are forced to take greater risks and go for broke. Look for
many former Kings to return to Sebastian Inlet this weekend, as well as the new
lions stepping into the arena, all looking to add their names to the
illustrious list of KOP royalty!
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HAIRY QUERY
Big Money And
Stupid Questions Prologue The 48th Annual Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing
Championships Presented By Vans And Monster Energy
By Matt Pruett
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NO-NAME NUGGETS
With Colin Long Forgotten And All Eyes On Soon-To-Be Danielle, Off-Season Northeast Surprises And Satisfies
By Nick McGregor
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STEADY BLOGGIN’
Dispatches From Quiksilver’s Gotta Make A Right To Go Left New Jersey Surf Tour
By Balaram Stack;
Photos by Andy Ryan
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DICK’S PICS
New Jersey Surf Culture As Pictured By Dick Meseroll (1976 –
1987)
Intro by Jon Coen
Photos and captions by Dick Meseroll
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FRIGGIN’ HOT
Why The 6th
Annual Reef/ Sweetwater Pro-Am Surf Fest Is One Of The Most Sizzling Summer Contests In Or Out Of The Water
By Matt Pruett
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COLLEGIATE
CATALYSTS
Handful Of East Coast Teams Eye Success At Upcoming
NSSA National Interscholastic College Championships
By Allison Arteaga
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OIL SPILL INFORMATION CENTER
Updated Timeline, Volunteer Info, Multimedia Maps, Video Feeds, And Photos
By Nick McGregor and Allison Arteaga
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BACKLIGHTING
How The Daytona State College
School Of Photography Enlightened Florida’s Brightest Young Surf Lensmen
By Matt Pruett
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LATE DROP
EasternSurf.com Certainly Didn’t Forget About Last Week’s Pre-Memorial Day Surf Romp… We Just Wanted To Let You Catch Your Breath First
By Matt Pruett
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OCEAN CITY OFFENSIVE
Red Raiders Win NSL
High School Cup New Jersey Regional For Fourth Consecutive Year
By Nick Bricker;
Photos by Joe Reighn
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TOP OF THE CLASS
Satellite High School Scorpions Take
Top Honors At The NSL High School Cup Central Florida Regionals
By Allison Arteaga; Photos by Nate Adams
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I HEART GROMS
Geiselman, Viesins, Glenn And Richards Clean Up At Messy Lighthouse To Win Billabong Surfing America Prime Series Presented By Got Milk?
By Matt Pruett; Photos by Raven Lundy/ Billabong
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QUALIFYING STATEMENT
ESA Southeast Regionals Overcome Small Ft. Pierce Inlet Surf, Select Solid Eastern Surfing Championships Candidates
By Nick McGregor
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DOO DOO DOMINATES
Randazzo Staves Off Hungry Field Of Floridians To Ace Ron Jon Masters Of Surfing Pro Presented By Seven Tiki
By Nick McGregor
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STORMY START, GOLDEN FINISH
Rainy
Skies Dominate Ron Jon Sebastian Inlet Pro And Skullcandy Girls Pro Junior,
Evan Geiselman Bags First ASP Pro Junior Victory
By Nick McGregor; Photos by
Nate Adams
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DOUBLE TROUBLE
Flagler College Re-Ups With Second Straight Collegiate Surfing Association East Coast
Championships Individual And Team Title
By Nick McGregor; Photos by Chris Wilson
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ENDLESS WINTER
Snow Flurries, Solid Swell, And Sizzling Performances Spice Up 42nd Annual New England
Mid-Winter Surfing Championships
By Ray Jarvis
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SOUTHERN LIVING
Stalled Front, Quick-Moving Low Pressure Combine To Give Mid-Atlantic And All Points North An Early-Winter South Swell
By Nick McGregor
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NOR'IDA MEANS BUSINESS
Coastal Low Pressure, Anonymous Nor'easter, And Remnants Of Tropical Storm Ida Combine Forces To Deliver Solid Shot Of Autumn Swell
By Nick McGregor
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OBX-TRADITED
Two Weeks Of Mercuric Freesurfing On The Outer Banks Made It Seem Like I Never Left Florida
By Matt Pruett
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MICRO MANAGEMENT
East Coast Surf Team Managers Matt Kechele And Asher Nolan “Deprogrom” Their Star Helgies During Easterns Week In Hatteras
All photos by Tom Dugan
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HEART AND SOUL
Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic Enters Its Second Decade
By Nick McGregor; Photos by Brian Nevins
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LOW
PROFILE
During The Peak Of Hurricane Season, A Monster Low Pressure System Steals The
Tropic Thunder
By Matt Pruett
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THE OLD IN-OUT
The 2009 WRV Outer Banks Pro Presented By Hurley Is Moving Ahead Like Clockwork
Along The Graveyard Of The Atlantic... Let's Hope Hurricane Season Doesn’t Dish
Out A Bit Of The Old Ultraviolence
By Matt Pruett
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A RICH YEAR
Tracking A 12-Month Global Whirlwind In The Life Of New Jersey Photographer Rich McMullin
By Matt Pruett
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OLD SCHOOL
47th Annual
East Coast Surfing Championships Presented By Coastal Edge Something To Be
Proud Of... Whether You’re From VB Or Not
By Matt Pruett
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BILL OF SALE
Surf Expo Comes To Town Early With Lower-Than-Usual
Attendance Rumors And Category 4 Hurricane Bill Zooming In. Will You Blow Town To
Bro Down Or Sit Tight And Get Right?
By Matt Pruett
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AL-RUDDY DONE
One Florida Photographer's Take On Volcom's 2009 East Coast Summer Tour, Which Is Straight BS!
By Hans Downzerblaus; Photos by Patrick Ruddy
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