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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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