Got Milk? West Coast Junior Surfing Prime Series Comes to Salt Creek

Photo: Surfline - Salt Creek, Dana Point, Calif.

Dana Point, Calif. (December 7, 2018)–USA Surfing’s Prime Series sponsored by Got Milk? is scheduled to make a stop at scenic Salt Creek in Dana Point December 8-9. More than 100 of the best under 18 surfers on the West Coast are registered to compete. The heat draws and schedule can be found here.
 
Salt Creek will be the fourth of nine stops in the elite, cross-country competition. The invite-only events include surfers who placed highest in regional competitions held by USA Surfing’s affiliate organizations – the Western Surfing Association, Eastern Surfing Association, National Scholastic Surfing Association, Hawaiian Surfing Association and Texas Gulf Surfing Association. 
 
USA Surfing’s Prime Series was created to bridge the gap young surfers experience when working to make the leap to next-level competition opportunities, including a position on the USA Surfing national teams, the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series, the WSL Championship Tour and the Olympic Games. 
 
Participation and wins at each Prime Series event earn points that cumulatively determine national rankings and a chance to compete at national championships.
 
“The Prime Series which celebrates its 10thanniversary this year.It has been such a privilege to watch these athletes grow and progress,” USA Surfing President and Prime Series co-founder Andrea Swayne said.
 
Just this week USA Surfing team member Kirra Pinkerton became the first surfer from the United States to be crowned the WSL World Junior Champion.
 
“There is no question USA Surfing has developed a strong pipeline of talent that is becoming the envy of the world,” USA Surfing CEO and Prime Series co-founder Greg Cruse said. “These are the athletes that show great promise for future Olympic Games -- 2024 in Paris and 2028 in Los Angeles.”
 
The Prime Series provides surfers with a competitive experience similar to WSL pro events with professional WSL/ISA judges and announcers, four-person heats using priority, and computer scoring. 
 
Several current WSL pro surfers honed their competitive skills through USA Surfing’s Prime Series. Former East Coaster 16-year-old Caroline Marks, currently ranked No. 6 in the WSL, qualified for the Championship Tour while still competing in the Prime Series. Other greats include 2018 US Open champions Courtney Conlogue and Kanoa Igarashi, 2nd-ranked Lakey Peterson, Conner Coffin, Kolohe Andino, and Griffin Colapinto.
 
The Got Milk Prime Series continues in venues across the country including: 

• January 13 – 14, 2019 – USA Surfing Prime Junior Event – Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, Calif.
• January 26 – 27, 2019 – USA Surfing Prime Junior Event – Satellite Beach, Fla. 
• February 9 – 10, 2019 – USA Surfing Prime Junior Event – Huntington Beach Pier, Calif.
• March 2 – 3, 2019 – USA Surfing Prime Junior Event and East Coast Junior Team Training – New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
• May 4 – 5, 2019 – USA Surfing Prime Junior Event – West Coast location TBD

 
The series culminates with USA Surfing Championshipsin June – the pinnacle competition with 250 of the nation’s top surfers competing for national titles and spots on the USA Surfing team at one of the world’s best surf breaks – Lower Trestles.  
 
Contact: becky (at) usasurfing (dot) org
 
USA Surfing is the National Governing Body for surfing in the United States, recognized by the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). USA Surfing’s mission is to promote and grow the sport of surfing and support United States athletes of all backgrounds to achieve sustained competitive excellence in Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American competition. USA Surfing will oversee and support America’s Olympic team as surfing makes its debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and surfing and stand-up paddleboarding athletes compete in the 2019 Pan American Games.
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