Dion Atkinson : photo Marc Prefontain/ASPNorthamerica

Oakley Pro Junior

ASP Grade 2 Pro Junior  Mens Event
Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, Calif.
17 - 22 October 2006

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

DION ATKINSON IS OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR CHAMPION 
ASP NORTH AMERICA SURFERS DECIDED FOR ASP WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 22 October, 2006 : - - SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Dion Atkinson (Seaford, Aus.) took down the Oakley Pro Junior today in clean six-foot surf at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, California. The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Grade-Two event was the final contest of the 2006 ASP North America Pro Junior series serving as the National Championships.

Atkinson, who was a standout in the O’Neill Cold Water Classic before being eliminated, went absolutely mad in the Oakley Pro Junior final.  After opening with a solid wave, Atkinson waited nearly 15 minutes before striking again.  The big Australian tore into an overhead set wave with searing carves netting him a 9.33 out of a possible 10 to takeover the lead.

“I got that first one under my belt and I kind of sat for a bit,” Atkinson said.  “Alex (Gray) really took over about midway through the heat and I knew I had to wait for a good one to really open up on.  I’m a little bigger guy so these waves suit me a bit better.”

Atkinson, who finished third in the ASP Australasia Pro Junior series, will meet up against some of his fellow competitors in next January’s Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

“The level of competition is really high here – it’s just as high as Australia,” Atkinson said.  “Winning here has given me a really good confidence boost and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again at Narrabeen (ASP World Junior Championships).”

Alex Gray (Palos Verdes, Calif.) surfed extremely well in the finals holding the lead for the majority of the heat before Atkinson took over relegating Gray to second.

“Congratulations go out to Dion (Atkinson) – he’s been absolutely ripping all week,” Gray said.  “That’s what is so cool about this event is that there is a huge international contingent really pushing the rest of us out there.  It’s been an amazing event.”

As the final event of the 2006 ASP North America Pro Junior series, the Oakley Pro Junior ASP North American Championships proved critical in the ratings race for the highly-coveted five seeds into the prestigious ASP World Junior Championships.

Eric Geiselman (New Smyrna Beach, Calif.) clinched the 2006 ASP Pro Junior series today finishing third in the Oakley Pro Junior finals.

“I’m super psyched to finish strong at this event as I wanted to stay as consistent as I could this season,” Geiselman said.  “I’m really looking forward to the ASP World Juniors.  I’m off to Hawaii next and then I go home so I’ll be getting my boards ready with my dad and doing a bit of training for Australia.”

Joining Geiselman in the ASP North America hunt for the ASP World Junior title next January will be Dylan Graves (Isabella, Pri.), Nick Rozsa (Oxnard, Calif.), Sterling Spencer (Pensacola, Fla.) and Alex Gray (Palos Verdes, Calif.) – Gray double qualified by finishing third on the ASP North America Pro Junior ratings and by being the highest-rated North America surfer on the ASP WQS who is of junior age.

Joining the five guys will be Sage Erickson (Ojai, Calif.) and Erica Hosseini (Newport Beach, Calif.) representing the ASP North America girls at the ASP World Junior Championships.

The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will take place January 1 – 7, 2006, at North Narrabeen Beach in New South Wales, Australia.  Five surfers from each of the seven ASP Regions (Australasia, Europe, North America, Japan, Africa, Hawaii and South America) will converge at the high-performance beachbreak to compete for $60,000 worth of prize money and a chance to be crowned the ASP World Junior Champion.

Past ASP World Junior Champions include three-time ASP World Champ Andy Irons (Hanelei, Haw.), Australian phenomenon Joel Parkinson (Coolangatta, Aus.) and 2005 ASP WQS Champion Adriano de Souza (São Paulo, Bra.).  In addition to the prestige of being crowned ASP World Junior Champion and the prize money, the finalists at the ASP World Junior Championships will both be awarded wildcards into the high-rated ASP WQS events for 2007.

The 2006 ASP North America Pro Junior season has come to a close, but be sure to watch our representatives battle the world at Billabong ASP World Junior Championships at North Narrabeen in New South Wales Australia starting January 1st.  Catch all the action at www.aspworldtour.com.  
 
For further information, log onto www.aspnorthamerica.org.

RESULTS – Day 6

Quarterfinals Oakley Pro Junior: 16 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)
Quarterfinal 1: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 12.33, Eddie Lester (USA) 12.20, Dylan Graves (PRI) 9.54, Devon Tresher (USA) 3.87
Quarterfinal 2: Eric Geiselman (USA) 15.50, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 9.50, Ricky Whitlock (USA) 8.13, Kilian Garland (USA) 6.57
Quarterfinal 3: Alex Gray (USA) 13.76, Alejandro Moreda (PRI) 10.83, Tom Rudd (AUS) 7.10, Drew Ventura (USA) 6.34
Quarterfinal 4: Nick Rozsa (USA) 12.20, Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.73, Brandon Ragenovich (USA) 9.50, Granger Larsen (HAW) 7.33

Semifinals Oakley Pro Junior: 8 surfers remaining (1st and 2nd advance)
Semifinal 1: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 15.10, Eric Geiselman (USA) 14.67, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 12.00, Eddie Lester (USA) 10.17
Semifinal 2: Alex Gray (USA) 11.40, Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.03, Nick Rozsa (USA) 9.87, Alejandro Moreda (PRI) 9.80

Final Oakley Pro Junior
1 – Dion Atkinson (AUS) 17.50
2 – Alex Gray (USA) 16.26
3 – Eric Geiselman (USA) 12.93
4 – Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.17

About O'Neill
O'Neill is the world's original surf brand.  The family-owned and operated company distributes its products to 85 countries, including more than 2,000 specialty wetsuit and clothing retailers in the U.S.  Consumer information is available at www.oneill.com.

About the Jeep Brand
The Jeep brand's 65-year history of legendary capability has made it synonymous with freedom, adventure, mastery and authenticity. In 2006, the Jeep brand continues to deliver on its promise to provide rugged, versatile, innovative four-wheel drive vehicles with the recently introduced Jeep Wrangler, four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot.

This expansion of the Jeep brand grows its showroom from three to seven sport-utility vehicles following last year's introduction of the Jeep Commander. The other two Jeep vehicles are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty.

About PRIMEDIA'S Action Sports Group
Reaching more than two million enthusiasts, PRIMEDIA's ASG is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to SURFER, the ASG publishes leading lifestyle publications such as Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Powder, Climbing and Canoe & Kayak. PRIMEDIA's ASG delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties, events and television programming.  Learn more online at: www.actionsportsgroup.net About Macy's West Macy's West, a division of Federated headquartered in San Francisco, operates 174 stores in  seven states and Guam, with annual sales of more than four billion. At Macy's we are committed to supporting the communities where we live and work.  In 2005, we raised and donated nearly $14 million in community support through our fundraising efforts.

About Oakley Inc.
Oakley, Inc. designs, manufactures and distributes high-performance sunglasses, prescription lenses and frames, goggles and technology-enabled eyewear that utilize the company's High Definition Optics(R) (HDO(R)), a collective platform of patented technologies that offer unbeatable optical performance. The company also produces technical and active apparel, footwear and accessories. Trailing-12-month net sales through December 31, 2005 totaled US $648.1 million. Oakley, Inc. press releases, SEC filings and the company's annual report are available at investor.oakley.com.

About the Association of Surfing Professionals The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing.  Crowning surfing's undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the Foster's ASP Men's World Tour (WCT), the ASP Women's World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world's best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.  These regions manage all their respective domestic affairs under the guidance of ASP International, which is located on the Gold Coast of Australia.  ASP International and ASP North America are committed to the progression of surfing and are dedicated to continuing excellent relationships with their surfers, event operators, sponsors and media.  For more information log onto www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org

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