O’Neill The Crowning III

Klitmøller, Denmark
5 - 12 April 2010

Best Belgian surfers in ‘the cold Hawaii’

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 15 February, 2010 : - - Klitmøller, Denmark -- 'I just wanted to surf longer,' Jack O’Neill replies to the question of how he came to invent the wetsuit in 1952. Almost 60 years later, surfers all over the world can swim in the coldest waters for hours on end. Thanks to their founding father from 5 to 10 April 2010 O’Neill Belux will sound ‘rally’ for the third and last time during The Crowning.

The best Belgian wave, wind and kitesurfers will trundle by bus to the north of Denmark for this edition to prove they're not afraid of the cold. The Crowning III will once again transport over 150 surf fanatics to a unique location: Klitmøller, the cold Hawaii.

Klitmøller in Denmark forms the backdrop for this fun event that will let the top kite, wind and wave surfers compete against each other in a different way. The gang that will come together will ensure that the Battle of the Best should not be missed. This is guaranteed to be the event of the year that will leave the individual Belgian Championships way behind. Whoever wins here will wear the true crown. Welcome to O’Neill The Crowning III, the greatest surf event of 2010!  

° We’re not afraid of the cold

In 1949 Jack O’Neill ended up in San Francisco and immediately fell deeply in love with the ocean, but his swimming trunks could not withstand the cold. To save himself from developing a squeaky voice, he experimented with various materials. Via wool and flexible PVC he arrived at neoprene that served as carpeting in airplanes. Jack observed that the flexible material can keep a person warm in the water and the first wetsuits were born. A little later his surf shop opened. It soon burst at the seams and today O’Neill is a global empire. However, that was not Jack’s intention, he simply did not want to be cold anymore. “I’m just as surprised as everyone else,” he says. “I was just messing around with rubber.”

O’Neill wasn’t simply the first name in the water, O’Neill also remains the very best. In 2009 the latest high-tech ‘Psychofreak’ wetsuit received the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association Award for Best Wetsuit of the Year. Designer John Hunter is always looking for improvements and commented that in fact air is the best insulator. With the principle of the cavity wall in mind, he developed neoprene with airshafts. Other surf brands use thicker neoprene in colder water, but thanks to the XDS Air technology, O’Neill can make a thinner and therefore more flexible wetsuit that is still warmer.

Now that the cold is no longer a problem, surfers can explore the seven seas and that is how Denmark has gained popularity on the surf scene during the past few years. At the end of January there is still ice floating off the Danish coast, but by April Spring is in the air! Although the water remains wintry cold with an average temperature of only 3°C. But that doesn't prevent The Crowning from braving the sea. Surfers aren't afraid of the cold and to add lustre to that statement, there is also an outdoor party on the programme. Everyone is expected on the beach in snowboarding outfits. Fire, hot drinks and a hot party vibe will keep everyone warm. We’re not afraid of the cold! And for anyone who still gets a bit cold anyway: no worries, O’Neill keeps you warm, both on land and in the water.

° Unique competition concept: It’s all about the fun!

Events which combine every type of surfing (wave surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing) are scarce and in 2010 there is only one. Only The Crowning will bring all surf fanatics together. Twenty-eight top riders earned themselves a free ticket by winning medals at the Belgian Championships in these disciplines. Tickets could also be earned at other events. No one will turn down a free trip and O’Neill wants to entice the top surfers who often don't go to the classic contests. Another 20 surfers won an all-in trip in a competition on Facebook. The Belgian O’Neill team is by far the biggest board family of the country and all of them will join the caravan. Organisers, jury members, employees and the press will bring the total to over 150 travellers. Surfing is not a demarcated competition sport but a true-blue fun sport and this will be apparent from the event and the accompanying parties...

The passengers will give you a picture of the cream of the Belgian surf scene. They compete against each other in various Battles of the Best. The contests are not classic heats of single riders climbing towards a final; each one is a free surf session where everyone simultaneously focuses on, for example, jumping, tricks in the waves or simply crashing at full speed! Surfing is all about fun and that’s why The Crowning wants to make sure everyone has as much time in the water as possible instead of waiting around needlessly when the wind and/or waves are perfect. So more fun for the participants, but also for the spectators. The best Belgian surfers all in the water together, that’s something you never see and it can only promise to be a stunning spectacle!

° Three surf disciplines in one unique environment, the cold Hawaii

With only 43,000 km2 of territory, the Danes still have 7300 kilometres of coastline, countless fjords and over 1000 lakes. You’re never further than 55 km away from the sea in Denmark. During The Crowning III the Belgian water rats will even have a sea view in over a dozen houses in the dunes. Denmark is the land of holiday cottages. Nowhere else in Europe is it so normal, easy and cheap to rent a house by the beach for a few days. It might sound a little bleak and sour, but Spring is the driest time of the year and the thermometer clocks an average of 9°C in April. Some summerhouses also have a heated swimming pool or a beneficent jacuzzi so that it is always summer inside.

According to the Surf Bible, Klitmøller is an all-round package. Windsurfing, kitesurfing and wave surfing, there is something for everyone within a radius of a few kilometres which is why it is easy compared with Hawaii. This Danish top location is also famous for its ‘washing machine’, the place where waves break without interruption. Many foreign surfers live in Denmark and the beautiful women probably have something to do with it. So you will find a surprisingly international mishmash in the water. A famous local surfer even moved from Tahiti to the cold Hawaii. Which is the best proof of the excellent surfing conditions...

A Norwegian beauty appears to be the reason that the region has become an Eldorado for surfers. Her boyfriend was on the way to the ferry that would take him to his beloved. A violent storm kept the ferry in port and the Danish windsurfer decided to explore the coast. He discovered Klitmøller and immediately saw the bay's potential. He returned there with his windsurfing gear and was wildly enthusiastic about the waves. When the news spread like wildfire, ever more German windsurfers drove to the north and many successful events followed, as did the kite and wave surfers. The constant wind and waves soon gave the region its label as ‘the cold Hawaii’. After a few years’ absence, Klitmøller is back on the calendar of world championship windsurfing again in 2010, which proves that Klitmøller is one of the highest world-class places to surf.

° Belgian world top versus international Europeans

We don't have to look beyond our national borders to spot the absolute top surfers of the world. In 2008 freestyle windsurfer Steven Van Broeckhoven from Limburg made a show-stealing start on the European circuit which resulted in fourth place in the final ranking. However last year exceeded all expectations. Steven was the first participant ever to win all the European heats and so won the title. And his debut at global level did not go unnoticed either. He was awarded the title ‘Rookie of the Year’ and ended fifth in the global rankings.

Freestyle kite boarder Leander Vyvey from Nieuwpoort has stranded in second place in the world for two years running. He has managed to win all four World Cup heats and has beaten all his direct competitors for the title. In 2010 Leander Vyvey is determined to show that the third time is indeed lucky.

We even have European talent in wave surfing which our country is least suitable for. 18-year-old Mathias Vanoverbeke is achieving  an inconceivable level as a Belgian schoolboy. During the junior contests he managed to beat European colleagues from countries rich in waves several times. Niels Musschoot learned the ropes from his father who lives in Fuerteventura. Last summer he beat international top surfers during the O’Neill Surf de Nuit  in Anglet, France.  Sebastian Brugmans grew up with his Belgian parents in Tenerife and has already surfed to victory in the Spanish championships there. In 2008 he also took the junior title on the Canary Island circuit. The time that Belgians lagged way behind in surfing has gone for good!

The Belgian toppers will be kept company by a few international Europeans. In 2007 the ever cheerful kite surfer Jalou Langeree ended sixth in the world and she has managed to achieve that high level at such a young age. The Dutch girl is the sister of the absolute number one Kevin Langeree so she knows her stuff. The golden Dutch duo are popular because of their gift of the gab and endless enthusiasm with which they travel the world to pursue their passion.

The twins Joackim and Luca Guichard wave surf everyday under the Portuguese sun, hold a Danish passport and furthermore have French and Norwegian roots. With so many European genes it is hardly surprising that the two compete at European level and have already managed to win contests.

° VIP: Saartje Vandendriessche, the Coppens brothers and Anneleen Liégeois will also surf

The general public may also know that nowadays the Belgian surfers compete at world level. And to add lustre to the athletes’ strength, a few celebrities will be joining them. Saartje Vandendriessche, a Flemish state TV channel announcer and presenter, feels at home in many different places and O’Neill would like to add the chilly Danish North Sea to that list. The brothers Staf and Mathias Coppens who are presenters on Flemish commercial television were ardent windsurfers in their younger years and are now wildly enthusiastic about picking up where they left off under the guidance of the Belgian top surfers. Flemish soap actress Anneleen Liégeois was introduced to surfing by O’Neill and in the meantime has become a fanatical ambassador for wave surfing. During The Crowning III, these standard bearers will be proud godparents of the ecological part of the event.

° Waves provide pleasure and green electricity

Surfers don't need a sports centre you can visit any time, any place. It simply isn't possible to automatically renew your subscription to wind and waves. So a surfer lives along with nature and gratefully accepts what Mother Nature offers him or her. A surfer knows as no other that we had better be careful with our planet. So it's no coincidence that the location The Crowning has chosen puts the spotlight on this. The similarities are striking, surfers get pleasure from the wind and waves, the region around Klitmøller gets its green energy from the wind and waves!

Klitmøller is part of the Thisted community which is considered the ‘cleanest’ in Denmark. All of the electricity and over 80% of the heating is generated without fossil fuels. The region continues to work on the use of every possible renewable energy source such as wind, the sun, biogas and soon even waves. Since 2004 scale models of installations that convert the moving sea into green electricity have been experimented with. Since last year the first part of the life-sized Wave Star Energy has been present in the North Sea, a few kilometres from Klitmøller. The entire installation will be ready to conquer the world in 2011. A leading British organisation estimates that about one third of the world’s energy could come from waves in the future. We are on the threshold of a major breakthrough in energy supply and everyone who takes part in The Crowning III can witness this.

This new energy generator will be 75 m long and 20 rafts will provide just as much electricity as the largest offshore wind turbines that are currently in use. 500 families will have all their electricity provided by the sea. The major advantage that electricity from waves has over wind energy is that it comes and goes constantly. The energy is 3 to 4 times more stable than that from wind turbines and a lot more predictable. How does it work exactly? Every raft is attached to its own arm. Every time that the raft is lifted by the sea, a piston pushes oil into the joint transmission system at a pressure of up to 200 bar. That pressure drives a hydraulic engine which is connected to a generator that creates the electricity. As a result of the installation's length, each wave will push up all the rafts and they will provide constant electricity. Meer info: wavestarenergy.com

° Wave surfing, wind surfing, kitesurfing and much, much more

In addition to the three most famous surf sports, The Crowning III will also put the spotlight on newer forms of ‘glad to glide’.

Stand Up Paddle boarding is the newest branch on the tree of surf sports but is well on the way of becoming the biggest branch. As a SUPper you stand up on a large wave surf board and move using a paddle. The advantage of SUPs is that with a giant board you can even surf on dwarf-sized waves. Belgium doesn’t get monster waves so this could well be the next summer rage. Even without roll you can have a lot of fun with a SUP. You paddle on a flat sea, a lake or a river, you exercise outside in the open air and you furthermore get a very complete work-out. Our country doesn’t have many fanatical SUPpers yet, but The Crowning III is taking ten Stand Up Paddle boards along to let everyone enjoy themselves on these new boards. In addition to the many awards there is also an additional prize for the best SUPper.

A Grinch Winch is a portable engine block that powerfully rolls up a cable which is a few hundred metres long. Thanks to this piece of equipment, wave surfers can do the wildest tricks on small waves. There are alternatives, even if the sea is flat. When a few surfers in California were sick of having no waves for days, they mounted their surfboards on roller-skate wheels which was how skateboarding was born. Years later ever larger skateboards are appearing on the streets and these boards let you really surf on concrete. To emphasise the link with the version on the water, The Crowning III is also organising a longboard skate contest which will crown the fastest street boarder.

° The Crowning III: third, last and best?

At the beginning of October 2007 over 160 Belgians boarded five Dutch clippers to sail the deep blue sea looking for perfect surfing conditions. The first edition of O’Neill The Crowning brought legendary surfing conditions and an endless party vibe to the surface. The Dutch West Frisian Islands of Vlieland and Terschelling were the safe harbour for the motley crew including all the national champions in the three surf disciplines and ambassadress Zohra. Five days later all the passengers set foot ashore, tired but very satisfied.

A year later the exception proved the rule. The sequel to this exceptional event once again turned into an incredible box office hit. This time the actors were the best Belgian surfers in the three disciplines, kite surfing, windsurfing and wave surfing. O'Neill let those boys and girls exchange their often battered van for a Hollywood camper and drive off for an unforgettable road movie to the Channel Island of Jersey. Tanja Dexters and Anneleen Liégeois exchanged their safe celebrity harbour for the troop of surfers and enthusiastically tried all the activities. Their wide smiles illustrated it perfectly: The Crowning II was once again one big party, both on land and at sea.

With this success in the back of their minds, the Belgian surfing community is dying to take part again and prove that the third and last time will be the best.

° Unofficial Belgian Championships

In Belgium the competitions for the title are not as developed and that is why O’Neill decided to take it a step further and organise a large-scale unofficial championship, one that surpasses the individual Belgian Championships both in number and quality of the participants, concept, location and name.

° Period: action in all disciplines

Except in summer, depressions fly over northern Denmark one after another. As a result, the month of April offers a more than 60% chance of high winds. And wind leads to waves. From 5 to 10 April there is a good chance of great action in all the disciplines, which in turn will yield spectacular pictures. The water may be cold, but spring is in the air and that is the driest and therefore the most enjoyable period to visit the country.

° Large-scale campaign: the whole country knows

O’Neill is pulling out all the stops to shine the biggest possible light on surfing. The sophisticated communication campaign has made sure that the whole country knows what is going on thanks to flyers, posters, advertisements and TV commercials. Thirty press employees from mass and core media are being given VIP treatment so that they can experience the show first-hand and up close. Afterwards all the visual material will be placed at everyone's disposal free of charge and the entire event will be delivered to all the press bodies in the shape of prefab articles and movie reports with attention paid to every aspect.

° Partners: strong together

An event like this is quite an undertaking and it wouldn't be possible without the help of a number of partners. Fast Forward Events and O’Neill take care of the general coordination and the Flemish Yachting Federation offers support and expertise. Thomas Cook, Da Kine, Red Bull, Volvo and Maes sponsor financially and in kind. Our media partners are youth channel TMF, surf-skate-snow-show on Exqi Cirque Belgique and the only Belgian surf magazine Swell. We would also like to thank the Danish Tourism Board.

° Additional info about Klitmøller

Klitmøller is a cosy little fishing village surrounded by beautiful scenery with dune plantations and reserves. The small, colourful fishing boats still put to sea from the old landing strip on the beach. Often you can stand with your feet in the sand and buy the freshly caught fish from the fishermen. The fishing cutters are moored in the attractive harbour. This holiday destination is known all over Europe to surfers but is also popular with nature lovers, fishermen and anyone who enjoys a pleasant holiday in a quiet environment full of natural beauty. The beautiful white sand beach at Klitmøller is a few kilometres long and merges into high, white, sandy dunes. The natural beauty is exceptional here and particularly diverse. Hansted-Reservatet is Denmark's largest wildlife reserve. The area consists of dunes and heather with lakes and rich fauna.

Previous reports:
# 1 : Coming soon
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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