PRESTIGIOUS HAWAIIAN SURF COMPETITION RETURNS TO THE NORTH SHORE AS SPECIALTY DIGITAL EVENT SANCTIONED BY THE WORLD SURF LEAGUE
INDIVIDUAL WAVES TO BE JUDGED VIA ONLINE SUBMISSIONS; FORMAT OPEN TO 125 ELIGIBLE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS
ATHLETE REGISTRATION BEGINS ON DECEMBER 10 AT VANSTRIPLECROWNOFSURFING.COM
A unique year calls for a radical change! Vans is proud to reveal an historic evolution of the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing event series. Launching on December 21, 2020, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing’s official contest format will be transformed into an innovative, digital, free surf competition experience.
Sanctioned by the World Surf League as a specialty digital event, the 2020 Vans Triple Crown will return to the fabled North Shore in Hawaii as an open, submission-based competition, hosted entirely online at vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com. The event will run for four weeks from December 21, 2020 – January 18, 2021, honoring winning titles for the Hawaiian Pro in Haleiwa, the Vans World Cup at Sunset Beach, and Pipe. The 2020 Vans Triple Crown series will expand the field to welcome men and women contenders from around the world to prove their talent in Hawaii by submitting their best waves for judging consideration.
With this new approach, the elite race for the coveted Vans Triple Crown Championship title becomes even more challenging, as a new, diverse competitive field emerges, and wave opportunities increase dramatically. Unlike traditional surf contest formats, this year’s Triple Crown will test competitors’ ability to demonstrate creativity, skill, and determination without the time constraints of a traditional heat match.
“In celebration of over 35 years of Vans Triple Crown of Surfing progression on the North Shore, the time could not be more suitable to re-visit the concept and re-shape its legacy for years to come,” said Bobby Gascon, senior director of global sports marketing at Vans. “The updated format strengthens Vans’ inclusive approach, elevating the brand’s commitment for women athletes, and increasing accessibility for all surfers, regardless of competition rankings. This format will showcase an exciting, undiscovered crop of rising surf talent in Hawaii and internationally, while upping the ante for surfers to master peak conditions of three of the best waves in the world.”
Featuring the three iconic surf breaks of the North Shore—Haleiwa, Sunset and Pipeline—125 eligible men and women competitors will submit footage of their best two (2) individual waves from each break, for a total of six (6) waves. With a total prize purse of $200,000 up for grabs, men and women winners will be crowned for each event, while the overall Triple Crown title contenders will need to earn top scores from all three breaks combined to claim the championship. Adding to the event’s online engagement, Vans has created a “Fan Voting” period of the contest window. Fans will have a seat in the judge’s booth by voting online to help determine who wins the first-ever digital Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title.
Official submissions will begin on December 21, 2020 and end on January 15, 2021. Vans will host a special digital award ceremony on January 18, 2021 to crown the winners of all events, and declare the two new 2020 Vans Triple Crown series champions.
In compliance with the state of Hawaii’s health and safety protocols, competitors are mandated to produce all submissions content safely, and with adherence to local public health guidelines. The new digital edition of the Vans Triple Crown series allows devoted surfing fans to witness the phenomenal progression of the Hawaiian surf community from a safe distance at home. The Vans Triple Crown legacy remains uninterrupted, cementing the North Shore’s reputation as the ultimate proving grounds for future champions and honoring the decades long traditions of Hawaii’s storied surfing heritage.
The 2020 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing will be hosted on vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com from Dec. 21, 2020 – Jan. 18, 2021. Visit the website to learn more about competition dates, format, athlete registration, rules, regulations, and more. Follow @vanstriplecrownsurf on Instagram to stay tuned in to all the action happening live on the ground in Hawaii.
About Vans
Vans®, a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is the original action sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand. Vans® authentic collections are sold in 97 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and international offices. Vans® has over 2,000 retail locations globally including owned, concession and partnership doors. The Vans® brand promotes creative self-expression in youth culture across action sports, art, music and street culture and delivers progressive platforms such as Vans Checkerboard Day, Vans Park Series, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing®, Vans Custom Culture, and Vans’ cultural hub and international music venue, House of Vans.
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About the WSL
Established in 1976, the World Surf League (WSL) is the home of the world’s best surfing.
A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world’s largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.
The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 global contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties.
Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations around the world. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com.
WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.
The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.