Red Bull Riders Cup

And The Winner Is...Carlsbad High School!

The flames of rivalries were stoked, lines were drawn in the sand (only to be erased by the high tide), and it came down to brother against brother (sort of) at the 2008 Red Bull Riders Cup National Championships. Held on the cobblestone point at Trestles known simply as "Church" (a fitting name for any western shoot-out), the swell poured through all weekend long, giving opportunity to the best high school surf squads from around the country to test both their mettle and manhood. But come finals time, crosstown rivals San Clemente High and Carlsbad High would be the only two standing.

It started with eight. Eight teams, eight of the best and brightest from every corner of the continental U.S. Florida, New Jersey, up and down the Western Seaboard, they came to Church on Sunday with one thing on their mind, and while all the coaches gave their disciples fitful sermons, deeds done in the lineup were anything but holy. Ocean City, Satellite Beach, Soquel, they'd all arrived to pummel their opponents into submission and hoist the Riders Cup. Forget resting on the Sabbath, nobody would take a break until the last wave was ridden.

In the end, with broken boards and deflated adolescent egos strewn about, there would only be two teams left, two teams which maybe not-so-coincidentally have been in the middle of a border dispute over who actually lived closest to the break. Local knowledge--and a fair bit of talent--saw San Clemente High and Carlsbad High square off for the fortune and glory of it all.

By Sabbath's end Carlsbad had upended San Clemente, 78 to 83 (even though it was deemed San Clemente lived closer). "We had a solid team, you couldn't ask for better surfing conditions, the kids surf traditional contests all the time, but they really look forward to working as a team and competing at Red Bull Riders Cup," says Carlsbad coach, David Barr.

Sharpshooter and Carlsbad High MVP, Gabe Garcia drove the team to victory with his consistency throughout the entire competition. "San Clemente High was a super good team; they did some great surfing and it was close until the very end, we're pumped to be the national champions."

The Red Bull Riders Cup is not your typical surf contest. Nope, this one's actually interesting. Established in 2001 by surf luminary, Brad Gerlach, the National Surf Leauge's "Game" format, is based around a team-format, with coaches, time-outs, refs, and even classy introductions. The mantra reads "dedicated to the pursuit of surfing excellence, building awareness for the sport of surfing while creating a fun competitive landscape for all types of surfers.

"I'm really impressed with the surfing community; we've had over fifty professional surfers come out to support, coach, and referee the games," says Gerlach. "There is no other surf event that brings the professional surfing community out to help the kid's progress."

And if you didn't see all the action live from the beach, VBS.tv, home of the online surf show Hi-Shredability, has been documenting the story of the NSL and Red Bull Riders Cup since the beginning. Don't miss their documentary about the Red Bull Riders Cup, coming September 2008.

So, in the end Carlsbad High goes home the national champs, and with it comes an entire year's worth of bragging rights, which ain't half bad. But considering the talent level, repeating could prove to be a dicey proposition come next season.

Final Results:

Saturday June 14, 2008/ Round One
Game One: San Clemente High (OC) def. Mira Costa High (South Bay)
Game Two: Ocean City High (NJ) def. Jupiter High (SFL)
Game Three: Carpinteria (Ventura) High def. Satellite High (CFL)
Game Four: Soquel High (SC) def. Carlsbad High (SD)

Sunday June 15, 2008/ Semifinals
Game One: San Clemente High (OC) def. Ocean City High (NJ)
Game Two: Carlsbad High (SD) def. Carpinteria (Ventura)

National Championship Game
| P1 | P2 | P3 | Final
|-------------------------------+------+-----+-----+-------------|
| | | | | |
| San Clemente High |29.5 |26 |22.5 | 78
|-------------------------------+------+-----+-----+-------------|
| | | | | |
|Carlsbad High |29.5 |27 |26.5 | 83
|-------------------------------+------+-----+-----+-------------|

Most Valuable Player - Gabe Garcia, Carlsbad High

Most Radical Maneuver - Riley Metcalf, San Clemente High School

Get the full story and final results here!
Check out all the photos here!

About Red Bull Riders Cup 2008

The third annual Red Bull Riders Cup, formally known as Red Bull High School Cup, kicks off its first game at Hermosa Beach, California on April 1st. The National Surf League presents the Red Bull Riders Cup as the premiere high school surfing tournament, bringing together the best young surfers in each region.

Thirty two schools from eight regions will battle it out in games sanctioned by the National Surf League until a champion is crowned. The winner of each region will be invited to attend the national finals from June 13-15 for the chance to become the best high school surf team in the country.

The Red Bull Riders Cup will use "The Game" format for its tournament. The format is modeled after traditional team sports like basketball and football. The Red Bull Riders Cup is the first step to bringing a new outlook to the sport of surfing through the community and a structure people are familiar with. NSL founder Brad Gerlach says, "The Game creates an easier understanding of surfing as a sport. The entire game spans less than two hours, with three periods, coaches and time outs. Family and friends are encouraged to come out and show support."

The Red Bull Riders Cup will feature professional surfers coaching each high school team during their competition. Some of the professional surfers include Jamie Sterling, Ian Walsh Adam Virs, Brett Simpson, Austin Ware, Jeremy Sherwin, Omar Etcheverry, Nate Yeomans, Ratboy, Peter Mel, Mike Losness and many more.

The National Surf League and Red Bull have partnered to help bring the sport of surfing to a new and exciting level. "The NSL and Red Bull are both companies that are passionate about innovation and bringing out the best performance in surfing. I am very excited to see how we will grow and create a more entertaining and easier way to watch the sport," says Gerlach.

The NSL is a revolutionary competitive surfing organization established in 2001 by legendary pro surfer, Brad Gerlach. The NSL is dedicated to the pursuit of surfing excellence, building awareness for the sport of surfing while creating a fun competitive landscape for all types of surfers.

For media inquiries please contact Crystal Garrett (Crystal.Garrett@us.redbull.com)

But how does NSL's The Game format work?

• Teams of 8 Athletes: 4 starters, 2 substitutes, 2 non active reserves
• Head coach with at least 1 assistant coach and one water coach, communicating via radio.
• Each team has 2 substitutes in the water ready; subs can sub in only once per heat.
  
  h4. Time Periods

• Start time is approximately 3:30pm after school: entire Game spans under 2 hours
• 3 total periods, 2 heats per period, teams alternate surfing each heat
• Each heat is 12 minutes* long
• Each team is allotted 5 "time outs" per game of 2 minutes each
• Each heat will start with a 1 minute* grace period

Scoring

• Each player scored on best one wave
• Each team counts four best scores
• Sub scores only counted if higher than replaced players score

The Game

1. Individuals from each team are introduced, followed by the coaches
2. The referees are introduced
3. The staff - Judges, game director, horn/flag stat keeper, etc is introduced.

The Coin Toss

1. Representatives from each team meet referee in center.
2. Heads = home team / Tails = away team
3. Winner of coin toss decides to surf in first or second heat of each period
4. Referee announces winner of Coin Toss; Game, Timeout and Grace period times.
5. Referee declares "GAME ON"

Coaches are given 3 minutes to give last minute instructions to team and to take the water.

Game On!!!

• Each "heat" is 12 minutes long (referee may extend reg. time based on conditions)

Timeouts

1. Timeout stops "Regulation Time" (usually called during lull in waves or to allow surfers to re-enter line up)
2. Each team has 5 timeouts per game and may use them at any time.
3. Each timeout is 2 minutes (referee may extend timeouts based on conditions)
4. Subs may ride waves without ending timeout
5. END OF TIMEOUT = Re-Start of Regulation time if:
   1. Active Player Stands up on wave
   2. Sub is made "active" and stands up on wave
   3. Timeout expires

Note - Coaching is critical with timeout and grace period time management

Timeout example:

3 of 4 players have good scores with 30-seconds left in regulation; the coach sees waves approaching on the horizon and calls a timeout. The coach communicates with water coach via radio that low-scoring player has first priority on best wave to improve his score.

End of The Game

1. If team win's in final heat of period with time remaining, the game will end, with time and # of timeouts remaining noted in box score
2. Game Awards - decided by judging panel
   1. Most Radical Maneuver
   2. MVP - Most Valuable Player