<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Having competed at Manly Beach a number of times throughout his career, even winning the event in 1997, Slater has a strong affiliation with the Northern Beaches of Sydney.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I’ve always loved the northern beaches and having lived part-time in Avalon for 15 years, I miss it and am looking forward to getting back to some old familiar territory. I’m also getting a nice warmup prior to jumping back on tour full-time after close to a year and a half hiatus from competition.” Said Slater.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The event is the second major Qualifying Series event of the WSL season and will play a pivotal role for competitors hoping to qualify for the elite Championship Tour that Slater has dominated for over two decades.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Manly became a mainstay for a number of years on tour. There’s a lot of history dating back to surfing being introduced at Freshwater some hundred years ago by Duke and many years later hosting some classic events with legendary performances by Larry Blair and Wayne Lynch. The more recent years have shown some serious highlights for tour surfers such as Julian Wilson and as a jumpstart for rookies and QS grinders looking to stamp their mark on the start of the year. It should be a fun week.” Said Slater.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Vissla Sydney Surf Pro is a collaboration between World Surf League and Surfing NSW to run Sydney’s largest surfing event at the iconic Manly Beach. The event is proudly supported by the NSW Government. The event is also proudly supported by Vissla, Sisstrevolution, Northern Beaches Council, WSL, KeySun, Hotel Steyne and Surfing NSW.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <em><strong><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Events/mens-vissla-sydney-surf-pro-2019" target="_blank">Vissla Sydney Surf Pro</a></strong></em> will run from the 18th March – 24th March 2019 at <strong><em><a href="https://www.boardriding.com/Spots/manly" target="_blank">Manly Beach</a></em></strong>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div>