US Open of Surfing Huntington Beach presented by Shiseido Brings Challenger Series to Surf City USA

The Challenger Series is the second of three competitive tiers for the world's best surfers and the 96-man and 64-woman fields are made up of CT surfers with the remainder drawn from the seven WSL Regional Qualifying Series around the world. Surfers compete for a chance to advance to the elite CT by finishing in the Top 12 men's and Top 6 women's spots by the end of this year's condensed four-event season.

“It's great for us to be back in Huntington with its history in pro surfing and the US Open has always been an important part of that history,” said Jessi Miley-Dyer, WSL SVP Tours and Head of Competition. “Everyone's excited for the Challenger Series to start and get the qualification process started again. It'll be great to see who does well and who makes that charge toward CT qualification. Thank you to Huntington Beach for having us back and we're stoked to get that event underway."

Appearances from the world’s best women include Rip Curl WSL Finals contender Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), recent Olympian Caroline Marks (USA), former US Open victors Courtney Conlogue (USA) and Sage Erikson.

Conlogue’s victory in 2018 was a dream realized, growing up surfing in the Huntington Beach lineup and US Open as a kid, and brought the entire surfing community together after her CT win.

“I've competed in the US Open since I was a 11 or 12-years-old and it's a contest that I hold really close to my heart," expressed Conlogue. "It was one of my first (then) 6-Star wins in 2009 and helped me qualify for the Tour. Winning it in 2018 for a second time was really cool and I've had some really good finals with Sage Erickson which brings back all the memories."

"It feels like the game's back on now with the US Open returning," added Conlgoue. "I think COVID-19 taking it out last year was quite a bummer. It's an event where the locals get to come down, cheer on their favorite local surfers and see the international field which I think is really special."

Renowned talents such as Rip Curl WSL Finals contender Conner Coffin (USA), World No. 6 Griffin Colapinto (USA), two-time US Open victor Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), and 2020/21’ North America Regional QS Champion and former CT competitor, Nat Young (USA) headline the men’s competition alongside an international field. Young will begin his road to requalify for the CT at this event and, with recent performances, has shown he is ready to go up against some of the world’s best.

“It was good to spend some time surfing the Huntington Beach Pier and also put some heats together at the Jack’s Surfboards Pro,” said Young. “Getting to surf both four-man and man-on-man heats was perfect after some time off from competing. I have dealt with a lot of life changing events over the past year."

"As far as time away from the jersey goes," added Young. "For me I have dealt with the hardest times of my life with my mom passing and the best times of my life being at home with my daughter. It has been an emotional rollercoaster. My mom dedicated her life to supporting me in chasing my dreams and now I have motivation to accomplish much more in her honor.”

The 62nd year of this long-standing event in Huntington Beach now joins forces with Shiseido as the presenting sponsor. Shiseido comes on not only as an event sponsor, but will also be spearheading a beach cleanup during the event window with WILDCOAST to give back to the local community.

Shiseido's mission is simple: "Beauty Innovations for a Better World." The company was founded in 1872 in the city of Ginza, Tokyo, and continues to bring its products to stores around the world.

Global partners for the US Open of Surfing Huntington Beach pres. by Shiseido include Michelob Ultra, Jeep, Hydro Flask, Expedia, Red Bull, Oakley Sunglasses, and BFGoodrich join with event partners Frontier, Flying Ember, US Army, Apple Test, Fu Wax, Super73, Regional, DraftKings, and Waterloo.

Visit Huntington Beach will have their presence as local partners of this long-standing event and are proud to keep pro surfing in their city's beaches.

"We are thrilled to once again host the U.S. Open of Surfing," says Kelly Miller, President & CEO of Visit Huntington Beach, Surf City USA's official destination marketing organization. "The combination of our century-old rich surf culture and history, nearly 10 miles of uninterrupted beaches, and active outdoor lifestyle make Surf City USA® a natural choice for hosting world-class sporting events like the U.S. Open of Surfing Huntington Beach."

The US Open of Surfing Huntington Beach presented by Shiseido (Men's & Women's) will run September 20 - 26 in Huntington Beach, California, and be broadcast live at www.WorldSurfLeague.com.

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.

Beauty innovation. Born in Ginza, Tokyo Japan. Established in 1872, Shiseido is one of the world’s most-trusted beauty brands. Built on a foundation of respect for Japanese ingredients and culture, Shiseido is renowned for its commitment to tradition and quest for innovation. In skincare, suncare, and makeup, Shiseido offers superior products and unparalleled technologies that celebrate the art and science of beautiful skin.

Sustainable Beauty Actions (SBAS) is a new, global initiative through which SHISEIDO will implement a range of sustainability-focused activities and products to create social value unique to the beauty industry. The SBAS initiatives is built upon three key pillars unique to SHISEIDO: “MOTTAINAI” (recycle and reuse), HARMONY (with society and environment) and EMPATHY (resonate with all). Based on these three pillars, SHISEIDO will act to help create a more sustainable, beautiful future. The We Are One Ocean partnership falls under the HARMONY pillar and is an extension of the SHISEIDO BLUE PROJECT. Launched in 2019 in association with WSL and WSL PURE, the SHISEIDO BLUE PROJECT promotes ocean conservation through initiatives such as beach cleans and sand dune planting to safeguard shorelines with professional surfers and people. Brand SHISEIDO is also the official sunscreen of the World Surf League North America.

Press Release Source: www.worldsurfleague.com