Locals Pros Show Support for High School Cup

In addition to the X Games and the California Cup, the National Surf League launched their High School Cup on Friday April 21st with an unparalleled amount of support from the community and professional surfers. The second Game of a 7 Game series will take place this Friday at Ponto (Carlsbad) between SD seed number 2 Carlsbad High School and Seed number 3 Torrey Pines High School. The foundation of the NSL and it’s revolutionary team format is built on bringing a sense of sports entertainment and community to the sport of surfing. The High School Cup is proving to be the ideal platform to showcase these intrinsic threads in the global Sports fabric and how they relate to amateur competitive surfing.

The NSL is working closely with each of the coaches and kids at the schools in an effort to teach the importance of community and other core values that are critical to youth at the high school level. The Game, being a team driven format, creates an atmosphere of camaraderie, teamwork, sportsmanship and self pride while adding even more pressure to the heart of competitive surfing than the man on man format. “Traditional High School sports have a moral skeleton that teaches kids key life values and how to work with others”, comments NSL President Jeff Cutler. “It is the goal of the High School Cup to let the athletes experience not only something new, but something that is in line with what High School sports are all about.”

The excitement seen on the participants faces in Game one of he High School Cup was something rarely seen in other surf events. In addition to a bringing a fun competitive atmosphere based on long time rivalries, the NSL’s High School Cup is supported by some of the world’s best professional surfers. Pat OConnell, Brett Simpson, Yadin Nichol, Austin Ware, Sean Marceron, Jeremy Heit, Jason Bennett, Shea Yates and Jeremy Sherwin were some of the names that played integral roles in the event. Whether on the bench with the kids, assistant coaching, judging or playing the role of the referee, these pro surfers were on the beach getting involved with the project. When asked why he has shown his support to the NSL High School Cup and the Game format, Pro Surfer and San Diego Sea Lion team member Jeremy Sherwin comments “I feel The Game is a competition medium that has the potential to give surfing recognition as a true ’sport’ in our school’s. Many of these surf teams are merely clubs that utilize athelete’s from particular schools and do not have the formal support or acknowledgement from these scholastic establishments.” Sherwin continues “I think this format gives an opportunity for the educational administrator’s and other higher up’s to see that surfing is not just a past time or a hobby, but a sport analogous to football or baseball.” As the season rolls into it’s second Game, the momentum and excitement will build with help from these pro surfers.

The National Surf League and Red Bull invite you to come see the cross town San Diego rivalry between Torrey Pines and Carlsbad High Schools at 3:30pm this Friday at Ponto Jetty’s.