• 

  Vans brings family and

Press release:

Huntington Beach, CA (June 5, 2014) – Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand, is proud to announce the highly anticipated return of the Vans US Open of Surfing to Huntington Beach, California, July 26-August 3, 2014. With a focus on family and community, the Vans US Open of Surfing will host the world’s best surfing, skateboarding and BMX action in Huntington Beach as the city celebrates 100 Years of Surfing. The event will feature Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) men’s and women’s competitions, the Vans Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational, and Van Doren Invitational Skate and BMX contests as well as family activities including movie nights and art exhibitions.

“This is an important year for the Vans US Open of Surfing, the City of Huntington Beach, and the sport of surfing. We are thrilled to celebrate 100 years of surfing in Huntington Beach with this iconic and globally recognized surf, skate and youth festival,” said James Leitz, Senior Vice President of IMG, owners and operators of the event. “Surf heritage, youth culture and the beach lifestyle are alive and well at the Vans US Open of Surfing.”

In 2013, the Vans US Open of Surfing saw surfers Alejo Muniz and Carissa Moore crowned champions in tough competition from the world’s best. Action packed with consistent and challenging surf, competitors traded wave for wave in heated competitions. For 2014, the Vans US Open of Surfing is a pivotal point on the Men’s ASP Qualification Series and Women’s World Championship Tour (WCT). For the men, a win at the Vans US Open – ASP Men’s Prime event – will earn them valuable points toward a coveted Top 10 QS ranking. And for the women, with a close race for the ASP World Title, the Vans US Open of Surfing marks a key midseason stop on the Women’s WCT. Alongside the ASP QS and WCT competition, Vans will host the ASP Pro Juniors for men’s and women’s, prepping the field for a spot in the coveted ASP World Junior Championships.

Exciting surf exhibitions will also feature fan favorite, the Vans Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational, an innovative surf series that showcases the expressive style and creativity of longboarding in its purest aesthetic. Directed by international surf icon Joel Tudor, the invite-only competition is set to host 16 talented longboarders exhibiting the unique evolutional style of longboarding today.

The Vans US Open is thrilled to bring the most anticipated bowl riding competition of the summer, the Van Doren Invitational, back to Huntington Beach. Converging in the center of the nation’s largest action sports festival, the Van Doren Invitational challenges the world’s finest crew of Pro and Amateur bowl riders to step up in one glorious all-cement playground, the Vans Pro Bowl. Witness unparalleled competition as the biggest names go for broke August 1-3 for their share of more than $135,000 in prize money and top honors in the most premier skateboarding and BMX events in the Open’s history.

“Vans is again honored to be back on the sand in Huntington Beach for our second year at the Vans US Open of Surfing. We look forward to bringing world-class competition across, surfing, skateboarding and BMX to So Cal, the epicenter of action sports, as well as showcasing the true Van Doren spirit of family to hundreds of thousands of fans on the beach and on the live webcast,” said Doug Palladini, Vans Vice President and General Manager of the Americas.

For the time in between the competitions, Vans has put a special focus on the 100 Years of Surfing in Huntington Beach celebration, and other family-friendly activities such as the Van Doren Village, the Art and Soul of Surfing exhibit at the Huntington Beach Art Center, a free and public showing of Vans’ newest surf film Get-N Classic Vol. 3, and family movie nights.

The 2014 Vans US Open of Surfing will run from July 26 to August 3 and use the official hashtag #vansusopen. All events are free and open to the public and can be viewed daily on the live webcast at www.vansusopenofsurfing.com. CBS Sports will also air two live one-hour wrap up shows throughout the course of the event. The surfing event will also be broadcast internationally, bringing the live action to more than 110 countries around the globe.

The Vans US Open of Surfing is proudly sponsored by FIAT, iON Cameras, G-Shock, Pacifico, Paul Mitchell Salon Haircare, Red Bull, and GrindMedia.

For more information on Huntington Beach’s celebration of 100 Years of Surfing, please visit www.100YearsOfSurfingHB.com.

About Vans

Vans®, a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is the original action sports footwear and apparel brand.  Vans collections include authentic footwear, apparel, accessories and snowboard boots that are sold globally in more than 170 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and international offices. VF Outdoor, Inc. owns and operates more than 415 stores of the Vans brand in the United States and internationally, each offering a range of Vans footwear and apparel while communicating the brand’s rich heritage. The Vans brand promotes the action sports lifestyle, youth culture and creative self-expression through the support of musicians, artists and athletes on boards and bikes all over the globe and through progressive events such as the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing®, the Vans Downtown Showdown, the Vans Pool Party, the Vans Warped Tour® and surfing’s most prestigious contest, the Vans US Open of Surfing. Vans, “Off the Wall” Since ’66 www.vans.com,  facebook.com/vans, twitter.com/vans_66

About IMG

IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion and media operating in more than 30 countries around the world. IMG’s businesses include College, Media, IMG Academy, Events and Federations, Golf, Tennis, Fashion, Models, Clients, Consulting, Licensing, Joint Ventures, and creative management agency Art + Commerce. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, the world’s leading entertainment and media agency. Together, the companies offer an unparalleled client roster; world-class partnerships with sponsors, brands and broadcasters; and marquee assets across entertainment, events and fashion.