Wanted to share this article...Garden City’s Cam Richards taking surf world by storm
I don't personally know Cam Richards, but we were pulling for the local boy with such talent. I like the story, so I wanted to share Tyler Watkin's article below.
In what is being described as a “David versus Goliath” matchup, Garden City Beach’s favorite surf son created a nationwide storm of support in his effort to live out his dream of surfing in a World Tour event.
This year’s Hurley Pro is set to begin on September 15 at Trestles in Southern California. The event will feature 32 of the world’s top surfers competing for cash and prizes. Normally, the event receives a wild-card entry that is reserved for a team rider or corporate partner of the event. Hurley, however,has decided to allow the fans to vote on this year’s wild-card entry.
In order to be considered, competitors were encouraged to submit a two wave video clip to be judged by a panel of experts, who then narrowed it down to the top 16 clips. From there, fans were encouraged to vote daily as the field was narrowed down to a single winner, the wild-card recipient.
Garden City Beach’s Cam Richards easily made it through the first and second rounds before coming head to head with Dane Reynolds, a former world tour competitor that walked away from the tour, and who is widely regarded as one of the most influential surfers of this generation.
Reynolds is a giant in the surf world, capable of winning any event he enters, and well-liked in the surfing community. Richards is a 17 year old “grommet” from South Carolina, trying to fulfill his dream.
Voting became frenzied early in the day as the East Coasters shared the word of a local boy potentially making good, with supporters taking to social media sites, and news organizations, including this one, in order to gather votes and support.
Things began to get crazy when 11-time ASP World Tour Champion Kelly Slater came out in support of a then losing Reynolds. That was followed
by a massive push locally and regionally to gather votes for Richards.
Shortly before midnight, the stars, both figuratively and literally began to align for Richards, with Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx tweeting his support, actor Will Smith’s son Jaden, current ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson, artist Drew Brophy, tour surfer Jordy Smith, and many others coming to the rescue in an attempt to propel Richards into the finals.
With the voting set to end at 3am Eastern Time, most started to think that the East Coast would begin to settle while the West Coast came alive in their support for the more recognized athlete.
Reynolds finally began to pull away in the final 45 minutes of voting, with his force of Quiksilver, broadcaster Sal Masekela, Kelly Slater, 5-time womens ASP World Tour Champion Stephanie Gilmore, and even skater Tony Hawk providing their support and just edging out the local favorite.
Reynolds moves into the final round against 20 year old Luke Davis from San Clemente, California.
Today, the collective surf world asked, “Who is Cam Richards, and where is Garden City Beach, SC?” The answer is a 17 year old with a dream, and a community that did, and will, continue to carry him on their shoulders.
Source:http://www.grandstrandsportsreport.com/garden-citys-cam-richards-takes-surfing-world-by-storm/
- See more at: http://www.grandstrandsportsreport.com/garden-citys-cam-richards-takes-surfing-world-by-storm/#sthash.iWkryzfO.dpuf
In what is being described as a “David versus Goliath” matchup, Garden City Beach’s favorite surf son created a nationwide storm of support in his effort to live out his dream of surfing in a World Tour event.
This year’s Hurley Pro is set to begin on September 15 at Trestles in Southern California. The event will feature 32 of the world’s top surfers competing for cash and prizes. Normally, the event receives a wild-card entry that is reserved for a team rider or corporate partner of the event. Hurley, however,has decided to allow the fans to vote on this year’s wild-card entry.
In order to be considered, competitors were encouraged to submit a two wave video clip to be judged by a panel of experts, who then narrowed it down to the top 16 clips. From there, fans were encouraged to vote daily as the field was narrowed down to a single winner, the wild-card recipient.
Garden City Beach’s Cam Richards easily made it through the first and second rounds before coming head to head with Dane Reynolds, a former world tour competitor that walked away from the tour, and who is widely regarded as one of the most influential surfers of this generation.
Reynolds is a giant in the surf world, capable of winning any event he enters, and well-liked in the surfing community. Richards is a 17 year old “grommet” from South Carolina, trying to fulfill his dream.
Voting became frenzied early in the day as the East Coasters shared the word of a local boy potentially making good, with supporters taking to social media sites, and news organizations, including this one, in order to gather votes and support.
Things began to get crazy when 11-time ASP World Tour Champion Kelly Slater came out in support of a then losing Reynolds. That was followed
by a massive push locally and regionally to gather votes for Richards.Shortly before midnight, the stars, both figuratively and literally began to align for Richards, with Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx tweeting his support, actor Will Smith’s son Jaden, current ASP World Champion Joel Parkinson, artist Drew Brophy, tour surfer Jordy Smith, and many others coming to the rescue in an attempt to propel Richards into the finals.
With the voting set to end at 3am Eastern Time, most started to think that the East Coast would begin to settle while the West Coast came alive in their support for the more recognized athlete.
Reynolds finally began to pull away in the final 45 minutes of voting, with his force of Quiksilver, broadcaster Sal Masekela, Kelly Slater, 5-time womens ASP World Tour Champion Stephanie Gilmore, and even skater Tony Hawk providing their support and just edging out the local favorite.
Reynolds moves into the final round against 20 year old Luke Davis from San Clemente, California.
Today, the collective surf world asked, “Who is Cam Richards, and where is Garden City Beach, SC?” The answer is a 17 year old with a dream, and a community that did, and will, continue to carry him on their shoulders.
Source:http://www.grandstrandsportsreport.com/garden-citys-cam-richards-takes-surfing-world-by-storm/
- See more at: http://www.grandstrandsportsreport.com/garden-citys-cam-richards-takes-surfing-world-by-storm/#sthash.iWkryzfO.dpuf
Comments
Post a Comment