Updated

Quiksilver Pro N.Y. not returning to Long Beach in 2012

ASP says that another company could bring the event back

Posted

The Quiksilver Pro New York, the most lucrative surfing competition ever held on the East Coast, will not return to Long Beach next year.

Quiksilver and the Association of Surfing Professionals announced Dec. 16 that the contest would not be returning to the East Coast as part of the 2012 ASP World Title Series.

“The 2011 Quiksilver Pro New York event was a huge success for the surfers and fans, with great conditions and incredible support from New Yorkers,” Rob Colby, president of Quiksilver Americas, said in a statement. “Quiksilver is still very much committed to the ASP and the professional surfing tour in 2012, with the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Australia and the Quiksilver Pro France.”

In November, the ASP International released the schedule for next year’s World Tour, which kicks off in Australia in February. Its 11 stops included the Quiksilver Pro New York in September. The ASP said that Quiksilver had not indicated that it planned to move the competition elsewhere on Long Island.

Last month, renowned big-wave surfer Peter Mel, the marketing director for Quiksilver’s Waterman line of men’s apparel and a host during September’s event in Long Beach, told the Herald that Quiksilver had not formally announced plans to return and that a decision had yet to be made.

Last Friday, however, ASP International media spokesman Dave Prodan said in a statement that while the 2011 competition was a “fantastic event with excellent waves” and “tremendous local support,” the ASP understood “the factors leading to Quiksilver’s withdrawal of the New York event from the 2012 schedule,” though he did not elaborate.

A spokeswoman for Quiksilver, Catlin Rawling, declined to comment. Colby, however, told the publication Transworld Business that the decision was based on the cost of producing the event and losses incurred in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. He said that Quiksilver had exceeded its budget for the event, mostly due to the storm, but added that he was hopeful about a return to New York in 2013.

One city official said that Quiksilver is trying to recoup a loss of roughly $5 million through an insurance claim.

“They never communicated with us,” City Manager Charles Theofan said. “My understanding is that they have an insurance claim for any losses, but with the lack of communication from them, we can only guess.”

Ray Ellmer, a surfer, lifeguard and member of the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals, said he believes Quiksilver lost money when the festival events were canceled in the aftermath of Irene. The event was to include music, fashion, art, skateboarding and motocross exhibitions intended to complement the surfing competition.

“I think they went over budget, and they did lose some of their sponsorship money once the decision was made by the city to make it a non-alcoholic event,” Ellmer said. “And once the entire festival was canceled, Vitamin Water pulled out also.”

Prodan told the Herald that while he could not discuss Quiksilver’s decision not to return, it did not have to do with the possibility of poor wave conditions next year. He also said that the pro surfers had expressed a willingness to return to Long Beach and considered the event a success.

“Before the event there were obviously some concerns,” Prodan said, “but generally, everyone was excited to go out there and see what New York had to offer. The waves were better than anyone dreamed of and everyone was very excited. It was some of the best high-performance surfing on the tour.”

The competition drew an estimated 100,000 spectators, according to Quiksilver.

The city’s handling of the event was a subject of debate at several candidates’ forums leading up to last month’s election, with Democratic candidates criticizing the administration for not doing enough to inform residents about the contest in the months leading up to it and for not signing a formal contract with Quiksilver.

Republican coalition candidates, however, said that they were working to bring the event back to Long Beach. In September, Quiksilver’s marketing vice president, Mike Matey, told the Herald that Quiksilver has a three-year licensing agreement with the ASP to hold the event on the East Coast.

Prodan said that there is a possibility that another sponsor, such as Nike or Billabong, could host the event on the East Coast. “There may be a situation where Quiksilver could say that someone else could possibly do the event if they’re interested, but it depends on the status of that … license agreement,” he said. “… There’s always the potential for another licensee to come in and apply for a license. The ASP is disappointed, and hopefully something can be worked out and we can come back.”

Ellmer said that Long Beach was the best venue for such an event on the East Coast. “Long Beach proved it could host the event, and I still think it’s a better venue than Montauk or New Jersey,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the ASP in New York, and someone will have the rights to hold the event on the East Coast.”

Prodan, too, said that Quiksilver might be considering a return to Long Beach in 2013. And City Councilman Mike Fagen said that while the new Democratic council majority is disappointed in the cancellation of next year’s event, Quiksilver may not be giving up on Long Beach. “It’s my understanding that they’re going to expand on their commitment to the Unsound tournament and that their future involvement with the City of Long Beach will continue,” Fagen said. “We’re working on a more definitive announcement at this time.”

Unsound surf shop in Long Beach was a major partner in September’s event, and presented the Quik Pro N.Y. Trials, which determined the final wildcard entrant in the main event. Unsound also hosts the Unsound Pro Junior competition each year, the only ASP-sanctioned tour stop in New York.