A new era of pro surfing in Long Beach

The Unsound Pro — ‘always the most fun’ — welcomes new sponsor Volcom

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Courtesy Volcom
Anthony Rifilato/Herald

“The waves are here — you guys out here in New York are known for being hardcore surfers,” said professional surfer Jeremy Johnston, of Florida, just after he finished third in the 2014 Volcom Unsound Pro last Sunday.

“I think it’s a really healthy thing up here in the North East,” he said of the contest, which he won in 2008 and 2009. “We get to check out Long Beach and go to Manhattan, and connect with friends. It’s a different atmosphere compared to an ASP tour — and it brings you out of your head a little bit during the contest.”

Now in its 17th year, the four-day Unsound Pro competition kicked off on Sept. 18 at Lincoln Boulevard, and was presented by Volcom, the popular surfing brand, and supported by Spy Optic.

The swells generated by Hurricane Edouard arrived a day before the contest’s window, and 96 of the world’s best surfers — all vying for a $10,000 prize purse — hit the waves for the opening rounds on Thursday.

Surfers competed in 20-minute heats of four athletes, with the two top-scoring surfers advancing to the next round. The tournament was put on hold last Friday, but resumed over the weekend and the swells improved for the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

Unsound owners Dave Juan — who competed in the event — and Mike Nelson called it the most important professional surfing competition to come to Long Beach since the Quiksilver Pro New York in 2011, and the event attracted hundreds of spectators.

It was also considered something of a comeback for Unsound in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, especially now that the event has the backing of Volcom.

“This is the best year we can remember in a while,” Juan told Eastern Surf magazine. “I have to thank the ocean first — we’re so lucky to have a great opening swell, and then to have small and really crappy waves, and then to get really good surf again. We had a true champion this year surfing true East Coast conditions. Thank you, Daniel Terry, Billy Hume and RJ Dunzelman — these guys have been more than amazing helping with everything.”

“We’re really happy to get this event under our belt, and looking forward to building on it for next year,” Billy Hume, Volcom’s East Coast marketing and athlete manager, told the Herald.

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