Senator urges Quiksilver to return to Long Beach

Following the announcement by Quiksilver and the Association of Surfing Professionals in December that the Quiksilver Pro New York would not return to Long Beach in 2012, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called on Quiksilver Wednesday to bring the event back to Long Beach this year.

Quiksilver and the ASP announced Dec. 16 that the Quik. Pro New York, the most lucrative surfing competition ever held on the East Coast, would not be returning to the East Coast as part of the 2012 ASP World Title Series.

In a letter to Quiksilver President and CEO Robert McKnight, Gillibrand expressed her disappointment with Quiksilver, and urged the company to rethink its decision and include Long Beach as part of the 2012 world tour.

"I encourage you to reevaluate your decision to not include Long Beach in the 2012 competition, and to work closely with my office to discuss how to add Long Beach back to the upcoming year's schedule," Gillibrand wrote. "I hope that together we can work to put this event back on the schedule, offering Quiksilver an ideal location for the competition and opening up additional economic opportunities for the greater Long Island region."

In November, the ASP International released the schedule for this 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.

In December, 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.

Quiksilver representatives did not immediately return calls for comment Wednesday. City officials, however, remained optimistic for the competition's return.

On Wednesday morning, Gillibrand released a statement about her letter to McKnight, which included a statement from Long Beach City Manager Jack Schnirman.           

"On behalf of the new Long Beach City Council and as the new Long Beach city manager, we are looking forward to taking a cooperative, balanced, and fresh approach to bringing top-caliber events to Long Beach," he said.  "We would welcome a conversation with Quiksilver about returning to Long Beach."

The Herald will continue to update this story.