The OAKLEY PRO JUNIOR surf contest in NEWPORT BEACH will provide valuable points for the 2007 TITLE contenders.

NEWPORT BEACH, California (Wednesday, August 22, 2007) – Action Sports Group (ASG) is pleased to announce the return of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Grade 2 Oakley Pro Junior to Newport Beach’s 54th Street Break, September 21 - 23, 2007.

Held in conjunction with the Oakley Newport Beach Pro presented by Jeep®, the event is the pivotal second stop of the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series (an ASP North America Specialty Series) and boasts a $10,000 prize purse for the juniors, as well as an additional $5,000 purse and points bonus for the top points winner for the series. 48 of the leading Juniors (under the age of 20) will compete for the cash and valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the annual Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

“Come September, there will only be two more opportunities for ASP North America’s top Juniors to earn a result, which as we saw at Trestles is no easy task at this level of competition.” says ASG Director of Events Sean Nielsen. “The Oakley Pro Junior in Newport will set the stage going into the ASP North American Championships in October, where the Macy’s California Trifecta Series Junior title, ASP North American title, and qualifying seeds for the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships will be decided. A solid performance in Newport is critical for competitors sitting in the top of the ratings.”

After stop one of the Macy’s California Trifecta at Lower Trestles, the current Macy’s Pro Junior race looks like this: Brent Dorrington (Gold Coast, AUS) 500 pts, Eric Geiselman (New Smyrna Beach, FL) 430 pts, Cory Arrambide (Ventura, CA) 365 pts and Nick Rozsa (Oxnard, CA) 335 pts.

A breakdown of the current leaders in the Macy’s Pro Junior race is as follows:

Brent Dorrington - Australian sensation and current Macy’s Trifecta Oakley Pro Junior point ratings leader, Brent Dorrington, will return to Newport to compete in the second stop of the Macy’s Trifecta as a wild card for the Oakley Pro Junior. "Brenno", as he is affectionately referred to, shook things up this season at April’s Oakley Pro Junior at Lower Trestles when he scored a sensational come-from-behind victory in the dying moments of the final against top North American juniors Eric Geiselman, Cory Arrambide and Nick Rozsa. If Brenno is in town, he should be considered one of the most dangerous competitors in the event.

Eric Geiselman – The 2006 ASP North America Pro Junior Champion and current No. 3 on this year's ratings, Geiselman has already scalped one ASP Pro Junior Title this season at March's ASP Grade-1 Ezekiel Pro Junior and will be looking to back it up with another win to further cement his standing. A tenacious competitor, Geiselman has added an explosive new flair to his well-rounded act in 2007, punting massive airs and pushing the progressive envelope.

Cory Arrambide - One of the most competitive young surfers to come out of the North American region, Arrambide is hungry for his first professional win. Already an amateur record-holder, Arrambide has been extremely consistent this season on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series (even holding the ratings lead at one point), but has yet to find a victory. The determination is more than there, and no one will be surprised to see the intense goofy-footer come out on top in Newport.

Nick Rozsa - The uber-talented Rozsa has been a bit of a non-entity on the 2007 ASP North America Pro Junior Series. Although one of the regional qualifiers for last January's Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, Rozsa has been absent from several Pro Junior events this season as the result of trying his hand in international ASP WQS events as well as nursing himself back from a nasty illness. Currently sitting at No. 22 on this season's ratings, Rozsa is going to have to blow up in the remaining Pro Junior events if he's to return to Narrabeen next January.

Aligning the top-rated international junior competitors against the highest-rated ASP North American Juniors, the Oakley Pro Junior’s small field and competitive draw demands each surfer perform at the top of his ability. There are a total of 10 ASP North America Pro Junior events in 2007, three of which are part of the Oakley Pro Junior series. Each event offers the domestic competitors important points toward the year-end standings and a chance to receive entry into the ASP North America Pro Junior Championships, which plays a key factor in deciding who will qualify for the 2008 Billabong ASP World Junior Championships. The Billabong ASP World Junior Championships has crowned past champions such as Foster’s ASP World Tour pros Joel Parkinson (AUS), Andy Irons (HAW), Adriano de Souza (BRA) as well as reigning ASP World Junior Champ Jordy Smith (ZAF).

Following Newport, the series will conclude with the ASP Grade 3 Oakley Pro Junior at the 2007 O’Neill Coldwater Classic presented by Jeep at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, Calif., October 9-14, 2007.

For more information, please log on to www.aspnorthamerica.org or www.aspworldtour.com.

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