FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oakley, Inc. today congratulated Sebastian “Seabass” Zietz for winning the 2012 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Part of the Oakley Surf family since he was 16, Zietz has now secured a place on the 2013 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour.
“A member of the family is achieving his dream, and all of us at Oakley salute him,” said Oakley CEO Colin Baden. “When Seabass was carried up the beach in a victory march, it was a moment that took more than just three events to achieve. We salute his years of dedication, his love for the sport and his well-earned glory.”
“Winning the Triple Crown has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid,” said Zietz. “It’s second only to winning a world title. To have my name on that list with all those other guys, including Andy Irons, is just amazing.”
Comprised of the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park, the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach, and the Billabong Pipeline Masters at the Banzai Pipeline, the Vans Triple Crown is considered the ultimate test of a surfer’s ability to take on big waves.
This is the first Triple Crown title for the 24-year-old Hawaiian native. Not since the legendary Andy Irons has a surfer from Kauai earned the top spot in the prestigious series. As the winner in this 30th anniversary year, Zietz took home a $100,000 check, a $10,000 watch from Nixon and a $30,000 Harley-Davidson.
The surf pro expressed his excitement over securing a spot on the World Tour, and his eager anticipation of next year: “Qualifying for the World Tour has been my dream for eight years,” said Zietz. “The timing, and to have it happen in Hawaii, could not be any more perfect for me. I am confident and ready for 2013 and just super stoked.”
Zietz puts his faith in the industry-leading performance of Oakley board shorts, and he respects the style and comfort of Oakley apparel that takes him from surf and sand to the street and beyond. For the entire competition, he relied on Saba Bank, one of his favorite new Oakley board shorts. The quick-drying design is engineered with the free movement of resilient four-way stretch, and it carries a unique sublimated print.
“When you’re out there [in competition], you can’t let anything hold you back or break your focus,” said Zietz. “Oakley board shorts are so comfortable... they’re a big advantage, and a lot of surfers should feel lucky Oakley has always been so hell-bent on being the best.”
“The sport is part of our heritage and we are honored to have some of the world’s greatest surfers in the Oakley family,” Baden added. “Oakley puts tremendous resources into creating unrivaled performance apparel and eyewear. With the success of Seabass, we feel the pride of seeing a family member getting the honor he deserves, and the pride of knowing all our hard work in research and development has achieved innovation that helped an athlete reach his dreams.”
“The relationship I have with Oakley is more like a family than a support crew,” Zietz added. “We’re all good friends. I don’t even feel like we’re business associates. We’re just all kind of family. It definitely helps not having to stress knowing that Oakley has my back no matter what.”
Zietz comes from a surf family and has earned renown for his smooth, dynamic style punctuated by powerful turns, big aerial maneuvers and barrel-riding prowess. He grew up on the garden isle of Kauai, the middle child among nine siblings, and his older brothers became well known for their surfing talent. Sebastian has now taken the reins in bringing surf pride to the Zietz family name. In addition to his Triple Crown victories this year, he came in first at the Oakley World Pro Junior competition in 2008, and earned Macy’s Trifecta Title that year.
Visit Oakley’s website to discover more about the company’s surf collection, and to get the latest news on Oakley pro surfers.
About Oakley, Inc.
Established in 1975 and headquartered in Southern California, Oakley is one of the leading sports brands in the world. The holder of more than 600 patents, Oakley is continually seeking problems, solving them with inventions and wrapping those inventions in art. This philosophy has made Oakley one of the most iconic and inimitable brands on the market, with innovations that world-class athletes around the globe depend on to compete at the highest level possible. Oakley is famed for its insuperable lens technologies such as High Definition Optics® (HDO®) which is incorporated into all Oakley sun and prescription eyewear, and all premium Oakley goggles. Oakley has extended its leadership position as the world’s leading sports eyewear brand into apparel, footwear and accessories collections. Laser focused on the consumer, Oakley has both men’s and women’s product lines that target Sports Performance, Active and Lifestyle consumers. Oakley is a subsidiary of Luxottica Group. Additional information is available at www.oakley.com.