Jun 15 2009
2009 BATTLE OF THE BANKS!!
The Outer Banks of North Carolina may be known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” but professional surfing has never been livelier along this hallowed stretch of hollow, bone-dry beachbreaks.
Talk to anyone, from former ESA-Outer Banks District Director and eternal surf mom Julie Hume to current ESA Executive Director Debbie Hodges, and they’ll tell you getting so much as a contest site permit for an amateur event here used to be hard enough. Then, in 2002, Foster’s and Wave Riding Vehicles broke ground with the inaugural Outer Banks Pro, which ran off and on over the next five years, oftentimes with ASP-WQS sanctioning (when a hurricane like Isabel wasn’t turning the barrier island into shredded wheat). But 2008 truly saw a contest for the ages as the epicenter of Right Coast soul finally claimed its very own specialty surfing competition spotlighting the heaviest barrels on the Eastern Seaboard and the surfers who ride them best — the WRV Battle Of The Banks. A King of the Peak/ Garden State Grudge Match-style spin-off of the Outer Banks Pro, the Battle of the Banks already stands as the most important waveriding event that happens in this area all year long, despite being only one-year-old, pitting longtime rivals Virginia Beach against the local contingent, both teams stacked with the gnarliest tuberiders who’ve ever negotiated this merciless and magical stretch of sea oat-strewn real estate. Instilling an autumn waiting period to guarantee big, powerful, quality conditions paid off in full for organizers, as the inaugural contest saw offshore, eight-foot caverns bulldozed by a brutal north swell, prompting 35-year veteran surf photographer/Eastern Surf Magazine co-founder/ East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame inductee Dick Meseroll to claim, “the heaviest waves I’ve ever seen for an East Coast surf contest.”
For 2009, WRV is bringing back the Outer Banks Pro — but with an interesting twist: This year’s event will be a non-sanctioned pro contest boasting a $10,000-$15,000 cash purse and hosting 96 of the East Coast’s finest. Set to go down September 18th-20th at the Comfort Inn in South Nags Head (just south of Jennette’s Pier), the 2009 WRV Outer Banks Pro will also play host to the Battle of the Banks Qualifier. The main event of the Battle of the Banks will once again enjoy an ideal mid-October waiting period somewhere on the island as the invite list remains clamped at 24 of the area’s toughest barrel brawlers (VB gets 12, OB gets 12). However, the overall field will be expanded to include 40 total contestants, as eight surfers from each county will have the opportunity to qualify for the Battle of the Banks simply by out-placing rival area surfers in the Outer Banks Pro, excluding the already invited surfers, of course. “As epic as last year’s event was,” said Competition Director Ian Parnell, “we felt both teams could have been better represented. The qualifier insures that the Battle of the Banks will be composed of only the best surfers. Joe Public still has a chance to bring it, but he’ll have to beat some pretty heavy guys.”
With rumors circulating about possible wildcards being added to the roster, such as former WCT pro and Wrightsville Beach, NC, icon Ben Bourgeois, Parnell gave a vehement “no way!”
“Both teams will have a couple secret weapons on their side that I’m not prepared to talk about right now,” he said, “but there will be no out-of-town love whatsoever. This is strictly OBX versus VB. You cannot live further south than the Ocracoke ferry docks or north of Fort Story. With VB winning last year’s Battle of the Banks, this is setting up to be a rematch of epic proportions, and going outside these areas isn’t in the cards.”
Parnell also added that competitors should expect a much higher monetary incentive for the “Glory Hole-Best Barrel” award, which Outer Banks goofyfoot Jesse Hines pocketed $500 for last fall. In the meantime, stay tuned to www.EasternSurf.com for developments, “Fight Club” coverage of the WRV Outer Banks Pro with an updated invitee list, and an extensive, multimedia preview of the Battle of the Banks.
It’s gonna be a bloodbath.
By Matt Pruett