The stage is now set for the nation’s top eight surfing teams to face off at the fourth annual Red Bull Riders Cup National Championship. On June 6 and 7, the teams will take to the waves at San Clemente’s famed Upper Trestles at San Onofre State Beach and battle it out to determine the top high school surfing team in the country. Each of the eight teams have already proven themselves as the best in their region, as they fought through a long, competitive season, defeating local rivals to earn their spot in the National Championship.

In a year of upsets, the two teams who went toe to toe at the National Championship finals last year – San Clemente High and eventually winner Carlsbad High, were both eliminated in the regional qualifiers by Newport Harbor High and San Dieguito Academy, respectively.  It was sweet revenge for San Dieguito Academy, who was the 2007 National Champion, but was knocked out by Carlsbad High last year.

Red Bull Riders Cup and the NSL are happy to be back for our fourth year,” said National Surfing League founder Brad Gerlach.  “We’ve seen some of the best surfing ever from all eight of these teams this year, so it promises to be an exciting National Championship.  We’ve got some teams that are returning for their third time hoping to win and some that have never even won a regional qualifier, but are truly driven to go all the way…I think that makes it anybody’s game.”

To ensure the most competitive Games possible through the final, the NSL forms a special committee to make the championships match-ups.  The committee is made up of professional surfer judges, administrators and observers who have attended the regional events throughout the year.  Factors determining the match-ups include performance in regional events as well as past years results and performance.