Among the seven international teams taking part in the Usher Cup surf contest for the first time in 2023, American surf powerhouse Huntington Beach Boardriders Club are bringing some of the West Coasts most exciting board riders to the Gold Coast.
The Huntington Beach Board Riders vision is for brothers and sisters across all generations to be united through city surf clubs and friendly competition. Home to those with a deep passion for surfing, the club is committed to paying it forward.
Located in California, the 2018 West Coast Board Riders champions are sending an exciting young team to the Gold Coast, the team led by 9th grade professional surfer Sara Freyre who is currently ranked 45th on the World Qualifying Series and desperate to take on the best from Australasia at Snapper Rocks.
Sara lives for the ocean and surfing and was one of nine surfers selected to be a member of the USA Surfing Youth Olympic Development Program Team. The talented teens skills aren’t limited to the surf, and she is the 2022 National Skate champ and an accomplished jiu jitsu competitor.
Luke Guinaldo is another highly skilled youngster bursting with passion desperate to test himself against Australia’s best at the Usher Cup in January. As just 17 years of age, Luke is also an accomplished model, and the face of numerous surf brands including Hurley, Jack’s Surfboards and Futures Fins. Despite his success as a model, his usher cup rivals would be wise not to underestimate his ability in the water. Placing 3rd in the 2019 and 2020 USA Surfing championships, Guinaldo went one better in 2021, claiming silver in the under sixteen division.
Kolby Aipa is the final teenage competitor preparing to represent Huntington Beach down under, the seventeen-year-old currently on a hot streak, winning three consecutive events in the Southwest Conference Explorer Season. Like Sara and Luke, Kolby is regarded as one of the hottest commodities on the USA surf scene.
The Huntington Beach team is anchored by a club legend and one of the clubs three ASP World Tour representatives. Jeff Deffenbaugh is the perfect mentor and senior influence for the young HBBR team, having surfed professionally since 1991.
Currently competing on the US and World Qualifying series tours where he is ranked 6th and 51st respectively, Deffenbaugh leads a Huntington Beach Boardriders Club team confident they are a strong chance to claim the inaugural World Club Challenge trophy when the Usher Cup kicks off on the Gold Coast from the 19th to the 22nd of January 2023.
Male and female surfers nominated to represent their clubs at the Usher Cup will compete for equal prizemoney on one of the world’s most iconic surf breaks.
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www.ushercup.com Usher Cup 2023 is proudly supported by Tourism and Events Queensland & the City Of Gold Coast.