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American joins surf team and hooks up with Brits
by George Mojo
03/10/2006:// American Shea Lopez has signed for the Hot Tuna International surf team to join British pro tour surfer Toby Atkins.
Lopez, a veteran of the World Championship Tour, is one of the most successful athletes still competing, and is the brother of fellow WCT standout Cory.
As well as a U.S. Open of Surfing Champion, Lopez is a two-time U.S. National Champion and four-time U.S. East Coast Champion, and he was rated as high in the pro ranks as No. 11 in the world in 2000 and 2002.
In 2003, he suffered a knee injury in the late rounds of the WCT finale at Pipeline on Hawaii's North Shore, but still finished number twelve in the world and rebounded quickly in 2004 with a second consecutive Gold Medal performance in the ESPN X-Games.
"Shea is without question one of the most well-liked and respected personalities in surfing today, a class act in and out of the water, and we're honored to have him on our roster," says Alain Mazer, Hot Tuna's international marketing director.
"He's an incredible surfer in any conditions, he has tremendous insight and experience to add to the business, and he's the perfect ambassador to lead our growing list of talent."
Lopez expressed delight at signing for the squad.
"I'm ecstatic for the opportunity of being a part of the team. Representing a company that has such deep roots in the surf industry is very much a priority to me," he said.
"I had been waiting for the chance to be more than another team rider and Hot Tuna has put me in a position to directly affect the business in a positive way. I'm looking forward to helping grow the brand and catching plenty of good surf along the way."
Lopez joins Atkins and Bron Huessenstamm, currently featured opposite soccer ace David Beckham in Pepsi ads internationally.
Bron, already an accomplished surfer in his mid-20s, finished as the No. 2 surfer in America's NSSA rankings at age 18, and was No. 3 on the U.S. Pro Junior Tour when he turned pro at 19. He travelled on the WQS Tour for four years, wracking up an array of impressive standings, including a WQS win at the prestigious Body Glove Championship in Morro Bay, California.
Atkins, the current No. 2 on the BPSA Tour and a "Best Surfer on Tour" designate from his BPSA surfing peers, is originally from Australia but has been settled in Constantine Bay, Cornwall, for the past four years.
With a 10th-place finish on the BPSA Tour in 2005, he is this year improving on the competitive circuit, and his free-surfing is regarded by many as some of the most progressive in the country.
This year Atkins is concentrating on securing a BPSA UK Tour title, while working on his various video parts, including spots in "Mr B's Performing Monkeys," and his own video project with Micah Lester, "99p Volume 2."
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