Maroubra’s own Blake Thornton was one of the talented 15 who pushed the envelope on the 2009 World Qualifying Series to qualify for the 2010 World Tour. We’re stoked on Blake’s performance and green with envy.
His sponsor, NRG surf wear, have been kind enough to share this bit of press with us:
NRG surf wear is proud to announce that our sponsored surfer Blake Thornton has beaten thousands of hopefuls to qualify for the prestigious Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 2010 Dream Tour.
The 24 year old local surfer from Little Bay in Sydney has cemented his reputation as one of the world’s top 44 surfers and will compete against current world champion Mick Fanning and surfing greats Kelly Slater and Andy Irons.
Challenging the world’s best is the realisation of a life long dream for the local hero, “I’ve lived in Maroubra my whole life, there are a lot of good people down here who are excited because I’m the first local guy to make the tour in a long time; it almost feels like a lot of them have qualified as well” Blake said.
Fresh from his $50K win of the Cold Water Classic Series in South Africa, Blake joins a record number of Australian surfers who have qualified for the ASP Dream Tour including Owen Wright and Daniel Ross.
The NRG surf wear team surfer’s recent success along with Mick Fanning’s World Title win last week, have helped propel the reputation of Australian surfers to new heights. The recent domination of US surfers is coming to an end, and the latest success of Australian surfers has helped restore the reputation of the Australian surf culture in the eyes of the international media.
Blake rates his family as his biggest supporters and inspiration, alongside sponsors NRG surf wear and surfboard shaper Andrew Harris. When he’s not competing, Blake judges Pro Junior surf comps, coaches surfing and trains hard for the next event.
Blake is a local hero and hopes to inspire young surfers in his local community; “I just hope this proves to all the young kids surfing down here that they can do it too”.
Sponsors NRG surf wear have been proactive in building Blake’s profile, featuring advertising campaigns in ASL (Australian Surfing Life) and ASB (Australian Surfing Business) magazines and displaying huge posters in surf stores across the country. Blake’s pictures are also featured throughout the NRG catalogues and website.
NRG surf wear’s brand manager Richard Ramsay said “We’re stoked to support Blake, we couldn’t think of anyone who would make a better ambassador for our brand. We wish Blake all the best in the upcoming ASP dream tour”.
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