805 Beer Selects Surfers Kirra Pinkerton and Nolan Rapoza as Athlete Booster Program Recipients for the World Surf League Challenger Series
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Paso Robles, CA (April 16, 2024) – Firestone Walker announced today that 805 Beer, California’s best-selling craft beer, has selected World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series surfers Kirra Pinkerton and Nolan Rapoza as the first recipients of their Athlete Booster Program. The WSL Challenger Series is a level of competition that provides athletes with more opportunities at the highest level to qualify for the elite Championship Tour.
The 805 Beer Athlete Booster Program will cover each surfer’s tour insurance and entry fees, along with an endowment to help fund their WSL journey, as well as include a mentorship session with 805 Beer athletes Conner Coffin and Lakey Peterson. The partnership between 805 Beer and the WSL represents a shared commitment to provide athletes with the opportunities they need to excel in their careers and further elevate the world of surfing.
After learning to surf with her dad at just two years old, Kirra Pinkerton is a San Clemente, CA native who was the 2018 WSL World Junior Champion and the 2022 International Surfing Association World Champion. Recently, she ranked third in the 2023/2024 WSL Women’s Qualifying Series and took home top honors at the 2024 Jack’s Pro in Huntington Beach. With a decade of professional surfing under his belt, Nolan Rapoza hails from Long Beach, CA, excelling in the North America Junior WSL series. Previously, he conquered the WSL Arica El Gringo QS 3,000 and secured two 3rd-place finishes at the Huntington Beach US Open.
“Our aim with the 805 Beer WSL Athlete Booster Program is to provide wildly talented surfers in the early stages of their careers the necessary support to travel the world in pursuit of their dreams and a WSL title,” said Dustin Hinz, Chief Marketing Officer at Firestone Walker Brewing Company. “The pursuit of realizing one’s potential on the World Surf League’s global stage is a journey surfers spend their entire lives preparing for. Kirra and Nolan exemplify our 805 Beer trailblazing spirit and we hope our support will help them thrive.”
“As a professional surfer, I’ve spent my life riding the waves of passion and perseverance,” said Conner Coffin. “I’m stoked to paddle out alongside Kirra and Nolan to help guide them through the highs and lows of the journey, helping them catch their own waves of success. Together, we’re not just chasing dreams; we’re making them our reality, one crest at a time.”
Coffin is also the host of the 805 Beer and WSL’s original podcast, “The Cold Beer Surf Club”, which takes surf fans into candid conversations rooted in surf and culture that only a former top-ranked pro-surfer on and off the Tour has. With three episodes released, the program features guests who share his immense passion for culture that has helped shape the surfing world, including Foo Fighters’ lead guitarist Chris Shiflett, filmmaker Chris Malloy, and professional surfer Sage Erickson. Episode 04, featuring Parker Coffin, debuts April 22. The “Cold Beer Surf Club” podcast will be globally distributed on the WSL app and its media channels, Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
805 Beer’s Athlete Booster Program is a testament to their commitment to the entire surfing community, offering emerging talent the resources they need to thrive,” said Cherie Cohen, Global Chief Revenue Officer at the World Surf League. “We applaud their efforts in shaping the future of surfing and supporting the dreams of young athletes.”
With a shared passion for California surf culture, WSL Championship Tour Series, and Santa Barbara, CA-born surfer Lakey Peterson is the latest athlete to partner with 805 Beer and will be the subject of films and other campaigns highlighting her journey as one of the premiere athletes in surfing. Peterson is widely known for her progressive surfing, athletic force, and rise through the ranks at a young age. She has been ranked as high as #2 for the 2018 World Surf League Championship Tour. In 2009, Peterson landed the first-ever aerial in NSSA women’s competition history and won the title.
“Teaming up with 805 Beer on the booster program is about more than just supporting fellow surfers like Kirra and Nolan,” said Lakey Peterson. “It’s about lifting each other up, amplifying our voices, and creating a community where every wave rider has the opportunity to shine.”