Surf Station Team Rider Braeden Kopec secures East Coast Surfing title!
Braeden Kopec of Flagler Beach, Florida secured an East Coast title this past weekend while surfing in the 53rd Annual Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships presented by VANS and held in conjunction with the VANS Pro and VANS Jr. Pro WSL Qualifying events. Braeden just turned 9 a few weeks ago and traveled to Virginia Beach to take on the East Coast’s best surfers. The event is the longest running contest in the country and is second only to the WSL’s tour event at Bells Beach, Australia for years run.
Braeden dominated the U10 heats where he competed in multiple elimination rounds over the course of several days placing first in each round, including the final where he earned his East Coast title. He posted the two highest scores out of all of the U10 heats.
Braeden also competed in the U12 division where he placed first in both round one and the quarter finals, followed by second place in the semi-final which earned him a spot in the final where he placed a very respectable 4th overall.
Braeden recently spent 10 days in Costa Rica for a Global Training Camp with other surfers from Barbados, Costa Rica and Florida. Just prior to that he spent two weeks in California where he competed in the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) Nationals. He was the youngest competitor to compete in the event and finished 13th overall. Earlier this year he placed an impressive 5th overall in the Eastern Surfing Association’s Southeast Regional Championships and 6th overall in the NSSA East Coast Championships. While his love of surfing has him in the water for hours on end Braeden continues to be an honor roll student in school.
Be sure to follow Braeden on Instagram @braedenkopec. Braeden is a team rider for Quiet Flight Surfboards, Surf Station surf shop and Sun Bum sun care and is also supported by XCEL wetsuits.
CLICK HERE to view Braeden’s team profile page!
