- WSL / Mike Moir
- WSL / Mike Moir
2017 Men's Shoe City Pro QS1,000 Champion Kanoa Igarashi (USA) In four previous chair-ups for the Shoe City Pro QS 1,000 presented by ZEVN, CT competitor Kanoa Igarashi owns two of them. - WSL / Jackson Van Kirk

The North America men's Qualifying Series (QS) season lives on with the fifth annual Shoe City Pro QS 1,000 presented by ZEVN this weekend, June 23 and 24. Set at the Huntington Beach Pier's south beachbreak, this event's history is full of great moments and a stacked field of competitors.

This year, the event serves as a building block for those who aren't quite in that Top 100 (those in the International QS top 100 qualify for top-tier QS events, like the upcoming Ballito Pro), but it is a healthy stepping stone. Some might even break 100 by the mid-year reseed. But, before the event gets underway, here's a look at it, by the numbers.

Griffin Colapinto (USA) at the Shoe City Pro. Griffin Colapinto was just one of a few Championship Tour competitors in attendance last year. - WSL / Jackson Van Kirk

By the Numbers:

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The previous four years, Scott Waring, event proudcer, and his team have gotten together to provide regional surfers valuable points in building their QS rankings each year. It's served as a momentum-builder for the likes of Championship Tour (CT) competitors and QS veterans in those four years -- and previously ran as the QS season opener in previous years. Here's the stacked list of previous winners:

2014 - Kanoa Igarashi
2015 - Kolohe Andino
2016 - Patrick Gudauskas
2017 - Kanoa Igarashi

Kanoa Igarashi (USA) winning his Round Four heat. Two-time event winner Kanoa Igarashi never takes any event, no matter the rating, for granted. - WSL / Mike Moir

1,000

This event offers 1,000 points to the most in-form surfer who can grind out two days of competition with multiple heats each day. These points are vital for surfers looking to burst onto the next step of competition, including the QS 6,000 and QS 10,000, for a shot at qualification. All previous winners got their start at these lower-level events and began to show the world what they're capable of.

QS 1,000s also offer a glimpse into surfing's future as some of the region's, and world's, surfers are in attendance -- with another international field on hand, this year's event title could go to waste if one were to win.

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Kolohe Andino showed fine form at the first event of 2015, taking the win and early rankings lead. Only one surfer can earn the title, and a shot at North America's No. 1 spot -- Kolohe Andino did just that in 2015. - WSL

Eighty competitors will be vying for those points, but only one comes out on top. Though a runner-up finish will garner 750 points toward the rankings, it's a key event toward the North America QS rankings as Stop No. 6.

Whoever is standing at the No. 1 spot on the regional rankings by year's end gets a seed into the major events, and this event could be any one surfer's key to doing just that. Or, it becomes a throwaway and it's on to the next event in search of those valuable points somewhere else.

Brett Simpson (USA) winning his Round Five heat. No one knows the Huntington Beach lineup better than Brett Simpson -- this year's No. 1 seed. - WSL / Jackson Van Kirk

This year's event includes another stacked including two-time Vans US Open of Surfing winner and former CT competitor Brett Simpson, fellow former CT competitor Nathan Yeomans, current North America No. 1 Josh Burke, former runner-up at this event Chris Waring and more hungry competitors.

The Shoe City Pro QS 1,000 presented by ZEVN will run June 23 and 24 at the Huntington Beach Pier in Surf City USA, California.

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