In December, Atlantic Park will hold the inaugural Commonwealth Cup. The first-of-its-kind event will gather groms from across Virginia to compete in the facility’s surf lagoon.
The event is set to take place on December 11, when 60 high school students from across the Coastal Virginia region will gather to compete in individual Boys’ and Girls’ categories and a Team category. The winning team will take home the eponymous Commonwealth Cup.
The event is the culmination of a year-long initiative to promote youth surfing in Virginia, where high school surf clubs were formed across the state and met at the wave pool. “Surfing in this area has long been viewed as a way of life, but it wasn’t taken seriously as a sport. With perfect waves in a contained environment now available year-round, young athletes have the opportunity to showcase their skills in a way they couldn’t have dreamed of before,” said Atlantic Park Director of Surf Coaching (and East Coast Surfing Hall of Famer) Jason Borte. “The Commonwealth Cup brings the community together to support surfing as a high school sport and places it, quite literally, in the spotlight.”
Opened in 2025, Atlantic Park was the first Wavegarden Cove facility in North America. The 10-acre, $350-million development can generate up to 1,000 waves per hour and more than 20 types of waves. The facility also counts musician and Virginia Beach native Pharrell Williams among its main investors.
