Montauk Surfer Lieder Earns Spot on Team USA for Longboarding

When Chase Lieder decided to head across the country to compete in the USA Surfing Championships and Team Trials in Oceanside, California, from June 13-17, he knew it meant he’d miss walking in his graduation ceremony at East Hampton High School.

It was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make, and it paid off.

Lieder, a 17-year-old Montauk resident, finished second in the longboard division, and most importantly earned a spot on Team USA, meaning he will represent his country at the ISA (International Surfing Association) World Surfing Games next year. The competition window for the Games is provisionally scheduled for February 22 through March 2, 2024.

The World Surfing Games are the final qualifying competition for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Lieder is joined on the team by Kevin Skvrna, Rachel Tilly and Kaitlin Mikkelsen. In qualifying, Lieder not only earned the chance to represent his country in 2024, but he made sure the East Coast — often underestimated when it comes to producing top surfing talent — would be represented as well. His three teammates all hail from California.

It was Lieder’s first time competing in the event, but he said earlier this week that his sights were set high.

“The waves were really good, and all the surfers were really talented,” he said. “My main expectation was to go win and make the team.

“It’s sick, because I get to represent my hometown and the East Coast,” he added. “It’s basically the best of east and west in the USA, and we’re gonna take over.”

Lieder has become one of the top young longboarding talents in the country, particularly over the last year, and he is currently ranked third in the U.S. by the World Surf League in the longboard division.

Lieder got a big boost when it comes to name recognition in the competitive longboarding community after a successful outing at the Mexi Log Fest invitational in Saladita, Mexico, at the end of April. A video of Lieder making a long nose ride — filmed by his father — went viral online, ending up with 3.6 million views. Lieder ended up finishing second, although he earned a perfect 10 for that ride, but it was still an indisputable win in a sport where clout and name recognition on social media is a key element of success.

“I did not expect that video to get that many views so quickly,” Lieder said. “People who don’t even surf were commenting on it.

“They were saying I was like a real life Chicken Joe,” he added with a laugh, referring to the main character from the 2007 animated movie “Surf’s Up.”

The video also garnered Lieder more than 200,000 likes, by far the most he’s ever earned on a video. Previously, the most views he’d had on a video was between 100,000 and 150,000, with roughly 10,000 likes. Lieder said he picked up an additional 3,000 followers, and the notoriety is already leading to more sponsorships and opportunities.

After the Mexi Log Fest, Lieder finished third at a qualifying series event in Virginia Beach for the World Longboard Tour.

Between now and the ISA Games next year, Lieder will continue to surf competitively. He is moving to the West Coast in August, enrolling at Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo.