McPhillips Feeling on Top of World

The morning after San Clemente’s Colin McPhillips won the world longboard title in Australia last October, a local newspaper boldly announced his victory.

“Seppo wins,” McPhillips said, recalling the the headline. “[Australians] call Americans ‘Septic Tank Yanks.’ To shorten it, they just call you a Seppo.”

It was an odd way to begin his first day as world champion, but McPhillips has been riding the notoriety ever since.

McPhillips, 25, is competing this week in the longboard competition at the U.S. Open in Huntington Beach. He advanced to the quarterfinals Monday by winning one of eight second-round heats just south of Huntington Beach Pier.

Because of his new status as defending world champion, this week’s event presents a different environment for McPhillips. The announcer couldn’t stop repeating his accomplishments during his heat, and autograph requests have nearly doubled.

“There’s a little pressure,” McPhillips said. “A lot more people are looking at you.”

The world title also has landed him some lucrative photo shoots. He recently spent a month on a boat trip to isolated islands off Indonesia, then spent two more weeks shooting in France.

“It has definitely kept me more busy,” McPhillips said. “I’ve been on the go since March and I won’t be done until late October. I’ve been in and out of town, but I’ve been getting in some good surfing.”

McPhillips won his title at the World Longboard Championships at One Mile Point, mixing nose rides with powerful turns from the tail. The victory was important not only to him, but to many of his fellow longboarders.

“I’m so glad he won,” said Huntington Beach’s Josh Mohr, who also advanced Monday to the quarterfinals. “He has gotten so much better over the last five or six years. He was just ripping all last year. If anybody was going to win that, I’m glad he did.”

The appreciation from his peers was almost as rewarding as the way he won the event. While many of the other heats were fraught with scoring controversy, McPhillips said his road to the title was without incident.

“Everyone said no matter what, I won hands down,” McPhillips said. “There was no one saying I shouldn’t have won, so that’s what I was most happy about.”

Others advancing to the longboard quarterfinals Monday included San Clemente’s Josh Baxter and Geoff Moysa.

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The final three rounds of the longboard competition will be Sunday, one of the prime time slots.

“It’s nice that they’re finally putting us on the main stage,” McPhillips said. “Lots of years we’re kind of a sideshow act way down the beach or at another surf spot.”

McPhillips said the atmosphere near the pier is also a big boost for the longboarders, who usually compete far from crowds and cameras.

“This whole event is good for surfing,” he said. “It’s one of the only big events we have on the West Coast. It’s like a big stadium here, so it’s a [neat] feeling being out there. I won this the first year and I’ve been in it ever since. It’s just insane surfing in front of so many people.”

The longboarders have five days off before competition resumes, and McPhillips hopes it will allow time for the conditions to improve.

Forecasters are predicting one of the best swells of the summer--five to eight feet--will arrive Wednesday and last through the weekend.