WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG -- Rick Fignetti

Get ready -- the biggy is coming to town.

The $240,000, six-star U.S. Open of Surfing is less than two weeks

away. America’s largest professional surf contest hits the shores of

Huntington Beach on July 30 and runs until Aug. 5.

The contest will start with two days of trials up at Golden West

Street on Saturday and Sunday. Then it will move to the Huntington Beach

Pier’s south side from Monday through Sunday.

More than 600 competitors will be coming from all parts of the globe

-- Australia, Japan, England France -- and all over the U.S., including

Hawaii, to try to capture the prestigious title.

The U.S. Open is sanctioned by Surfing America and the Assn. of

Surfing Professionals and will play a critical role in determining who’s

on the World Championship Tour next year with 2,500 points being given

away, the maximum for a World Qualifying Series event.

At the end of the season, the top 28 will be back on the W.C.T., and

the top 16 from the W.Q.S. will be joining them for the next season to

form the new top 44. So, as you can see, a win here could be a major

factor, and as far as our local surfers from the United States, this is

it for a great performance on home turf. We don’t have many big point

W.Q.S.’s this season here on the mainland.

In the men’s shortboard contest, as of writing this article, 35 of the

top 44 have confirmed they’ll be here. Like last year’s World Champ, the

fly’n Hawaiian Sunny Garcia, and defending Open champ C.J. Hobgood, who’s

No. 1 in the current world standings. Plus the explosive Taylor Knox,

Ventura rippers Keith Malloy and the air man Tim Curran, both of the new

school generation.

Other’s include crowd-favorite Pat O’Connell, star of the movie

Endless Summer II, plus three-time former World Champ Tom Curren, who’s

been a W.Q.S. terror this year. And then there’s former winners of the

Open: San Clemente’s Shane Beschen, Floridian Shea Lopez, Hawaiian Andy

Irons, Aussie Beau Emerton and Cardiff’s Rob Machado. Wow what a stacked

deck.

The local contingency of Ryan Simmons, just off the win at the

Professional Surfing Tour of America at San Clemente Pier, and Jeff

Deffenbaugh, just off the win at the Huntington Beach Surf Series, are

two power-packed guys who should do some big damage in the event. Plus

there’s the “Larsonator” Jay Larson and Wyatt Simmons, as well as

upcoming hotties Timmy Reyes, Ryan Turner, Brandon Tipton, Danny Nichols,

Mike Hoisington and Andy Hobson, to name a few who’ve been ripping the

Huntington Beach surf. Many just got back from Indo.

The U.S. Open of Women’s will be competing for a purse of $5,000. I’ve

already seen some of the gals around: hot pros include a couple of

Australians, former World Champ Pauline Menczer and runner-up in the

world standings a few times Serena Brooke, and Hawaii’s fearless Keala

Kennelly. Plus there’s a hot crop of Californians: Julia Christian,

number one on the P.S.T.A.; Holly Beck, just off a win at the National

Scholastic Surfing Assn. National’s and ready to turn pro at the U.S.

Open; and local standout Jodie Nelson, who’s been ripping too.

The contest isn’t just shortboard men and women, but longboarding and

juniors, too: Former longboarding World Champ Colin McPhillips and the

style-master and numerous time U.S. Open Longboard Champ Joel Tudor are

in it. Hot Juniors to watch include: the U.S.’s Bobby Martinez, Roy

Powers from Hanalei Bay, Hawaiian shredder Joel Centeio, San Clemente’s

Mike Lossness and Huntington Beach rippers Micah Byrne and Timmy Reyes.

There’s more than just surfing. B.M.X. is going large too, with hot

shot Dave Mirra and Rick Thorne coming to town. I thought I heard there’s

something like $25,000 in the best trick contest in the Norelco Contour

Park and, in the inline skating, it’s worth another $25,000. Plus in the

regular skateboarding, at the World War III street park and Soul Bowl,

the grand prize is worth an amazing $50,000.

So big bucks at stake and stuff to check out for every kind of extreme

sport out there. Not to mention a couple concerts too, with Ozomatli and

Common Sense. Be there or be square is what I say.

* RICK FIGNETTI is a six-time West Coast champion, has announced the

U.S. Open of Surfing the last seven years and has been the KROQ-FM

surfologist for the last 15 years where he’s done morning surf reports.

He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at (714) 536-1058.