Loose Ends

It was only fitting that a week of championship surfing would boil

down to a last-minute fight for the men’s crown between Cardiff’s Rob

Machado and Marcelo Nunes of Brazil.

If you don’t know by now, Machado rode a last-minute wave to victory,

which earned him $10,000 in the Philips Electronic U.S. Open of Surfing.

After reaching shore, Machado was hoisted atop the shoulders of an

“unknown” fan, and several other well-wishers stormed to the water to

help the 30-year-old celebrate his triumph.

On Saturday, Machado recorded the event’s only perfect 10-point ride.

It was Machado’s first championship since the ’95 U.S. Open.

Huntington Beach’s Micah Byrne also put on a spectacular show Sunday

in the Billabong Junior Pro event, but the title went to a well-deserving

Bobby Martinez of Santa Barbara. The 18 year old seemed to own the surf

that day.

Congrats, also, to Huntington’s Josh Mohr who gave a great

performance. Mohr narrowly lost out on the men’s longboard crown, won by

San Clemente’s Josh Baxter.

Kudos, too, to Australia’s Pauline Menczer, who won the $5,000 U.S.

Open of Women, and Brazil’s Daniela Freitas, who captured the women’s

bodyboarding title.

***

Even though the U.S. Open has packed up and won’t be back for another

year, the sands of Huntington won’t have time to cool off. The sixth

event of the 2001 Huntington Beach Pro/Am Surf Series will be held this

weekend at 9th Street. The one-star rated event features a $1,000 prize

for the Pro/Am division winner. Current ratings leader Jeff Deffenbaugh,

who surfed well at the U.S. Open, will attempt to add to his series

points total this weekend.

After this weekend’s event, the Huntington Beach Pro/Am Surf Series

has just two more weekend contests remaining on its 2001 schedule: a

one-star rated event scheduled for Sept. 15-16 at the south side of the

Huntington Beach Pier, and a two-star event, Oct. 27-28, at 1st Street.

***

Continuing with the water theme, local swimmers and siblings, Tori and

Joshua Smith, ate up the competition at last weekend’s Southern

California Swim Conference Championships held at El Toro High School.

Tori won every event she swam in the girls’ 7/8 division, winning the

25-yard freestyle, 25-yard butterfly, 50-yard freestyle and also swam

butterfly as her team, the Green Valley Swim Club, won the medley relay .

Joshua, meanwhile, repeated as the boys’ 5/6 division champion by

winning the 25-yard butterfly, the 25-yard breaststroke and the 25-yard

freestyle.

At Sunday night’s team banquet, Tori and Joshua not only were honored

as the most outstanding swimmers in their respective divisions, but each

also was named outstanding girls’ and boys’ swimmer for the club.

***

The Huntington Beach High surf team has been to a few of the surfing

hot spots in the world, and next week they’ll be heading to Ireland.

***

In less than a month, the 2001 prep football season will kickoff.

Opening games for the four local teams (Marina, Huntington Beach, Edison,

Ocean View) are slated for Sept. 6 and 7.

* MIKE SCIACCA is a staff writer. He can be reached at o7

michael.sciacca@latimes.comf7 .