Wet and Wild with Rockin Fig

Down south at the Summer Surfing Festival at the San Clemente pier,

Aug. 17-19, in fun 2- to 3-foot surf, was the big showdown last weekend.

The Assn. of Surfing Professionals specialty event is run a little

different from most contests, ‘cause there’s three rounds that everybody

surfs. The placings are: for a first, five points, second, four points,

third, three points and the top 32 points leaders advance on. Surf City

talent did pretty well, with Danny Nichols, Mark Moreno and Mike

Hoisington all making the quarterfinals before getting knocked out.

Former U.S. Champ and San Clemente standout Dino Andino lost in the

semis.

So in the pro shortboard final, it was former San Clemente legend Matt

Archibald going ballistic to take it, Hawaiian ripper Davey Boy Gonsalves

second and Huntington Beach’s shreddin’ Jeff Deffenbaugh taking third --

he’s made tons of finals this summer -- and former local resident Jeff

Hurley pulling into fourth.

Lots of festivities were happening too, with a couple groovin’ surf

bands playing a couple nights after the contest, Sun Child and Agent

Orange. I heard both were going off, standing room only.

Just saw hard-workin’ Bob Bolen, “the Greek,” real estate tycoon, the

other day, who’s just back from some va-ca, vacation in the islands. He

popped into Maui just in time for the 7th annual Ole Longboard contest at

Laniapoko Beach Park. The Greekster placed second in the final to the

transplant from the mainland, Ole Olsen, from just down the road, Pacific

Coast Highway, in Sunset Beach. I remember that Ole shop there, back in

‘71 or ‘72, ‘cause that’s where I got my first new board. Anyway, the

Greek got a couple nice nose rides in the final. Also in the Master’s

division, north shore local Jim Carney won and Surf City’s Mickey “the

Rat” Ester was second with some nice cut backs. Both came back looking

tanned and relaxed and not bummed they missed the last week of flatness

here.

Speaking of longboarding, the USA’s Colin McPhillips has taken it. In

six-foot perfect J-Bay, South Africa, he did it again. Those rights off

the point seem to be suited to his aggressiveregular-foot style.

McPhillips rides a longboard like a shortboarder, throwing round house

cut backs and lippers, and could be the best all-time ever in that

category, but he still knows how to mix it up with some nice noserides

and footwork too. So with 1999 and 2001, he’s a two-time World Champ.

Congratulations go out.

It looks like it’s time again for Jericho Poppler’s Kids for Clean

Water Surf Event. held at 7 a.m. Sept. 16 at the Seal Beach Pier. Jericho

was one of California’s first surfing sweethearts and woman shredders,

and from our area too -- Long Beach. But if you can remember, she was a

standout at the Huntington Pier on a regular basis. She’s putting back

into the sport, and you grommets can meet her. She puts on a great

contest with a goody bag for all entrants. Here’s a good one: All

proceeds from the contest will go to the Surfrider Foundation for

protection and enhancement of our coastal environment and the Groundswell

Society for supporting the cultural involvement in the arts and science’s

of surfing and benefiting the surfers’ medical fund. Wow!

Fig has announced the U.S. Open eight years now, thanks.

* 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.