Wet and Wild with Rockin Fig

The championships for the Professional Surfing Tourof America went off

as scheduled last week in Ventura.The final stop of the year saw some

good overheadsets, offshore winds and some bowly conditions. Thenation’s

finest were on hand and the local contingencydid well.

Ventura standout Adam Virs was throwingsome vertical lip bashes and

came on strong towardthe later part of the final to take it and $2,500.

Sixteen-year-old amateur shredder Nathaniel Curranhad the contest of

his life, placing second, and waswinning the final for awhile. Surfing

runs in hisfamily -- his brother is World Championship Tour standout

TimCurran.

Veteran big wave standout Mike ‘Snips” Parsons got third, and Surf

City Jeff Deffenbaugh was fourth. D-Baugh had some big heats,winning all

of them, all the way to the final.

The big “news flash” is that Seal Beach’sRyan Simmons, who placed

equal fifth, was the overall tourpoints champ, giving him the United

States Title.Simmons, who has had a number of great seasons,finished up

real close to the title a few times onthe Bud Surf Tour and was a runner

up on the ClarionTour last year. Simmons said it was nice to accomplisha

goal he’s been shooting at for awhile. Definitelyhis training,

conditioning and surfing were on thisyear, and he had a couple nice deep

barrels in a fewheats on his way to the semis.

Huntington’s Danny Nichols made thequarterfinals, placing equal 13th,

as did formerSurf City resident Kirk Tice, now residing in the San

LuisObispo area.

There was a tough break for Branden Tipton, who did sowell at the last

tour event in Morro Bay. He gotsliced by his fin in the early rounds and

is outtaaction for a couple weeks. I thought I heard Huntington

Beach-Indoboy Timmy Turner stitched him up, the new doc. in town.

The longboarders were going off, too. Worldchamp Colin McPhillips of

Capistrano edged out Huntington BeachPier regular Josh Mohr in the final.

It was a close two-point victory for McPhillips, as Mohr kept thepressure

on ‘til the final buzzer. In their semi, theybattled one another real

good, too, matching wave forwave and getting some of the longest waves of

thecontest. Mohr clinched the U.S. title for the overallpoints. Ventura

local Vince Felix was third, and U.S. Openwinner Josh Baxter was fourth.

In the women it was 19-year-oldJulia Christian picking up another win,

three thisseason, and taking first overall on the tour. Surfside’s Jodie

Nelson, who had a very impressive year, placed second. She hadsome great

rides and was third overall for the year.

A big air show exhibition happened, too, withChristian Fletcher, “Rat

Boy” Jason Collins, Matt Archibald, Josh Sleigh, “Flea” Darryl Virostko

and Eric McHenry busting out.

Lots of new stuff next year, too. Look for the overall winners to

start out next Professional Surfing Tour of America season wearing the

black No. 1 jerseys, like the Tour De France. More World Qualifying

Series stars, more events and more money could be happening next year as

well.

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

U.S. Open of Surfing the last eight 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.