Keeping the surf clean

WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG

Fall’s finally here, even though we’ve had a bit of a heat wave to

kick it off. We’re kind of lucky living down here by the beaches,

with the cool ocean breeze in the afternoon -- because inland, it’s

been hot and sweltering. One last blast of warm water hit last week.

It climbed to the upper 60s and was feeling good. A combo of swells

has again kept Surf City beaches in the fun zone for quite a few

days.

It’s that time of year again, as one of the classic women surfers

from our area, “Jericho Bartlow,” who was one of the shredders at the

Huntington Beach Pier back in the day, is putting on the 10th annual

Kids For Clean Water Surf Classic. The surf event will be held up at

Seal Beach Pier on Sunday. The neat thing about this contest is that

the proceeds will be donated to Kids for Clean Waves educational

outreach programs, the Surfrider Foundation for its ongoing efforts

to preserve and protect our coastal waves and beaches, the

Groundswell Society for supporting the cultural involvement in the

arts and sciences of surfing and the Surfers Emergency Medical Fund.

So, quite a worthy list of causes there. There’s a few different

divisions, shortboard and longboard for boys and gals under 17 in

different categories. All finalists will receive trophies plus there

will be a Tom Pratte Sportsman Award, named after one of the founders

of the Surfrider Foundation; and the Tim Dorsey outstanding Waterman

Award, named after a legendary Lifeguard from Seal Beach as well.

Sounds like fun.

I received some results from the 32nd annual Huntington Beach

Summer Surf Contest, from Director Bob Werth, who’s done a great job

putting it on for years. Some of the winners included Eric Bartlett

in the menhune’s division coming up with the big moves, in boy’s it

was Tommy Steury ripping it up for the win, junior’s was taken by

Huntington Beach High School shredder Chase Newsom and men’s was won

by Todd Hutton. The master’s winner was Greg Eisele, the ripping,

surfing, lifeguard who won the super heat too. The senior’s was

dominated by pier regular Phill Lockman coming up with the big

victory, who I hear is the new surf coach at Fountain Valley High.

While grandmasters saw the surfing firefighter Jeff Newell take the

win and the super grandmaster’s by the legendary Bob “the Greek”

Bolen, who had some classic nose rides. Can’t wait until next year to

do it up again. That’s it for now, see ya in the lineup.

* RICK FIGNETTI is a seven-time West Coast champion, has

announced the U.S. Open of Surfing the last nine years and has been

the KROQ-FM (106.7) surfologist for the last 17 years where he’s done

morning surf reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can

reach him at (714) 536-1058.