Contest season heats up

Wet and wild with Rockin’ Fig

The big-time surf scene, the Assn. of Surfing Professionals World

Tour, has just finished up a couple of events over in Europe. The

boys were ripping up Portugal and then the fine beaches of France at

Hossegor.

Next up on the schedule is the Billabong Pro at Mundaka, Spain,

that killer left-hander, Oct. 9 through 21. Hawaiian Andy Irons from

the Island of Kauai is holding down first place over Trestles winner

Luke Egan by a close 518 points. The Aussie pack is right behind

them, with Michael Lowe third, Danny Wills fourth and Joel Parkinson,

last year’s world junior champ, fifth.

The U.S. crew is looking good too, with world champ C.J. Hobgood

in equal seventh place, tied there with West Coast San Clemente

transplant Shea Lopez. The U.S. Open winner, Hawaiian, Kalani Robb,

is in ninth, while brother combos Damien Hobgood and Cory Lopez are

in 10th and 11th, respectively. Hawaiian Sunny Garcia, former world

champ, is at No. 16, and six-time world champ Kelly Slater from

Florida is 18th. Cali shredders Taylor Knox and Pat O’Connell are

24th and 27th, respectively.

Three more events after this one: Saquarema, Brazil for the

Mundial-Coca Cola Pro Oct. 24 through 29, and then it’s over to the

North Shore of Hawaii for the Rip Curl Cup at Sunset Beach Nov. 24

through Dec. 7. The X-Box Pipeline Masters at the Pipe will be the

final event of the 2002 season, Dec. 8 through 20, to see who’s the

top barrel master -- and again -- world titles on the line.

Women’s Australian four-time world champ Layne Beachley is just

off the big win in France at the Roxy Pro, taking out Peru’s Sofia

Mulanavich. Beachley is holding down the top spot by 340 points with

one event left, the Billabong Pro in Hawaii. Second in the standings

and having a great year is veteran Melanie Redman, Aussie Lynette

MacKenzie is third, and Hawaiian Keala Kennelly fourth. Also,

Hawaii’s Rochelle Ballard is ninth, Meagan Abubo 11th and four-time

world champ Lisa Anderson, originally from Florida, is 14th.

A quick check on the World Qualifying Series ratings see

Australian Toby Martin first while Laguna Niguel’s Pat O’Connell is

second, and Aussies Jake Patterson and Richard Lovett are third and

fourth, respectively. The U.S.’ Timmy Curran is sixth. “Wardo” Chris

Ward is 12th, former veteran championship tour star Shane Beschen at

No. 30, Huntington Beach’s ripping Timmy Reyes is 49th, Hawaiian

Freddy Boy Pattachia is 50th and Bruce Irons is 52nd.

There are hundreds of ripper’s out there even farther back in the

ratings, with two six-stars left, the big points, one in Brazil and

one in Hawaii . A good showing could put these guys on the World

Tour. Other top pros are backing themselves up with some qualifying

series points too, just in case they don’t re-qualify. That’s it for

now.

* 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.