Just one big event to go

WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN FIG

The surfing season is winding down with one major completion left,

the really big show for the amateurs of the National Scholastic

Surfing Assn. -- the National Championships. It’s coming up this week

with the start of the college, high school, middle school and air

show’s surf contests out at Salt Creek Friday and Saturday.

This year’s favorite in the college division looks to be UC San

Diego, winners of the state championships earlier this season. Last

year’s defending champ UC Santa Barbara will give some stiff

competition as will the 2001 national champs Cal. State Long Beach.

In the high schools, San Clemente’s Tritons are the team to beat,

stacked with hot talent they have been easily winning the state

titles and are going for their fifth national title. But tradition is

always with Huntington Beach High School as the Oilers have an

incredible 17 national wins and their big-gun shredder Brett Simpson

is back. Local schools Edison and Marina have qualified to be there,

too.

In the middle schools, San Clemente’s Bernice Ayer’s was looking

good and won the state meet. But cross town rival Shorecliffs won the

nationals last year. Local schools Dwyer, a three-time champ, and

Sowers a two-time champ will give them a run for the money. The Open

and Explorer divisions will start at Lower Trestles, that classic

point break in San Clemente Tuesday through 28, with approximately

700 surfers competing for national titles.

Categories range from, menehunes, 12 and under, boys 13-14,

juniors 15-17, mens 18-24, masters 25 and up, seniors 35 and up,

super seniors 45 and up, women all ages, longboards all ages and

bodyboard all ages. The top amateurs in the nation have qualified to

be in it from their prospective conferences, East Coast, West Coast,

Gulf Coast and Hawaii.

In the men’s division, last year’s big winner is back bustin’

Dustin Cuizon, 18, from Eva Beach, Hawaii, is the defending national

champ and the California State Parks Governor’s Cup winner and I hear

he’s still on fire. He has five national titles under his belt. From

the West Coast, Ventura’s 17-year-old Dane Reynolds is a five-time

regional winner and most are claiming it could be his year. He has

tons of raw talent and is ready to go big. East Coaster Jeremy

Johnston from New Smyrna, Fla. is the top representative from the

east. He’s last year’s junior national champ and south east mens and

juniors open and explorer season champ. The best in a few years off

the Island of Puerto Rico is Brian Toth. At the eastern

championships, he won the mens and juniors divisions and looks to be

a threat. From San Clemente, one of the brothers who helped San

Clemente High School win the big title last season, Patrick

Gudauskas, is just off a win at the westerns and is the defending air

champ. Also, teammate Travis Mellem the 2002 open season champ is

back from a foot injury that hampered him the last few months.

Huntington’s Simpson, a member of the elite Huntington Beach High

surf team for the last few years, pulled the move of the West Coast

championships, a huge backside 360-degree air and with his radical

innovative style of surfing is gunning for a possible national title.

Others to watch include rippers from Hawaii; T.J. Barron, Ola

Eleogram and from Maui, Nathan Carroll who have all done well in the

Hawaiian conference regionals. In the womens look for Newport’s Erica

Hosseini, the southwest open and explorer season champ to shine. East

Coast sensation and last years big winner Karina Petroni is entered,

and also from Hawaii, Leilani Gryde is the explorer national champ.

Surf City has a host of surfers in it, in all age brackets. Good

luck!

This weekend is the second Huntington Beach Surf Series at

Huntington Beach Pier on the south side, definitely worth a check.