Seeking the new year’s swells

RICK FIGNETTI

Bring on New Year’s cheers. 2004, here we go!

In the sport of surfing, the two big amateur surfing

organizations, the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. and the United

States Surfing Federation, are about halfway through their 2003-’04

seasons. The NSSA just had an open season event at Oceanside last

weekend. Scoring big in the men’s age group bracket was local Brandon

Guilmette, taking the win over San Clemente ripper Pat Gudauskas,

last year’s national men’s final winner. In juniors, his brother,

Tanner Gudauskas, had the moves for the victory. He’s also holding

the points lead.

In women’s, Newport’s Erica Hosseini tore it up to place third.

The Explorer season event is on this weekend at Seaside Reef and

promises to have some good surfing action with a west swell expected

to hit.

The USSF moves up the coast to Topanga Point, that classic

right-hander, on Saturday and Sunday for some more head-to-head

competition.

In the pro leagues, the Assn. of Surfing Professionals World

Championship Tour just wrapped up its season, with the last event at

Pipe, which Hawaiian Andy Irons won -- that’s two World titles in a

row for him. Irons also won the Triple Crown title with some big-time

ripping all season.

It was a close one with six-time world champ Kelly Slater, who

came out of retirement last season showing signs of brilliance at

times and keeping the pressure on till the last heat of the year. The

first event for the Championship Tour will be the Quiksilver Pro on

the Gold Coast, in Queensland, Australia from March 2 to 14, along

with the women’s Roxy Pro. Then, off to Bells Beach, Victoria, for

the Rip Curl Cup, one of the longest running pro events of all surf

time, from April 6 to 15.

The World Qualifying Series is ready to start again with a

one-star at Sunset Beach, Jan. 15 to 27, then moves to a couple of

four-stars down in Brazil in February, the Hang Loose Pro and the

Reef Classic, plus a four-star at Pipe in the middle of the month.

Over in Oz, there’s a five-star, the Australian Open at New South

Wales, then the M.R. Open at Newcastle and the Triple Crown of the

big three -- the six-star at Margaret River, Western Australia. That

will keep it rolling through March.

Here in the states, on the East Coast, there’s a two-star men’s

and women’s surf event from March 18 to 21 at Jacksonville Beach,

Fla., the Aqua East Pro. The action moves back to the West Coast for

a three-star, the Foster’s Cup at Lower’s in San Clemente from April

20 to 25. These contests will be the stepping stones for our

Huntington Beach pro surfers to qualify for the top!

Timmy Reyes, Michael Hoisington, Shaun Ward, Brett Simpson, Ryan

Simmons, Brandon Tipton, Danny Nichols, Willie Safreed, Micah Byrne,

Jeff Hurley, Ritchie Collins, Jay Larson, Ryan Turner, Jeff

Deffenbaugh, Tom Rezvan and Danny Misken, to name a few, no doubt

will be trying to bust out a couple results in 2004.

The Huntington Surf and Sport surf team just got back from a trip

to Tavarua with perfect waves for a week. Surf and Sport owner Aaron

and sons Trevor and Taylor, team captain Scott Waring and his son,

Chris Waring, Huntington Beach High School standout “M.C.” Mike

Morgan and shredders Brad Ettinger, Kyle Kennelly, Logan Strook and

the Doheny clan were lovin’ it. I heard the “Morganator” even grabbed

a couple of 15-foot bombs at Cloud Break!

That’s it for now, see ya.

* RICK FIGNETTI is an eight-time West Coast champion, has

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

the KROQ-FM surfologist for the last 17 years, doing morning surf

reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at

(714) 536-1058.