Church’s Beach making waves

RICK FIGNETTI

The United States Surfing Federation’s West Coast Championships at

Church’s Beach in San Clemente was a couple weekends ago.

The surf wasn’t the best in the west, kinda on the small and bumpy

side with that south wind eddy that we haven’t been able to get rid

of for about a month now. Still, our local surfers did their best in

the conditions they were given.

The first day of competition featured the Wahine’s, or women’s

divisions.

Starting with women’s junior short board, Raquel Bartlow ripped

her way to first place, also taking third in the junior women’s long

board. . Surf City’s Jill Hawtrey won the masters women’s short board

while Frances Lisman was second in the pro am long boarding with some

stylish turns, and fourth in the open long board as well. On the .

federation’s Championship Tour, Huntington’s Terumi Nakajima made the

women’s semifinals, and that was enough to give her the overall West

Coast title for the women in junior short board. In boys, Cody

Bertrand was tearing it up and took a first place finish, which also

gave him first in the Orange County District ratings. Transplant to

Huntington Beach . Kaozu Murayama finished second in men’s, while

Newport’s Michael Ulloa took third in masters and Costa Mesa’s Paul

Chiu, following suit, placed fourth.

In seniors, in a hard-fought battle, Huntington Beach slashers

Troy Bertrand and James Webb finished third and fourth respectively

with some nice moves. Honorable mention goes out to local resident

Mike “Flisty” Flister who went down in the semifinals of seniors and

had a shot at the West Coast title till the end, winning the previous

event in Oceanside with some filthy turns. He ended up a close second

in the overall standings.

In the grandmasters, it was Patrick Schlick who found the sets,

busted the moves and came up with the big win while the Figster came

in third, but took first in the Orange County District points race

and nailed down another first place overall in the West Coast title.

Next up is the United States Surfing Championships the first week

in July at Oceanside pier. The Orange County team in “the Game” has

been going off, and has the best record, with only one loss in

overtime to Ventura.

Ventura is in second, looking to make the championships, with San

Diego in third. Santa Cruz is still looking for that win, with all

losses right now. Huntington Beach surfers are a good reason for the

record, with Timmy Reyes surfing outstanding, Shaun Ward tearing it

up and Brett Simpson getting the most radical maneuver at the last

event in San Diego, when he busted a huge, double-grab air, landed it

and pulled it. Seal Beach’s Ryan Simmons has had some good heats.

Mike Hoisington has been on fire. And San Clemente’s Chris Ward has

been bustin’ some mean airs for O.C. too, plus pier regular Danny

Nichols is the alternate who’s been rippin’ as well. Did I hear

championships in Huntington? Who’s gonna stop ‘em! Fig, over and out.

* RICK FIGNETTI is an nine-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 18 years, doing morning surf

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

(714) 536-1058.