Film samples H.B. surf

RICK FIGNETTI

A good-sized crowd was seen at our Surf City beaches over a three-day

span on Memorial Day weekend. The sun popped out early on Monday and

the surf increased a tad to make it a nice day for all those that hit

the sand and surf as we head toward summer. And most people I talked

to finished the day off with a little barbecue action for dinner.

One of our H.B. residents, Jessie Marley, will be unleashing his

new flick, “Next in Line,” tonight at the Lido Theater in Newport

Beach at 7:30 p.m. Marley, a former pro surfer and snowboarder,

injured himself a few years back and had to lay off the tour, but got

into filming.

His natural ability to get the good footage has sent him spanning

the globe. With big barrels of Indo, with Tahiti and Hawaiian

footage, Marley mixes in some H.B. surf flavor, too.

Top pros, like world champ Andy Irons, six-time world champ Kelly

Slater and hot Aussies Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Taj Burrow,

have some action-packed shredding segments. There’s also Hawaiian

Pipe standout Jamie O’Brien and “the Enforcer” Kala Alexander.

But Marley also has a segment of the local boys -- World

Championship Tour star Timmy Reyes, the tail bust’n Brett Simpson,

Shaun Ward, blast’n Ryan Turner, Jay Larsen and Ryan Carlson --

rippin’ it up and throw’n some big air.

Marley’s stoked on this one, but says there’s more to come in the

future, as he’s been working with the Global Sports Project Company,

which helps mentor action sports filmmakers. Legendary surfer Ian

Cairns heads this company and will help produce and distribute the

films to a worldwide audience.

Also in the double showing will be the surf flick “Unsalted,” a

movie about surfing the freezing Great Lakes. Former longboard world

champ Colin McPhillips, Ventura’s Joe Curren and some East Coast

locals brave 20-degree air temps and 33-degree water for perfect

waves in the middle of a storm. Brrrr ...

The Western Surfing Assn. held its West Coast Championship a few

weeks back at Church Beach in San Clemente in some fun 2- to 4-foot

fair-to-good conditions.

In the boys’ short board, H.B.’s Cody Bertrand placed fourth in

the final and also clinched the overall West Coast title in junior

longboard. Not making the shortboard final, but picking up the West

Coast title, was H.B.’s Brock Bowden.

In masters, Huntington’s Japan transplant Yusuke Sahara finished

fourth, while the Figster finished second in grandmasters with a few

lip bashes, followed by big Pat Schlick in third. In legends, H.B.’s

Darrell Halvorson had some nice ones to place second, with part-time

resident Gilbert Perea nailing third to secure another West Coast

title.

In senior men’s longboard, ripper Troy Bertrand was tearing it up

to get second, just ahead of Surf City’s Jay Boldt. Troy will be out

of action a little while for an operation. He’s a good guy, and we

wish him well for a fast recovery.

In senior women’s action, the H.B. gals were tear’n with Cheryl

Christofaro taking first and the West Coast title, and Jill Hawtrey

finishing third.

The Orange County district champions were: Sahara in masters, Troy

Bertrand in senior short board and longboard, the Fig in

grandmasters, Halvorson in legends, Cody Bertrand in junior longboard

and Hawtrey in women’s.

Congratulations, it was a long season that ranged as far north as

Santa Cruz and down south to Ponto in Carlsbad, with lots of stops in

between.

See ya, Fig over and out.

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

the U.S. Open of Surfing the last 11 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.