Ready for the Open
RICK FIGNETTI
It’s almost time for the big show to hit Surf City.
Coming up in less than two weeks is the U.S. Open of Surfing, part
of the Bank of the West Beach Games. Sun, surf, skate, biking,
volleyball and concerts will be going large on the south side of the
Huntington Pier from July 22 to 31.
The U.S. Open of Surfing will be presented by O’Neill and is North
America’s highest-rated World Qualifying Series event, a six-star
surf event with a total purse of almost $200,000, plus valuable
ratings points.
There will be men’s and women’s divisions, along with a junior
pro, a longboard field, a star-studded expression session and the new
women’s junior pro added this year.
Contestants will fly in from all parts of the globe: Australia,
France, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and
Hawaii, not to mention all the rippers from the United States.
The list of previous winners in the men’s event includes the
current world champ, Andy Irons; six-time world champ Kelly Slater;
top 16 World Championship Tour standout Corey Lopez; U.S. champ Rob
Machado; Aussie slasher Taj Burrow; and last year’s winner, the power
master from Hawaii, Sunny Garcia, to name a few.
A couple of Huntington’s hot local guard are looking to do some
damage, including tour star Timmy Reyes, rad man Brett Simpson and
hotties Shaun Ward and Mike Hoisington. They are ready to bust it out
along with some of our other hot local surf talent.
In the women’s event, world champ Sophia Mulanovich from Peru is
entered, as are Hawaiian rippers Rochelle Ballard and Melanie Bartels
and Aussie slashers Layne Beachley and Pauline Mentzer.
Classic longboarders like “the Stylemaster” Joel Tudor and former
three-time world champ Colin McPhillips will be doing their fancy
footwork.
And all the up-and-comers in the younger age brackets are ready to
leave their mark’s in the Huntington Beach surf.
There’s gonna be some freestyle motocross going down on the sand,
plus the top name BMXers are scheduled to ride. The Soul Bowl is back
for the skaters too, with the elements of pool riding and half pipe
combined for the competition.
Also in the Transworld Surf Village there will be more than 80
exhibits, autograph signings, guest emcees and lots of prize
giveaways. And if that’s not enough, just north of the pier will be
the concert stage with some hot bands and acts ready to rock and
roll.
The 2005 Bank of the West Beach Games are free and open to the
public and will be broadcast to millions of households across the
nation and world on Fusion TV and the Outdoor Life Network.
The U.S. Open is known for drawing some of the biggest crowds for
a surf event, and attendance is expected to be well over 350,000
during the week-and-a-half-long festivities. It also draws the most
media too, as photographers, writers for the mags and newspapers, and
reporters from TV will be covering the event.
The awards ceremonies will be on the second weekend following the
finals. Make sure to come down early on that final weekend because
parking will be limited and the beach will be packed. And keep your
fingers crossed for the swell to be up.
Speaking of the surf, another southwest and west swell combo have
heated up the action lately in the line-up, and the good news is the
water’s back in the mid-60s and the red tide has hopefully left for
the rest of the summer.
The hard-core beach crew, Big D and the boys are already setting
things up for the open, 30 days on the beach -- love it.
See ya. The Figster over and out.
* RICK FIGNETTI is an nine-time West Coast champion and owns a
surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at (714) 536-1058.
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