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.