Action still hot at pier

RICK FIGNETTI

Things are getting back to normal, with the U.S. Open done till next

year. All the tents and stands are packed up and gone.

There will be some pro beach volleyball on the south side of the

pier to check out this weekend, as well as the season-ender for the

2005 H.B. Surf Series. The last event of the series is at Golden West

Street on Saturday and Sunday, with the action scheduled to kick off

at 7 a.m.

The pro division winner of the last H.B. Surf Series event at the

pier in mid-July was hot local ripper Brett Simpson, who busted a

huge air and scored perfect 10s, winning $1,500. Another Surf City

resident and shredder came in second, as Shawn Ward had some great

exchanges, too.

Going into this weekend’s event, Michel Flores and Ted Navarro are

one and two in the pro division standings, followed by Micah Byrne

and Simpson tied for third, Brandon Guilmette in fourth and Brandon

Tipton in fifth.

Matt Shadbolt was on fire on the south side in the last event,

winning the men’s division, while Ian Calderon is first in the series

standings.

The double-doubles -- a win at the last event and leading the

standings -- are mini-shred Jonathan Koechlin in groms, wonder-gal

Courtney Conlogue in women’s, and top-notch judge and surfer Phil

Lockman in super men’s, all looking for a H.B. Surf Series title!

Also congrats to Tyler Newton, who won boys’ and junior divisions;

Bill Seitz, who won masters; and Brendon Holloway, who won the

longboarding.

Good luck and hopefully the swell will pick up, ‘cause we’ve been

on one big flat spell for way too long.

The Assn. of Surfing Professionals will be back to the West Coast

soon with the Boost Mobile Pro, a World Championship Tour event at

Trestles in September.

Look for things to heat up at the midway point of the season.

Six-time world champ Kelly Slater has a comfortable 746-point lead

over Andy Irons, the defending world champ with three titles.

A.I. looked fired up at the U.S. Open just a week ago, taking the

win, and has always been a standout out Lowers. Slates tears those

waves up, too, and is coming off that win at J-Bay over Irons in the

last 20 seconds, when he destroyed a right-hander and got a 9.5 score

to win. That was unbelievable!

Rounding out the top 10 are Aussie Trent Munro, who’s having a

great season and is currently third, Mick “The Quick” Fanning in

fourth, Joel “Parko” Parkinson in fifth, the “Fly’n Hawaiian” Freddy

Boy Patacchia in sixth, Aussie Philip McDonald in seventh, East

Coasters Cory Lopez and C.J. Hobgood in eighth and ninth,

respectively, and Australian Nathan Hedge in 10th.

I heard the prescreening of “What’s Next” -- the killer surf flick

by local Huntington filmmaker Jessie Marley -- at the Hyatt was going

off, with food and drinks and the boys all having a good time. The

showing at the Lido Theater in Newport had great reviews and was

packed, too.

And the Volcom Party, with the screening of “The Bruce Movie” had

some incredible big-wave footage of Teahupoo, and the band Pennywise

made a surprise appearance that was going off. Rumor had it that

world champ A.I. and everybody were grooving to it all! The tickets

were paper “Bruce” sunglasses, and ya had to wear ‘em to get in to

the rager.

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 12 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.