Newport Classic opens

For most of its existence, the Newport Surf Classic has been an affair largely for local surfers.

That’s no issue for Buzz Lowry, one of the coaches for Newport Harbor High’s surf team and one of the competition’s organizers, since the event has had no trouble filling its 160-entry limit each year. At the same time, though, Lowry believes this could be the year that the competition begins broadening its horizons.

The big reason, Lowry said, is the team’s improved website, which has been promoting the Newport Classic for months now.

“Now, all the other teams in the South Coast League [the Sailors’ league in surfing], they see this thing coming up,” Lowry said. “Before, the majority of people have been from Newport. I think we’re going to see this broaden out a lot more.”

Of course, adding more competitors would force organizers to add more heats and push the event into the afternoon hours, when the surf tends to dissipate. Still, it would be a fun problem to have, since the proceeds go toward the Newport Harbor surf program.

For the surfers in the program, it’s more fun than putting on another car wash or bake sale, though the hours are considerably longer.

“It’s actually a little more work for everybody, but the kids are excited about it all year long,” said Josh Hoyer, a Sailors alum who is also involved with the planning. “It’s just a real good local event for bragging rights. The high school [division] is the biggest division. They get to do something with each other and have some bragging rights.”

The battle often extends out of the surf and onto the beach, where team parents attempt to outdo the previous year’s effort. Last year, parents added a stage for announcers to stand on.

“Compared to the very first year, [the first Newport Classic] it probably looked like a normal day at the beach,” Lowry said.

This year, Lowry said, there are more than twice as many items available for the opportunity drawing, from bicycles to surfboards to dinners. The prizes come from the competition’s seven sponsors and many donors.

“The donation list is out of sight,” Lowry said. “It’s incredible the number of businesses that have donated for the drawing.”dpt.01-surfing-kt-CPhotoInfoKP1PHKIO20060401if4aazkfKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Kaleigh Gilchrist of Ensign Intermediate School took second place in the women’s division at last year’s Newport Classic surfing competition. This year’s event starts today at 56th Street.