EDITORIAL:Don’t wait for drama to start

Early Friday morning at the Huntington Beach Pier, you might not see the best surfing that will happen during the next 10 days, but you’ll definitely see some of the most intense.

Starting at 8 a.m., the men’s trials for the U.S. Open of Surfing ? the headline contest of the Bank of the West Beach Games ? will begin taking place. Later in the day, at 1:20 p.m. the next round of trials will continue. A similar schedule continues through the weekend, including boys, girls and longboard competition.

Again, these rounds might not be the showcase for the best surfers, or for the most famous. But in these early stages spectators will get a chance to see surfers who are desperate to make it to the grand stage next weekend. They lose, they are done. No big payout, no grand sponsorship deal, no cover photo on a magazine.

In other words, each of the early heats will be filled with the kind of drama that makes sports exciting.

It is easy to find that drama toward the end of a contest. Next weekend’s finals for the surfing (the women’s at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, the men’s at 2:15 Sunday) will of course be huge events with correspondingly huge crowds. So will the finals of the Karch Kiraly Invitational volleyball contest, also Sunday.

But the real flavor of the event begins Friday. And it is just a start to one of the highlight weeks of the year in Surf City. There are the BMX, FMX and skateboarding competitions. There are the bands and the general fevered excitement that happens throughout the beach games. There are the hall and walk of fame inductions.

It is a big week for Huntington Beach, no doubt.

But don’t wait until everyone decides to trek down to the pier and the acres surrounding it. Think about getting out there this weekend, when the crowds might not be as crazy, but the drama is just as high.