Newport Beach Pro surf event opens

Surfers from near and far will be converging on 54th Street in Newport Beach this week for the 2006 Newport Beach Pro event.

The Assn. of Surfing Professionals two-star event, which runs today through Sunday, is the second stop in the California Trifecta Surf Series and features $25,000 in prizes.

In addition to the professional World Qualifying Series event, the 54th Street break will also host a Pro Junior event that begins on Friday and the 18th annual Newport Beach Surf Championships, a recreational event that begins Saturday.

Event director Darren Brilhart said Newport Beach residents Dave Post and veteran David Giddings are in the main draw of the men’s event.

Post will start in Round 1 today at 8:20 a.m. Giddings is a seeded entry into Round 2, scheduled for 1:20 p.m. today.

But they aren’t the only locals looking to make a mark. Former top-10 surfer Richie Collins, 37, a Costa Mesa resident who is retired from the tour, said he misses competiting and may take part.

Collins, along with Newport Beach surfers Pat Towersey, Josh Hoyer, Scott Rask and Cordell Miller, are entered into a special local trial heat today at 8 a.m.

The winner of the heat earns the wild-card entry into the main draw for the Round of 64, scheduled for Thursday.

“They didn’t have enough points to actually get into the event,” Brilhart said. “But the winner gets to start in the Round of 64, which is the highest seeded round.”

Collins was top 10 in the world rankings from 1989 through 1991. He stopped surfing professionally two years ago to devote himself to home life with his wife and three daughters, although he still surfs with the Newport Beach-based TK’s Froghouse team in the Quiksilver Surf Shop Challenge every June.

“I’d love to be able to get an opportunity to get the wild-card spot,” Collins said. “Hopefully, I can do it.”

He said he is looking forward to the competition this week, assuming his ankle holds up. He said he injured it while surfing about six weeks ago and also has a sore back.

“I’m not going to be 100%, but I should be OK,” he said. “I was getting bored not surfing contests, but having three girls, there’s not much time to surf. Hopefully, there are waves and I’ll have fun.”

He said he knew all of the Newport Beach surfers he’d be competing against, but may make some new acquaintances if he makes the main draw.

“There’s a lot of kids out there who are 20 years younger than me that I don’t know,” Collins said. “When I was eighth in the world in 1989, some of them weren’t even born yet.”

The pro event used to start on Wednesday, but Brilhart said an extra day was added this year due to an increased number of entries. There were 225 entrants in the pro division but only room for 160 surfers.

“I believe the reason why it went up was because of how good the surf was last year [at the event],” Brilhart said. “I’m sure that had something to do with it.”

The recreational events for the 18th annual Newport Beach Surf Championships will begin Saturday morning and continue through Sunday.

Divisions include: Elementary; Middle School; High School; College Men’s; Open Men’s, Masters, Seniors and Legends.

Brilhart said Newport Beach resident Andrew Doheny, 14, is one to watch in the Junior Pro [20-and-younger] event.

“It’ll be interesting,” Brilhart said. “He’ll be competing against kids who are four or five years older than he is.”