U.S. OPEN OF SURFING:Conlogue scares idol

HUNTINGTON BEACH — In a surfing tournament, such as the U.S. Open of Surfing, it can sometimes seem like there’s a whole lotta nuthin’ going on.

Surfers compete in heats, so it’s possible to see two, or maybe four heads, depending on how large the heat is, bobbing up and down in the water.

And then, blink, someone’s up on their board, for less than a minute, and it’s back to bobbing.

They’re not being lazy; usually the surfers are waiting for a good wave, or they’re strategizing.

That’s why a 25-minute heat can be decided in the last 45 seconds, the way Courtney Conlogue’s was Saturday.

Conlogue, a rising sophomore at Sage Hill School, lost in the women’s semifinal round of the U.S. Open of Surfing to Australian Stephanie Gilmore, who just happens to be one of Conlogue’s biggest surfing idols.

Gilmore is currently ranked as the No. 1 surfer in the world, and she is the defending world champion.

“She beat me in the last 45 seconds,” Conlogue said. “A wave came to her, a little nugget, and it was her priority, so I couldn’t do anything, so she caught it and got the score she needed.”

In a tournament that uses priority heats, one surfer has first pick, or priority, over the other for waves. Usually, the surfer who takes the first wave cedes priority to the other surfer, but it switches back and forth, Conlogue explained.

Usually, in priority heats, there is more strategizing, and the winner is determined in the last seconds, if the surfers are closely matched.

“I know I gave her a run for the money, and that’s what matters. I learned a lot and gained a lot of experience when I did this event,” she said.

In the Round of 48 Wednesday, Conlogue caught the last wave to beat Gilmore for first place in the round.

“I learned a lot with my priority heats and how to protect them,” Conlogue said. “[The semifinal heat] was my third priority heat that I’ve ever done. Some people are natural at it, and some people it takes a little time to understand the priority. I’m in between.”

The waves were smaller than Friday’s, Conlogue said, and a bit inconsistent.

By Saturday night, Conlogue’s mind had already started to drift to the East Coast Surfing Championships in Virginia Beach, her next competition. Conlogue won the event last year.

She was pleased with her U.S. Open performance, overall.

“I felt pretty fine,” Conlogue said. “I knew it was a pretty close heat, and it doesn’t hurt to lose to the current world champion.”

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.