Surfers play waiting game

Word from the announcer’s booth wafted through an estimated crowd of 105,000 Sunday at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing and Beach Festival, informing the massive throng at the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier that local surfer Chris Waring needed a wave score of 6.95 to catapult the Seal Beach resident into the lead in the final minutes of the Lost Pro Junior.

But, as had been the case in the U.S. Open of Women final that preceded the Lost Pro Junior by a day, and what would turn out to be a prelude of things to come for both the U.S. Open of Longboarding and U.S. Open of Men finals that followed the junior finale, the surf — small to begin with — went flat.

So flat that the final four minutes of the junior final proved to be a waiting game. As time slipped away, so too, did the hopes of Waring, who was looking to overtake Tonino Benson (Kona, Hawaii ) for the lead.

Waring, a former state champion surfer from Huntington Beach High, did manage to catch two final rides in the last 1:30 of the 30-minute heat, but neither allowed him to assume first place.

“I was just trying to do ‘big’ moves throughout the final,” Waring, 20, said. “I’d rather lose ‘big’ than surf safe.

“The conditions were far from ideal but I was stoked to be in the final with these guys. Being the only ‘local’ in the final was just a bonus. I’m stoked to be on the podium with these guys.”

Benson won his first open title with a score of 13.94, the points accumulated from his top two wave scores. Waring, competing in his first open final, was second with 12.87 points and was followed by Jordy Smith (South Africa, 12.17) and Mason Ho (Hawaii, 11.77).

Waring was hoping to continue a wave of momentum he generated by storming to three heat victories on the opening day of the Lost Pro Junior on July 22, but a week’s break from the competition combined with weak surf negated that roll.

“I wished we could have surfed the final on that same day as those early heats so that I could carry the momentum through,” he said. “It was tough to wait for a whole week to surf again.

“The crowd here today was awesome but it was a bit nerve-racking. I just shielded myself from the atmosphere and listened to my music to get myself into a zone.”

Waring’s performance at the Lost Pro Junior did plenty for his profile: his runner-up finish to Benson allowed him to jump from fifth to first on the 2007 Assn. of Surfing Professional’s North America Pro Junior ratings.

“I’m stoked with this result,” said Waring, whose late uncle, Sammy Buell, was a member of the “Boys of ‘55” surf club that was added to the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame Honor Roll in front of Jack’s Surfboards on Friday. “I felt it. I was just waiting for that one pier bowl to finish this thing but it didn’t materialize.

“Doing well in Huntington at this event is surreal. It’s a dream. The amount of support I received, I’m just thankful.”

Benson, 17, is in his first year on the junior circuit. He is the current National Scholastic Surfing Assn. open men’s national champion, was the 2005 International Surfing Assn. junior world champion and is the son of legendary surfer Michael Ho, who is a famous big-wave rider from the North Shore of Oahu.

He became the fourth Hawaiian in the last seven years to win the junior final and was the youngest competitor in the final.

“It feels great,” he said of Sunday’s victory. “I’ve been training really hard and it paid off.”

The Lost Pro Junior got underway July 21 with 128 of the world’s top 20-and-under surfers vying for the title. Waring defeated current world junior champion Jordy Smith twice, once in the round of 32 and again in a semifinal heat.

Smith is ranked No. 2 on the World Qualifying Series.

Waring leaves Friday for the European leg of the World Qualifying Series Tour. He will spend the next six weeks traveling and competing in England, France, Portugal and Spain.

Following Benson’s triumph, Colin McPhillips won the U.S. Open of Longboarding final and C.J. Hobgood captured the U.S. Open of Men.

On Saturday, Stephanie Gilmore took the U.S. Open of Women title.

A look at the other U.S. Open of Surfing finals:

Women“This is the No. 1 trophy,” Stephanie Gilmore, 19, of Tweed Heads, Australia, told a television camera crew as she hoisted up part of the spoils from her victory in the women’s final Saturday.

Gilmore, ranked No. 1 on the women’s world tour, and Karina Petroni, her opponent in the women’s 30-minute final, shared the center stage podium following the competition.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic to be here,” Petroni, of Atlantic Beach, Fla., said. “I’m overjoyed to be standing up here with my best friend of 10 years.”

Their friendship was evident during the final, as the two shared waves, laughed and seemed to enjoy the moment, as they waited side-by-side near the pier, for good surf to roll in.

Gilmore won the final with a score of 14.64 points.

Petroni scored 11.50.

“This is huge and I’m honored to be a part of this,” said Gilmore who had reached the final by holding off Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue, 14, in a tightly contested semifinal heat held earlier Saturday.

Petroni qualified for the final by defeating Sally Fitzgibbons, 16, of Gerroa, Australia, in Saturday’s other semifinal.

Gilmore’s triumph marked the seventh time since 1994 that an Australian has won the women’s final.

LongboardingColin McPhillips said he was the “old man” of the group, but experience paid dividends for the 32-year-old, who won his second U.S. Open title.

McPhillips, a three-time longboard world champion, won the very first U.S. Open of Longboarding final in 1994.

“That was my first pro event win and I was 17,” said McPhillips who has been sponsor-less this past year and teaches private surf lessons.

Since that victory, McPhillips had one third- and one fourth-place finish at the U.S. Open, and for the past five years he said he has finished runner-up.

“I was long overdue,” he chuckled. “My theory today was to get a couple of waves by myself right off the bat, and I did that.”

He turned in the highest wave score during Sunday’s final (9.17), took the lead early over finalists Taylor Jensen (Oceanside), Cole Robbins (Santa Barbara) and Kai Sallas (Waikiki, HI.), and never relinquished it.

For Robbins, it was the first finals appearance for the 16-year-old.

“I wasn’t expecting to make it through my first heat, so I’m stoked to make the final,” he said.

MenMoments after winning his first U.S. Open title — he had never advanced past the quarterfinal round in a decade of competing here — C.J. Hobgood was playing with his 2-year-old daughter, Genevieve, away from the hoopla around him.

Hobgood, who resides in Satellite Beach, became the first Floridian in four years to win the men’s final and third overall: Cory Lopez turned the trick in 2003 and Kelly Slater set the standard in 1996.

“Besides a lot of joy,” he said, after tossing his daughter softly into the air, “I feel overwhelmed winning this thing. All the people I looked up to have won this contest. I remember seeing them on this big stage when I was younger, people like Kalani Robb, Kelly Slater, Shane Beschen. It feels like a dream, to follow in their footsteps.”

Hobgood (12.60 points) defeated Jeremy Flores (11.17) of Hossegor, France, in Sunday’s final.

“I know the surf was bad but to be able to surf before a huge crowd so knowledgeable about surfing and wants you to win, well, that feels incredible,” Hobgood said.

“And to know that people were cheering for me, knowing that Jeremy might be the underdog — and everyone tends to root for the underdog — well, that was a cool thing. It humbles me.”

PAST WINNERS

MEN 2007: C.J. Hobgood (Florida)

U.S. Open of Surfing

2006: Rob Machado (Cardiff)

2005: Andy Irons (Hawaii)

2004: Taj Burrow (Australia)

2003: Cory Lopez (Florida)

2002: Kalani Robb (Hawaii)

2001: Rob Machado (Cardiff)

2000: Sunny Garcia (Hawaii)

1999: Shea Lopez (San Clemente)

1998: Andy Irons (Hawaii)

1997: Beau Emerton (Australia)

1996: Kelly Slater (Florida)

1995: Rob Machado (Cardiff)

1994: Shane Beschen (San Clemente)

WOMEN2007: Stephanie Gilmore (Australia)

U.S. Open of Surfing

2006: Sofia Mulanovich (Peru)

2005: Julia Christian (San Diego)

2004: Chelsea Georgeson (Australia)

2003: Chelsea Georgeson (Australia)

2002: Pauline Menczer (Australia)

2001: Pauline Menczer (Australia)

2000: Tita Tavares (Brazil)

1999: Keala Kennelly (Hawaii)

1998: Tita Tavares (Brazil)

1997: Lisa Andersen (Florida)

1996: Layne Beachley (Australia)

1995: Neridah Falconer (Australia)

1994: Lisa Andersen (Florida)

Men’s Junior Pro2007: Tonino Benson (Hawaii)

2006: Ben Dunn (Australia)

2005: Hank Gaskell (Hawaii)

2004: Adriano de Souza (Brazil)

2003: Kekoa Bacalso (Hawaii)

2002: Kekoa Bacalso (Hawaii)

2001: Bobby Martinez (Santa Barbara)

2000: Paulo Moura (Brazil)

1999: Travis Logie (South Africa)

Women’s Junior Pro2006: Lee Ann Curran (France/California)

2005: Nikita Robb (South Africa)

U.S. Open of Longboarding2007: Colin McPhillips (San Clemente)

2006: Dodger Kremel (Huntington Beach)

2005: Joel Tudor (Del Mar)

2004: Brendan White (San Clemente)

2003: Taylor Jensen (Imperial Beach)

2002: Joel Tudor (Del Mar)

2001: Josh Baxter (San Clemente)

2000: Joel Tudor (Cardiff)

1999: Joel Tudor (Cardiff)

1998: Joel Tudor (Cardiff)

1997: Joel Tudor (Cardiff)

1996: Joel Tudor (Cardiff)

1995: Joel Tudor (Cardiff)

1994: Colin McPhillips (Capistrano Beach)

U.S. Open of Bodyboarding1999: Guilherme Tamega (Brazil)

1998: Guilherme Tamega (Brazil)

1997: Brian Wise (San Clemente)

1996: Ben Holland (Australia)

1995: Spencer Skipper (Hawaii)

1994: Guilherme Tamega (Brazil)

Women’s Bodyboarding

2001: Daniela Freitas (Brazil)

1996: Daniela Freitas (Brazil)