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One of the biggest annual competitions
in California is held each summer. It is the US Open of Surfing. The contest has traditionally been held in Huntington Beach
(HB). This event is part of the World Qualifying Series (WQS)
that is coordinated by the Association of Surfing Professionals. The
event attracts some of the world's best surfers and always produces epic action.
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More about Huntington Beach |
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Along a developing section
of Pacific Coast Highway you will find Huntington Beach.
Huntington Beach is located in Orange County, California. HB is
also known as Surf City. The typical
summer daytime temperatures range from 69-81 degrees Fahrenheit.
The typical summer water temperatures range from 67-71 degrees. Huntington
Beach has long been home to one of the world's biggest surfing
competition: The US Open of Surfing. No surprise, as Huntington Beach has produced a
recognizable surf subculture and industry. Huntington Beach is not only home to many professional surfers but is
a magnet for professional skateboarders and snowboarders.
Naturally the US Open also features Moto, skateboarding and snowboarding
exhibitions. This world class event is held on the South Side of the Huntington Beach
Pier.
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Soul Bowl
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Skate Park |
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ASP North America
is one of the seven branches of ASP International and is hosting this
particular contest. ASP has a direct presence in South Africa,
Australia, Japan, Europe, Hawaii, North America and South America.
The ASP claims a 31-year history of surfing tours.
There is a rating system
to classify the level of each WQS event. Each event has a star rating ranging
from 1 star to 6 stars. 6 star events, like the US Open in Huntington
Beach, are the largest and have bigger
prizes. The US Open has attracted sponsors
and exhibitors such as Honda, O'Neill, Ralph's, Verizon, and Paul
Mitchell over the years. In the 2008 event, the value in available
prizes will equal $195,000.00 . This event and the entire WQS can
provide a doorway into the World Tour. The top 15 gain a spot on
the World Tour. The World Tour is reserved for
the world's best surfers. |
ASP WQS Judges Booth 2008
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Hordes of
surfers come from around the globe to prove themselves at The US Open.
During the series, each contender definitely has only one thing on their
mind: to make the top of the World Qualifying Series. The judges are
looking to choose one winner. Winners have to impress the judges with a unique style, and have the potential
to be consistent. There is an official Judging Criteria,
used on the World Tour, that even WQS contenders should strive for.
The criteria states: "A surfer must perform radical controlled maneuvers
in the critical section of a wave with Speed, Power and Flow to maximize
scoring potential. Innovative / Progressive surfing as well as Variety
of Repertoire ( maneuvers ),will be taken into consideration when
rewarding points for waves ridden. The surfer who executes this criteria
with the maximum Degree of Difficulty and Commitment on the waves shall
be rewarded with the higher scores." |
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This year, numbers of qualified
men and women joined together in Huntington Beach to compete in areas
such as short board, long board, and juniors. The roll call
included Cory Lopez, Shane Beschen, Taylor Knox, Sunny Garcia, Brett
Simpson, Timmy Reyes, Roy Powers, and Nathaniel Curran. The contest ran from July 21,
2008 through July 27, 2008. Unfortunately we did not see CJ
Hobgood or Dane Reynolds back this year. Their successes at last
year's US Open helped to catapult them into the World Tour. There were
approximately 200,000 visitors in attendance for the weekend of the
finals. |
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More about ASP |
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The competition was fierce from the start. The waves ranged from two to
five feet high with overcast to sunny skies for the duration of the
contest. The waves
had some "push" and
workable "sections".
It would also be accurate to say that there was a strong south current
and the waves were a bit "wall-y". Conditions that HB locals are
accustomed to. The surfers had to put in some work to get the
right waves but the payoffs were spectacular. There were a
number of cutting edge performances. The aerial maneuvers really
impressed the crowd. |
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As the week progressed, the process of elimination reduced the number of surfers
remaining in the competition. There are hundreds of competitors in the contest
making the outcome hard to predict. The 2008 US Open ultimately gave way
to Upsets. In the Women's division, favorites Sally Fitzgibbons and Stephanie Gilmore made it to the semi-finals only to
get shut down. Malia Manuel prevailed in the end and made history.
Malia, 14 years old, is the youngest girl to win the US Open. The Women's
2nd place runner up, Coco Ho also made history as one of the youngest finalists.
Coco is 17 years old. Malia and Coco both represent Hawaii.
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The contest yielded many
aerial attacks although most of these maneuvers seemed to come out of the Pro Junior
division. Tanner Gudauskas (San Clemente, CA) claimed victory over the juniors. The Pro Junior final had 4 competitors in the Heat.
Tanner beat out Julian Wilson, Chris Salisbury, and Nat Young. "I tried my hardest and fortunately the cards went my way. All of the boys were surfing insane all week and they’re some of my favorite surfers, so I was just stoked to be in the heat.” Tanner said.
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Tanner Gudauskas US Open Junior Pro Winner
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Tanner Going Right and Spraying |
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By Sunday morning July 27, 2008, on the last day
of the competition, the
Men's WQS portion of the contest also sent favorites home. The day
began with 16 surfers remaining in the men's competition. As each
Heat ended the number of competitors dwindled. Amongst the losses
were Cory Lopez, Dane Gudauskas, Roy Powers, and Brett Simpson.
Brett Simpson's fate was revealed in the last 10 seconds of the
Semi-Final Heat, when Tim Boal caught his winning wave. The crowd
thickened as
the end of the competition approached.
By 1:30pm all but two surfers had been eliminated. |
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Tim Boal Throwing Tail in the finals
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Nathaniel Curran get his fins out of the water in the finals |
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Tim Boal (Hossegor, FRA) and
Nathaniel Curran (Oxnard, CA) entered the
final heat. The waves conditions were deteriorating with
increasing afternoon winds. Wave size had also decreased to a 1-3
foot range. The wave conditions did not seem to affect the
finalists appetites for victory. Nathaniel (Nate) claimed a major
victory after beating out Tim. Nate also jumped to the number 1
ranked position in the World Qualifying Series 2008 season. |
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Nate Curran WQS Winner
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Nate with a strong cut back in the Finals |
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Sources |
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Trade Federation Info Team on-site
www.aspworldtour.com and media feed.
ASP North America
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Domaille Blogs: Extreme Sports
Trade Federation Article: The US Open Of Surfing, published July 2007
Trade Federation Article: The Progression Of Competitive Surfing, published September 2007
Special thanks to Kristen from MKM for the on-site support
Images and Photos by RPM Photography and Philip Dominguez |
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This article is sponsored by: |
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