| The US Open of Surfing 2011 |
| The US Open of Surfing is
the biggest annual
surfing competition held in California. The US Open is coordinated by
the Association of Surfing Professionals and is considered a Prime
Event. Prime Event surfing contests have delivered talent in 2010.
Rule changes back in 2010 nudged the level of competition at this event
up a level for 2011. The stars aligned to make the 2011 US Open an
epic event. |
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| More about Huntington Beach | ||||
| Huntington Beach (HB)
has long been home to one of the world's biggest surfing competitions: The US Open of Surfing.
Huntington Beach is located in Orange County, California. The US
Open is held on the South Side of the Huntington Beach
Pier. The typical summer water temperatures range from 67-72
degrees. Huntington Beach is not only home to many professional surfers but is
also a magnet for professional competitors from around the world.
As in years past, the US Open also featured other
exhibitions including skateboarding. |
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| ASP North America is a branch
of ASP International and is hosting the US Open. The ASP claims a
34+ year history of surfing tours. In previous years, the US Open was
classified as a World Qualifying Series (WQS) event. Due to rule changes
in 2009 and 2010, the event classification system has been changed
slightly.
The US Open is now classified as a Prime Event. Prime Events are
the 2nd highest rated events classification system. World Tour events
are at the top of the event hierarchy. All other events use a
rating system ranging from 1 star to 6 stars. All of the 2011
Prime Events have a minimum of $250K commitment each in prizes.
This is up from the $145K commitment from 2010. The 2010 US
Open hit the $250k+ marker in prizes and was set for another 250k in
prizes for the 2011 US Open. These contests have been known to increase prizes after the event has begun. 2009 broke records for event sponsorships and individual competitor prizes. Hurley, a manufacturer of surf trunks and surf gear, had announced that they would be increasing the prize money for the event winner. The 2009 winner would be paid a historic $100,000.00. The hundred thousand dollar 1st place prize was again matched for the 2010 event. Hurley's announcement has caught attention beyond the average ripper and low-ranking world tour competitors. The 2011 roll call included Kelly Slater (10X World Champion), Brett Simpson, Dane Reynolds, Bede, Durbidge, Michel Bourez, Damien Hobgood, and Nathaniel Curran. The new classification system, which includes a one world-ranking facet, encourages competitors to compete in a combination of contest categories. The U.S. Open is the 8th Prime Event of the 2011 season. The first Prime Event of the 2011 season was won by Alejo Muniz, a World Tour competitor. The second prime event was won by Damien Hobgood, also a World Tour Competitor. So basically World Tour competitors are squeezing this Prime Event in-between their World Tour Event Schedule. |
 ASP US Open 2011 - Skateboard Exhibition |
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The 2011 US Open has attracted major sponsors and exhibitors such as Hurley,
Nike, Converse, Verizon,
Casio, and Paul Mitchell. Well I guess it would be fair to mention
that Nike owns Hurley and Converse. Prime Events can provide a
doorway into the prestigious World Tour. The World Tour is
reserved for the world's best surfers. Surfers come from around the globe to prove themselves at The US Open. The 2011 contest ran from July 30th, 2011 through August 7th, 2011. |
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| More about Pro Surf Blog | ||||
| The waves ranged from two to four feet high (2-4 foot faces) with overcast to sunny skies for the duration of the contest. The water temperature for the contest ranged from 63-70 degrees. There was a slight south current. Some of the days experienced a current that flowed north toward the HB Pier. These are conditions that HB locals are accustomed to. Surfers had to watch their "wave selection" to get waves that would payoff. | ||||
| More about Surfing | ||||
| ASP and Nike put on the biggest contest in surfing history. Talent, Danger, Money, Drama, California Weather, The Ocean, Bikinis, and free beach concerts produced the largest crowds in surfing history. It was also the best quality webcast and video coverage of any contest on the planet to date. The variety of entertainment also brought the major network media circus, which in turn added intensity. | ||||
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ASP judges are becoming known
for giving higher rewards for radical controlled maneuvers in the critical section of a wave.
There is an emphasis on the chased "WOW Factor". Innovation and
Progressive surfing tend to get good reactions as well. Repertoire (
maneuvers ), is also taken into consideration when rewarding points for waves
ridden. Aerial maneuvers really impressed the spectators in 2009 and 2010.
Local boy, Brett Simpson won the US Open in 2009 and 2010 by mixing up his
personal repertoire. In 2011, CJ Hobgood started an online poll that gave web visitors to guess at how many
180 aerials would be performed throughout the contest. The winner was
promised CJ's surfboard as a prize. Wave height also held weight in determining wave scores.
Points could be given for Speed, Power and Flow. As the week
progressed, the process of elimination reduced the number of surfers remaining
in the competition. Experience seemed to be paying off for many of the
seasoned world tour competitors. |
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| By Sunday morning August 7th, 2011, on the last day of the competition, the Men's Prime Event action was peaking. The contest crowd grew by the finals. The day began with 8 surfers remaining in the men's competition. As each heat ended, the number of competitors dwindled. Amongst the losses were Dane Reynolds, Tanner Gudauskas, Royden Bryson, and Taj Burrow. Slater blew his way through the final day of the competition using a variety of maneuvers including a massive 360 air and a clean barrel ride. | ||||
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 Brett Simpson 2009 & 2010 Winner |
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| When the ripples settled from the elimination process Kelly Slater and Yadin Nicols were still standing. This match up put the 10x World Champion against an up and coming World Tour Competitor. The wave size (2-4ft) in the 2011 finals were comparable to the waves in the 2010 finals. Kelly Slater dominated the final heat with Yadin not catching waves. The $100,000.00 prize and spotlight ended up going to Kelly Slater. | ||||
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 Nate Curran 2008 Winner |
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| Sources | ||||
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Trade Federation Info Team on-site www.aspworldtour.com event heat schedule and media feed. http://www.aspworldtour.com/schedule/asp-mens-prime-events-schedule/ Men's Prime Event Standing 2011. ASP North America Media Broadcast - Dave Prodan - July 2011 - August 2011 Domaille.tv Blogs: Pro Surfing 2011 ASP Event Announcer Commentary 2011 - Rockn Fig, Dave Mansfield Trade Federation Competition Video: Gabriel Medina / Heat 3 - 8/2/2011 Trade Federation Competition Video: Evan Geiselman / Heat 4 and interview - 8/2/2011 Trade Federation Competition Video: Dane Reynolds / Heat 8 and interview - 8/5/2011 Trade Federation Competition Video: Yadin Nicols / Heat 9 - 8/5/2011 Trade Federation Competition Video: Royden Bryson / Heat 10 and interview - 8/5/2011 Trade Federation Competition Video: Jadson Andre / Heat 3 and interview - 8/6/2010 Trade Federation Competition Video: Kelly Slater Heat 6 - 8/6/2010 Trade Federation Competition Video: Dane Reynolds / Heat 7 and interview - 8/6/2010 Trade Federation Article: The US Open Of Surfing published July 2007 Trade Federation Article: Surfing at The US Open published July 2008 Trade Federation Article: The US Open of Surfing 2009 published July 2009 Trade Federation Article: The US Open of Surfing 2010 published August 2010 RPM Photography - 2008 Nate Curran Photo Don Stenerson - Kelly Slater 2005 Photo Jadson Andre, Michel Bourez, Dane Reynolds, Evan Geiselman, and Brett Simpson Photos by Trade Federation Inc. Phil - 8/6/2010, 8/2/2011, 8/5/2011 Copyright - All content included |
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