Open season

Huntington Beach has been the setting for many stellar surfing

showdowns throughout the years and Surf City will once again take the

international center stage at the end of July.

That’s when the 2003 Honda Element U.S. Open of Surfing Presented

by O’Neill debuts.

America’s top professional surfing competition, part of the

Philips Fusion, a multi-sport and music festival, will run from July

23 through Aug. 3 at the Pier.

The U.S. Open of Surfing is North America’s highest-rated

qualifying tournament and annually attracts crowds that near 200,000.

This year’s competition will once again draw surfing’s major stars

from all around the globe.

Nearly 500 contestants -- representing the United States,

Australia, Brazil, France, Japan and South Africa -- are scheduled to

vie for $175,000 in prizes.

“We’re going to continue the tradition of offering the best surf

event in the country,” said James Leitz, vice present of

International Management Group, which owns the U.S. Open of Surfing.

“This year it’s a true open event, with more spots available for

local and amateur surfers.”

The event features a six-star World Qualifying Series rated men’s

division that will offer a $125,000 total prize package and the

largest points total of any mainland surfing event in 2003.

The $30,000 women’s division also is a six-star WQS event and is

the mainland’s highest rated qualifying event.

Another competition taking place is the O’Neill U.S. Open of

Longboarding, which offers $10,000 in prizes.

The city’s steeped tradition of world-class surf competitions

dates back to the first West Coast Surfing Championships held in

1959. The event’s name changed to the U.S. Surfing Championships in

the early 1960s and now is known as the U.S. Open of Surfing, which

was founded in 1994.

On Aug. 9, Huntington Beach will be a first-time host to the Game,

an East vs. West showdown that, Leitz said, will pit the east’s top

12 professional surfers against the top 12 from the west.

The Game is part of the X Games, which will be held in Los

Angeles.

Kelly Slater will captain the East and Rob Machado “possibly”

could captain the West, Leitz said.

Just four days after the surfing competitions have left the

shoreline, the south side of the famed pier will heat up again with

the Huntington Beach Open, part of the 2003 Assn. of Volleyball

Professionals Nissan Series presented by Bud Light.

The Aug. 14 to 17 tournament is the fifth of the series’ eight

U.S. stops during its 2003 season tour.

The women’s championship match will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sat.,

Aug. 16 and the men’s final will be played at 1:30 p.m. on Sun., Aug.

17.

Both divisions feature a $75,000 purse.

The team of Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs are the defending

women’s champion and the tandem of Eric Fonoimoana and Dax Holdren

won the 2002 men’s title.