Locals tear it up out there

WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG

Surf City still has been on a roll. The AVP Pro beach volleyball

circuit hit the sands of Huntington Beach last weekend. That kept the

action on and the crowds up as the women’s’ division saw Misty May

and Kerri Walsh defeat Holy McPeak and Elaine Youngs pretty soundly.

The win improved their record to 31-0 this season, which is pretty

incredible.

With summer still in full swing, the weather has been most

excellent, with sunny skies, air temps in the mid to upper-70s and a

combination of swells out of the southwest and northwest have been

keeping the surf pumping at our local beaches.

At Goldenwest Street over the weekend, they held the H.B. Surf

Series in some killer 3- to 6-foot plus surf with peeling lefts and

rights. The contestants were taking advantage of the great surf and

ripping it up. In the little guys, or super grom division, Riley

Metcalf took top honors with Jessie Steelman second.

Boys saw Marty Weinstein continue on his winning ways, with Allan

Kincade runner-up. Juniors saw a South African transplant win it and

Dita Saravio and Anthony Duarte placed second. In mens, there was

some big action as Marc Belmonte was busting the moves and won edging

out Matt Tokarz. Masters saw a charged-up Mikey Mattison bashing some

sections for the overall victory with new papa Jason Haugey second.

In grandmasters, Mike Glevy, Marcell Guinaldo and Phill Lockman

were first, second and third respectively.

Taking the women was Kathy Jo Northam, and Vaneesa Dautel slashed

her way to second to wrap up another happening surf contest.

Next up is the Huntington Beach Pier, south side, Sept 6 and 7.

Two weeks ago at Oceanside pier, local Huntington hot-shot, Danny

Nichols was unstoppable putting together his first big win on the

Professional Surfing Tour of America pro circuit. Nichols posted the

highest two-wave score in the final, 13.3, to stop Brazil’s

up-and-coming Adriano de Souza, who was on fire throughout the event,

but came up with 12.5 points in 30 minutes. Laguna’s Bron

Heussenstamm had some good ones too and was third. Newport’s Jeff

Hurley was fourth.

In the women’s National Scholastic Surfing Assn. , Newport Beach

shredder Erica Hosseini took the win over Hawaiian Anastasia Ashley.

Meanwhile veteran World Qualifying Series surfer, Surfside’s Jodie

Nelson placed third and Huntington Beach’s Allison Arvizu fourth.

In longboarding, doing the fancy footwork were West Coast

standouts Josh Constable and Bart Wilson. U.S. Open winner Tayler

Jensen finished up third and Surf City’s Cyrus Sutton, styled to

fourth. A couple other locals, Dodger Kremel and Josh Mohr, lost out

in the semis and the quarters. Mohr again had enough points to take

the overall U.S. title, that’s two years in a row. Congratulations.

That new surf flick “Step into Liquid” is getting pretty good

reviews from the and is scheduled to open at the box office Aug. 22.

A film by Dana Brown has no special effects, no stuntmen, no

stereotypes, and they say no feeling comes close. Dana is following

his father’s legacy, 40 years after dad, Bruce Brown, produced that

classic, “The Endless Summer” that was a timeless hit over the years.

“Step into Liquid” features some big surf sessions with Laird

Hamilton and world championship tour points leader Keala Kennelly,

along with other footage shot around the globe. It looks like it

could be a hit! See ya Fig over and out.

* RICK FIGNETTI is an eight-time West Coast champion, has

announced the U.S. Open of Surfing the last nine years and has been

the KROQ-FM surfologist for the last 17 years, doing morning surf

reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at

(714) 536-1058.