The kids take to the waves

When Surfing America was considering becoming the national governing

body of the sport last year, one of its main interests was in

bringing the World Junior Championships to California.

Granted governing body status by the International Surfing Assn.

in March 2004, Huntington Beach-based Surfing America has made good

on its goal of hosting the event in the Southland.

Beginning Saturday, the World Junior Championships will take place

here in Surf City.

The 2005 Quiksilver International Surfing Assn. World Junior

Surfing Championships will be held at the pier, starting with opening

ceremonies on Saturday.

Competition begins Sunday and runs through Oct. 16.

Twenty-nine national junior teams are confirmed to compete in

boys’ under-18 and under-16 and girls’ open under-18 divisions. They

will vie for team and individual gold, silver, bronze and copper

medals.

Countries bringing teams to Surf City are Argentina, Australia,

Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,

Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hawaii, Ireland,

Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Puerto

Rico, South Africa, Tahiti, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom,

Venezuela and the U.S.

Hawaii and the U.S. are recognized as separate members of the

International Surfing Assn., mainly to honor Hawaii’s contribution to

the sport of surfing. If a surfer does not qualify for the Hawaiian

team, that surfer can try out for the U.S. team, said Townend, head

coach of the USA Surf Team.

“We are really excited to be hosting the junior championships,”

Townend said. “The best junior surfers in the world will be at the

pier.”

All surfers will compete in qualifying rounds. The top two surfers

in each heat advance to the next qualifying round, and the third- and

fourth-place heat finishers move to the repechage rounds. Once a

surfer is eliminated from the repechage round, that surfer can no

longer advance.

The grand final heat will be composed of the first- and

second-place surfers from the qualifying round final, as well as the

first- and second-place surfers from the repechage round final.

In addition to the three divisions of competition, a five-person

tag-team competition also will take place.

Townend will select his starting lineup -- four surfers in each

division -- from a pool of 18 boys and 12 girls eligible for the

junior competition. The coach will put his team through workouts

today and Friday -- the latter against the Huntington Beach High surf

team -- before making a final decision on a starting lineup.

“It’s going to be difficult to choose the starters,” said Townend,

who spent the past month traveling to such places as Cape Hatteras,

N.C., New Smyrna, Fla., and Newport Beach, to watch his team members

surf their home shore break.

“We have several veterans returning from our success in Tahiti,”

he said. “I’m looking at how our surfers have done in recent

competition and how well they can surf as part of a team. I’m going

to keep an eye on how they respond to the two practices we have at

the end of the week.”

One surfer hoping to earn a starting spot for Team USA is Chris

Waring, a 2005 graduate of Huntington Beach High and the only Surf

City athlete among the group eligible to compete.

“It’s not about who’s the best surfer, but who is the most

determined, who listens to what needs to be done and is a team

player,” said the 18-year-old, who has been surfing since age eight.

“I watched a movie they made on the USA team last year, and it was

really inspirational. My goal after seeing that film was to make the

team. It’s a great, talented group to be a part of. Not only do I get

to meet new people, but it’s been great to come together as a team.

I’m glad to get this opportunity.”

The U.S. won the team silver medal and four other medals at last

year’s junior championships in Papenoo, Tahiti.

Australia won the 2004 junior team title, and Brazil won in 2003.

“Australia, Brazil and Hawaii will be tough again,” Townend said.

“I’m not predicting anything gold now, but we’re going to win some

medals. This team is very talented.”

In the past, the Junior World Championships were held as part of

the biennial World Surfing Games. In 2002, the junior competition was

separated into its own event in order to provide a singular focus for

world junior surfing.

The World Surfing Games, then known as the World Surfing

Championships, began in 1964 in Manly, Australia. Huntington Beach

will host the 2006 World Surfing Games.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, the Parade of Nations, similar to an Olympic

opening ceremony, will feature each of the 29 teams marching with its

national flag down the pier and through the competition area.

Following the parade will be the Sands of the World ceremony, a

mixing of sands from the shores of all 29 countries, symbolizing the

International Surfing Assn’s hopes for world peace.