11 County Surfers Advance in Trials for Op Pro Meet

Eleven Orange County residents, including two amateurs, were among the 36 surfers who advanced through the second day of men’s trials at the Op Pro surfing contest Wednesday at Huntington Beach.

The amateurs who have survived three heats are Mike Schillmoeller of Huntington Beach, Todd Holland of Cocoa Beach, Fla., and Jeff Booth of Laguna Beach. Booth, a four-time member of the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. national team, is making a comeback from a leg injury and blood infection, both in the past year.

Schillmoeller advanced by placing second in his last heat of the day after a ruling that Gary Clisby of Huntington Beach had interfered with eventual winner James (Chappy) Jennings of Australia.

Schillmoeller, a 19-year-old Golden West College student, said his progress was a pleasant surprise.

“I didn’t expect to get out of my first heat (Tuesday),” said Schillmoeller, who was captain of the Huntington Beach High School team in 1984. “I’m just having a good time here and learning from the pros.”

Among the better-known competitors eliminated in Wednesday’s international trials were Australians Rob Page, Merrick Davis and Simon Law.

Davis and Page were eliminated by Richard Kenvin of La Jolla and Jerry Boyd of Huntington Beach. Law lost in a heat in which Holland placed first and Brian McNulty of Capistrano Beach was second.

Other Orange County competitors to advance were Jerry Boyd, Scott Farnsworth, John Kissel and Bud Llamas of Huntington Beach; Richie Collins and John Parmenter of Newport Beach, and Matt Archbold of San Clemente.

The waves reached 14 feet Wednesday and large surf was expected again today.

Further international trials will begin at 7:30 a.m., with main event trials at 10:50 a.m., and women’s trials at 3:30 p.m. The contest, which offers a $45,000 purse in the men’s competition and $10,000 in the women’s, will continue through Sunday.