Cardiff’s Machado a Surfing Prodigy

Rob Machado is a surfer, Michael Chang a tennis player.

But they are alike in a lot of ways.

They are both friendly, unassuming teen-agers with talent already comparable to some of the best in the world, despite bodies that look very much their age.

They also were schoolmates--Chang a grade ahead--at both Oak Glen Junior High and San Dieguito High.

Chang, of course, moved on after his sophomore year at San Dieguito and has become one of the world’s more recognized athletes.

Machado who will enter his senior year in the fall, is making waves, too.

Friday, he qualified to the main event of the $50,000 Killer Loop tournament at the Oceanside Pier, but his impact goes beyond that.

A brief biography of Machado supplied by the Professional Surfing Assn. of America, the Bud U.S. Pro Surfing Tour’s governing body, reads:

“This 16-year-old from Cardiff joins fellow teen-ager Kelly Slater of Florida as America’s hope for a future world title.

So what does Machado think of that?

He shrugs, doesn’t really even answer the question. In other words, he responds the way Chang would and does.

“It depends on how I do,” Machado said. “You never know.”

Machado was born in Australia but grew up in Cardiff. He starting surfing at the age of 10, and the accolades soon followed.

Last year, he finished second to Slater at the Op World Junior Championships at Huntington Beach, and in May, he was seventh in the World Amateur Contest in Japan.

He readily admits he’d like to be the best in the world someday, but he’s taking his time. He has already been burned out once.

“I started surfing too many contests,” he said. “I started to get burned out. I was 14.”

He remedied that by limiting his contests mainly to those sponsored by the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. and the Christian Surfing Assn.

He also picked up a hobby, table tennis. At the World Amateur in Japan, he stage an impromptu tournament among the contestants and beat them all.

Smiling, shadow swatting, Machado boasted, “I’ll take on anyone.”

Surfing Notes

Six San Diego County surfers advanced to Saturday’s main event--the fifth round, with a total of four remaining. In addition to Rob Machado, Justin Poston, Chris Menzie and Rick Irons of San Diego, Trevor Christ of Encinitas and John Siberell of Cardiff were among the 32 that advanced. They will compete against the top 32 seeded surfers for a first-place prize of $7,000, to be awarded Sunday. . . . Three regulars on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals world tour--Richie Collins of Costa Mesa, Matt Archbold of San Clemente and Chris Frohoff of Redondo Beach--also qualified. Brad Gerlack, an ASP regular, was upset in a third-round heat Thursday. . . . In Body Glove Bodyboarding, 16 advanced to today’s main event against the top 16 seeded riders. They are competing for a first prize of $2,000, with the finals Sunday.