SURFING / LOWER TRESTLES : San Clemente’s Parsons Among 220 to Compete

Mike Parsons of San Clemente, points leader on the Professional Surfing Assn. of America tour, is among 220 surfers competing this week at the $50,000 Body Glove Surf Bout at Lower Trestles.

The five-day surfing and bodyboarding competition starts today with the finals scheduled for noon Sunday. The winner earns $20,000, the winning bodyboarder $1,250.

Defending Surf Bout champion Kelly Slater, a Cocoa Beach, Fla., native who lives and trains part time in Huntington Beach, is expected to compete. Also expected is 1989 champion Christian Fletcher of San Clemente and his younger brother, Nathan.

Several surfers from the Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ world tour also are scheduled to compete, including Seal Beach native Marty Thomas, Derek and Michael Ho of Sunset Beach, Hawaii, Laguna Beach’s Jeff Booth and current ASP tour leader Brad Gerlach, a Huntington Beach native now living in Encinitas.

Local surfers expected are Huntington Beach’s Kirk Tice and Bud Llamas, San Clemente’s Dino Andino, Jim Hogan and Matt Archbold and Laguna Niguel’s Vince de la Pena.

Four-time U.S. champion Mike Stewart will be back to defend his title in the bodyboarding division. Others competing will be Huntington Beach’s Chris Cunningham, Matt Allen of Costa Mesa and San Clemente’s Pat Caldwell and Jay Reale.