OP PRO SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS : Pressure Is On to Win at Home : New format: If talented U.S. members don’t work as a team, look for Australians to take the 11th Op Pro.
There will be no individual titles won at the Op Pro surfing championships this year.
There will be five.
A crowded victory stand will be among a few of the changes at the 11th Op Pro, which begins Tuesday at the Huntington Beach Pier.
Six five-member teams representing five countries and a state will compete in the event, the largest surfing contest on the U.S. mainland in the past decade.
The Op Junior amateur competition begins with four rounds Tuesday. The team competitions start Wednesday and conclude Sunday.
Op officials switched the contest format from individual championships to a team competition this year.
The team competition features 30 surfers, including three of the top 10 men on the world tour and three of the top 15 women.
The Davis Cup-style competition will include the United States, Australia, Japan, Europe-Africa, Brazil and Hawaii.
A team-by-team look at the field:
Australia
Roster: Captain--Gary Elkerton. Pam Burridge, Richard Marsh, Shane Powell, Glen Winton.
Strength: Depth. The only team other than the United States that has four consistent world tour surfers. Elkerton is ranked fifth in the world, and Burridge, the top-ranked woman, should give the Australians a big boost. Marsh is ranked 16th in the world. Winton is solid, and Powell is one of the top performers on the U.S. tour.
Weakness: What could have been. Imagine an Aussie dream team of Tom Carroll, Damien Hardman, Barton Lynch, Elkerton or Rob Bain. Many of the big names decided to skip the Op to prepare for the upcoming world tour.
The skinny: If the United States doesn’t win this, the Australians will.
Brazil
Roster: Captain--Amaury Pereira. Andrea Lopes, Tadeu Pereira, Renan Rocha, Ricardo Tatui.
Strength: Desire. There will be no team with more intensity and desire in the contest. Amaury Pereira and Rocha both surfed well at the Body Glove Cup at Huntington State Beach, with Rocha reaching the finals.
Weakness: The Brazilians were a contender until they lost captain Flavio Padaratz, who withdrew, and Victor Ribas, who broke his leg free surfing between heats at a Huntington State Beach contest two weeks ago. Padaratz, a former Edison High exchange student, is ranked 10th in the world, and Ribas is one of the top world tour surfers. Their replacements are Tadeu Pereira and Tatui.
The skinny: A third- or fourth-place finish.
Europe-Africa
Roster: Captain--Martin Potter. Kay Holt, David Malherbe, Noel Rahme, Justin Strong.
Strength: Potter, a former world champion who can win anywhere.
Weakness: The rest of the team.
The skinny: Should battle Japan for last place.
Hawaii
Roster: Captain--Marty Thomas, Sunny Garcia, Rochelle Gordines, Hans Hedemann, Kaipo Jaquias.
Strength: Thomas and Garcia have proven to be world-beaters at the Op. If they surf well, along with the consistent Han Hedemann and Kaipo Jaquias, the Hawaiians could pack some punch.
Weakness: Depth. If Thomas, Garcia or Hedemann fail to deliver, the Hawaiians will be in trouble. The addition of Derek and Michael Ho would have made this team a favorite.
The skinny: Could finish anywhere from second to fourth.
Japan
Roster: Captain--Takao Kuga. Yasuko Kamitaki, Shuji Kasuya, Takayuki Fukuchi, Naohisa Ogawa.
Strength: Both Kasuya and Kuga have competed in past Op Pros. Kasuya’s style is patterned after Tom Curren, a three-time Op champion.
Weakness: Inexperience.
The skinny: Thanks for stopping by, guys. Look forward to a sixth-place finish and a long flight home.
United States
Roster: Captain--Mike Parsons (San Clemente). Richie Collins (Newport Beach), Todd Holland (Cocoa Beach, Fla.), Alisa Schwarzstein (Laguna Beach), Kelly Slater (Cocoa Beach, Fla.).
Strength: Talent. The United States has plenty of it with Collins, the 1989 Op champion; Holland, the 1990 Op winner; U.S. champion Parsons; young hotshot Slater, and Schwarzstein, a three-time U.S. amateur champion.
Weakness: Could be a group of individuals who are in it for themselves, which could hurt them in the tag-team competition.
The skinny: The pressure is on them to win on their home surf. If the flamboyant Collins works well with the team, he could be the key.