SURFING OP PRO CHAMPIONSHIPS : U.S. Cruises, but Australia Works a Bit Harder to Reach Final

As expected, the United States and Australia advanced to the finals of the Op Pro surfing championships Saturday at the Huntington Beach Pier.

But the Australians had to work a little harder to get there.

The United States clinched a spot in today’s finals by winning four of seven heats from Brazil, then won the tag-team competition for the second consecutive day by a big margin.

The U.S. team easily won its pool with 42 points, followed by Brazil (26) and Japan (7.5).

Australia needed a fourth-place finish in the tag-team competition to edge Hawaii, which finished sixth, in the other pool. Australia had 26.5 points, Hawaii 24 and Europe-Africa 10.

“Basically, the contest was set up to have the United States make the finals,” said Kelly Slater of the U.S. team. “Op didn’t want a contest without the U.S. (team) in the finals. That’s why we weren’t in the same pool as Hawaii and Australia.”

Slater and the U.S. team dominated the tag-team event, getting the required 15 waves five minutes before the one-hour time limit expired. The United States won with 91.5, followed by Brazil (79.5), Europe-Africa (69.5), Australia (69.5), Japan (69.5) and Hawaii (53).

“The key is to be on the ball with the waves,” said San Clemente’s Mike Parsons, the U.S. captain. “It puts less pressure on your guys surfing later.”

Hawaii struggled to get its wave count. Marty Thomas, who competed first for Hawaii on Friday, had only five minutes to catch three waves.

“That’s the way the tag team goes sometimes,” Thomas said.

Australia and Hawaii were tied at 37.5 midway through the competition.

But Australia took the lead for good when Shane Powell scored 13 on his double-scoring ride to 10 for Hawaii’s Sunny Garcia. Garcia had an 8.0 on his first ride, but decided not to double it.

“We left that up to Sunny,” Thomas said. “It’s tough when you have a good score on your first wave, because you always think you can do better.”

After a convincing victory in Friday’s tag-team competition, the U.S. team struggled somewhat Saturday morning against Brazil. The U.S. team won, 165-155.5, but Brazil won three heats.

Slater edged Brazil’s Renan Rocha, 12.5-12.0, in the next heat, but Brazil got its second victory when Andrea Lopes defeated Alisa Schwarzstein, 13-11.5. The United States clinched it when Newport Beach’s Richie Collins and Todd Holland of Cocoa Beach, Fla., beat Richard Tatui and Amaury Pereira in their doubles heat.

The victory set the stage for a longtime rivalry between U.S. and Australian surfers. Last year’s Op champion, Australia’s Barton Lynch, referred to Huntington Beach as “a dump” after accepting his trophy.

Collins said he’s coming prepared.

“If they set up the (tag-team) tents at opposite ends of the beach,” Collins said, “I’ll bring a shotgun and some grenades.”

Gang tackle: Garcia and Kaipo Jaquias of Hawaii tackled Australia’s Glen Winton as Winton was running down the beach to the tag-team finish area. In the tag-team, surfers are penalized five points if they don’t return to the finish line before time expires.

But Hawaii was assessed the penalty and judges deducted five points from its score.

Hawaii was already trailing by 11.5 points, so Jaquias and Garcia figured they had nothing to lose.

Flight delays: Slater is scheduled to do a photo shoot in Tonga for a surfing magazine this week, and is scrambling to move his flight back Sunday so he can finish the event.

Slater’s flight out of L.A. International Airport was scheduled for 2 p.m., about 15 minutes after the contest ends. Slater’s flight from Hawaii to Tonga leaves only once a week, so making the connection is important.

“You better stay,” Collins told Slater Saturday. “If you leave, that means I lose $1,500 (the difference between first and second).”

Said Slater: “Only if you pay me $1,500 to stay.”

Add Slater: Some surfers criticized the judges Friday for overscoring Slater on an 18.0 double-scoring wave.

Schwarzstein of Laguna Beach, Slater’s U.S. teammate who also judges contests, said she thought Slater was underscored Saturday.

“He had a 4.0 on his first wave of his (morning) heat,” she said. “It was more like a 5.5. He felt like he did bad, but he was underscored.”

New look: Al Hunt, general manager with the Assn. of Surfing Professionals world tour, said Op officials might want to reconsider having a team format for next year’s contest.

Op officials switched the contest from the individual championship format it used for the past 10 years to the team format this year. The switch has been widely criticized by the surfers, including some who are competing.

The Op Pro also dropped off the world tour schedule after failing to meet the $120,000 purse required for world championship events. The Op offered $100,000 in prize money last year and $85,000 this year.

“The surfers aren’t interested in prize money,” Hunt said. “They want the world tour points to get endorsement contracts. That’s where the money is.”

Hunt said Op would have lured more top surfers if it held a world-tour qualifying event instead of a team competition. Many Op Pro regulars, including past world champions Tom Curren, Tom Carroll, Martin Potter, Damien Hardman and Barton Lynch, skipped this year’s event.

“They (Op officials) would have gotten a lot more (public) interest with a qualifying event,” Hunt said. “Instead of having four of the top 44 surfers, they would have had 40 of the top 44 surfers here.

“Op is going to have to ask themselves if they got the media coverage and the public interest with the team format. They have to ask themselves if they want to put the money into a championship event.”

This year’s Op Pro was sanctioned as an ASP specialty event.

“Most specialty events only work in great surf spots,” Hunt said. “If this contest were held at Tavarua, it would have worked. The surfers would have loved it.”

Op notes

Anaheim’s David Pina will face Travis Molina of Encinitas in an Op Junior amateur semifinal at 8 a.m. today. Keith Malloy and Tim Buechler of Titusville, Fla., will meet in the other semifinal.

The finals are scheduled for 12:15 p.m. The Op Junior champion wins a trophy and a $1,000 scholarship from the U.S. Surfing Federation.

Results

Team standings

(Teams with most points in each pool after two rounds and two tag-team events will advance to the finals)

Pool 1--1. United States 42, 2. Brazil 26, 3. Japan 7.5. Pool 2--1. Australia 26.5, 2. Hawaii 24, 3. Europe-Africa 10.

Tag-team competition

1. United States 91.5, 2. Brazil 79.5, 3. Europe-Africa 74, 4. Australia 69.5, 5. Japan 69.5, 6. Hawaii 53.

United States 165, Brazil 155.5

UNITED STATES--Richie Collins 22, Todd Holland 18.5, Kelly Slater 12.5, Mike Parsons 21.5, Alisa Schwarzstein 11.5. Doubles--Collins-Holland 42.5, Slater-Schwarzstein 36.5.

BRAZIL--Richard Tatui 13, Amaury Pereira 21.5, Renan Rocha 12, Tadeu Pereira 18.5, Andrea Lopes 13. Doubles--Tatui-A. Pereira 40.5, Rocha-Lopes 37.