Katin Team Challenge Surfing Returns This Weekend

After a three-year absence from the Orange County surfing scene, the Katin Team Challenge will return to the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier Friday through Sunday.

The late Walter and Nancy Katin, owners of Kanvas by Katin surf wear shop in Surfside, started the contest in 1977.

It was an annual event until 1990, when demolition and reconstruction of the pier forced a three-year break.

Over the years, the contest has drawn some of the world’s top surfers, but this year’s event conflicts with the Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ world tour event at Bell’s Beach, Australia. Newport Beach’s Richie Collins, the winner of the last Katin in 1989, is expected to compete in Australia.

“We figured most of the top guys wouldn’t be coming for a $20,000 event anyway,” said Bill Sharp, contest coordinator. “So we went ahead and scheduled it.”

Thirty-two four-man teams are expected to compete for more than $17,000 in cash and prizes. There’s an individual championship as well as a four-man, tag-team competition similar to the one at last summer’s Op Pro.

Most of the surfers competing are members of the Bud Pro tour. Scheduled to compete are Pat O’Connell (Laguna Niguel), Todd Chesser (Hawaii), Chris Billy (Dana Point), Noah Budroe (Huntington Beach), Joe McNulty (Capistrano Beach), Chris Frohoff (Hermosa Beach), Ted Robinson (Manhattan Beach), Bud Llamas (Huntington Beach), Peter Mel (Santa Cruz) and Jim Hogan (San Clemente).

Budroe was a member of Team Quiksilver, which won the 1989 team competition with Jeff Booth (Laguna Beach), Todd Miller (Costa Mesa) and Doug Silva (Solano Beach).

Past Katin individual champions:

1989--Collins, 1988--Dave Parmenter (Huntington Beach), 1987--Tom Curren (Carpinteria), 1986--Martin Potter (England), 1985--Willy Morris, 1984--Joey Buran (Vista), 1983--Potter, 1982--Curren, 1981--Shaun Tomson (South Africa), 1980--Michael Ho (Hawaii), 1979--Greg Mungall (Florida), 1978--Larry Bertlemann (Sunset Beach, Hawaii), 1977--Tomson.

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Prime Ticket Network has signed a multi-year agreement to televise the Professional Surfing Assn. of America Bud Pro tour and Hawaiian Pro-Am Circuit events.

The all-sports network will televise 14 events, including the Richie Collins Drug Use Is Life Abuse contest at the Huntington Beach Pier June 2-6. The contest will be televised at 7 p.m. June 22.

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Quick facts: According to recent Surf Industry Manufacturers Assn. research, the number of beach sports participants is expected to increase from 33.6 million this year to 38.4 million by the end of 1993.

A sport-by-sport breakdown of the research:

Surfing--Research showed 1.1 million Americans rode waves in 1992, and 1.15 million to 1.47 million will surf in 1993. Surfboard sales are expected to reach 275,000 this year and wet suit sales 425,000.

Beach volleyball--More than 14.45 million Americans played some form of beach volleyball in 1993, a 12% increase over 1992. More than 25% of the participants were women.

Bodyboarding--This sport sometimes gets lost in the shadow of surfing, but it has a loyal following, almost 2 million participants are projected for 1993. Board sales should reach 500,000 this year.

In-line skating--The study projected an increase from 7 million last year to 8.75 million this year. More than 4 million in-line skates are expected to be sold this year.

Skateboarding--The largest of the sports nationwide--about 8.8 million skateboarders are projected for this year, a 10% increase from 1992.

The survey also included snowboarding, which attracts much of the beach crowd during the winter months. Three million snowboarders are expected to hit the slopes in 1993, an 18% increase over last year. Snowboard sales are projected to top 130,000 in 1993; 85,000 were sold last year.

Beach notes

Assn. of Surfing Professionals World qualifying tour standings--Men: 1. Taylor Knox (Carlsbad) 3,710 points, 2. Barton Lynch (Australia) 3,630, 3. Jeff Booth (Laguna Beach) 3,400, 4. Rob Machado (Cardiff by the Sea) 3,380, 5. Richie Collins (Newport Beach) 3,165. Women: 1. Pam Burridge (Australia) 2,000, 2. Neridah Falconer (Australia) 1,470, 3. Pauline Menczer (Australia) 1,360, 4. Vanessa Osborne (Australia) 1,340, 5. Wendy Botha (Australia) 1,285.

Assn. of Volleyball Professionals’ men’s and women’s tour results, schedule--Feb 4-6, Honolulu tournament was won by Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes; March 27-28, Ft. Myers, Fla., tournament was won by Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos; April 17-18, Phoenix; April 22-24, Clearwater, Fla.; May 1-2, Austin, Tex.; May 8-9, San Antonio; May 15-16, Ft. Worth, Tex.; May 22-23, San Diego; May 27-29, Boulder, Colo.; June 5-6, Cleveland; June 12-13, Philadelphia; June 19-20, Chicago; June 26-27, Ocean City, Md.; July 2-4, Manhattan Beach; July 17-18, Cape Cod, Mass.; July 24-25, Belmar, N.J.; July 31-Aug. 1, Milwaukee; Aug. 7-8, Grand Haven, Mich.; Aug. 13-15, Seal Beach; Aug. 19-21, Santa Cruz; Aug. 27-29, Hermosa Beach; Sept. 3-4, Cincinnati, Ohio; Sept. 24-26, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Women’s Professional Volleyball Assn.--April 17-18, Puerto Rico; April 24-25, San Diego; May 1-2, Fresno; May 15-16, Austin, Tex.; May 22-23, New Orleans; May 29-30, Jacksonville, Fla.; June 12-13, Hermosa Beach; June 19-20, Santa Cruz; July 3-4, Boston; July 10-11, Dayton, Ohio; July 24-25, Pismo Beach; Aug. 7-8, U.S. Championships at Long Beach; Aug. 21-22, Manhattan Beach.