Tice Blows Out Candles, Competition

Kirk Tice asked for a modest 23rd birthday present Monday--a heat victory at the Op Pro surfing championships.

But Tice, surfing his hometown break at the Huntington Beach Pier, got even more. His 27.16 out of a possible 40 was the second-highest score of the men’s trials heat and gave him momentum heading into today’s second round.

“This contest means a lot,” Tice said. “I definitely wanted to win my heat on my birthday.”

So did Brazil’s Plinio Ribas, who celebrated his 18th birthday Monday with the highest score of the day, a 30.67.

How did Ribas intend to celebrate?

“Have a few beers and get ready for tomorrow,” he said.

Ribas, the younger brother of world tour star Victor Ribas, was one of eight Brazilians who advanced out of the 14 entered. He had three of the top eight waves of the event--9.0, 7.83 and 7.67.

Tice’s heat came at one of the toughest periods of the day, when many of the three- to four-foot waves were closing out, limiting most surfers to one or two maneuvers.

“My second wave was a multi-maneuver wave,” Tice said. “From that point on, I was picking up good, quality waves. They were hard to come by out there.”

Few surfers know the pier as well as Tice. He grew up surfing there, and has competed in six Op Pros.

He studies the south-side waves during breaks from his job parking cars at nearby Maxwell’s restaurant.

“I have a home-break advantage,” he said.

Advancing in contests hasn’t been easy for him the past two years. His highlight was 1991, when he finished 20th on the Bud Pro tour and beat eventual world-champion Kelly Slater twice.

Tice’s surfing “has taken a back seat” to school the past four years. He graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in English literature and is starting on his master’s degree.

“I’ve been juggling my classes,” he said. “It has been tough, competing against guys like Dino Andino and Shane Beschen, who surf full time. I’m working part time, going to school full time and surfing.”

Tice dropped out of high school in 1987 to compete on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ world tour. After two years on the tour, he returned to get his diploma and start college.

“I was doing well on the tour, but I saw guys like Scott Farnsworth, who’s an excellent surfer, not doing well,” Tice said. “I figured I knew how to read, so I could go back to school and be an English major. I want to teach at the college level, but that’s down the road.”

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Tice was among a handful of Orange County surfers who advanced.

Joining him in the second round are Huntington Beach’s Jeff Deffenbaugh, Mark Moreno, Noah Budroe and Craig Bechtloff; Laguna Beach’s Branden Faber, Hans Hagen and Jason Haughey; Dan Kennedy of South Laguna, and Newport Beach’s Troy Eckert.

Huntington Beach’s John (Bam Bam) Parmenter and Bud Llamas, the “Mayor of Huntington,” were among the first locals knocked out of the $60,000 world qualifying event.

Parmenter suffered the toughest loss. He finished third in his heat by only four hundredths of a point behind second-place Danny Melhado, who advanced to the second round.

Also eliminated were Laguna Niguel’s Cordell Miller, Newport Beach’s Garth Tarlow and David Giddings, Laguna Beach’s James Pribram, Capistrano Beach’s Joe McNulty and Anaheim’s David Pina.

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Surf report: According to Surfline-Wavetrak forecaster Sean Collins, a continuing South swell will supply the pier with head-high sets on Tuesday. Waves through the end of the week and into Saturday will average in the shoulder- to head-high range with occasional larger sets.

Op Notes

Competition resumes at 7 a.m. today with the remaining eight men’s trial heats, followed by the first round. Mission Viejo’s Donovan Frankenreiter and Chris Drummy of San Juan Capistrano are among the surfers scheduled to compete. . . . ESPN will televise the Op Pro at 7 p.m. Aug. 9. The Op Junior amateur competition will be aired July 13 at 10:30 p.m.