Slater Among Surfers Expected at Team Event

Former world champion Kelly Slater is among the surfers expected to compete in the $16,000 Katin Team Challenge, which begins today on the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier.

The three-day event features an individual championship, plus 48 four-member squads competing for the team trophy won by Team Rusty last season. Huntington Beach’s Jeff Deffenbaugh is the defending individual champion.

Slater, a native of Cocoa Beach, Fla., and the 1992 Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ world champion, will join with top pros Rob Machado of Cardiff, and Hawaii’s Conan Hayes and Shane Dorian in the team event.

Competition begins at 7 a.m. each day, with the finals tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. The final day will also include a tag-team competition in the morning.