SURFING / OP PRO CHAMPIONSHIPS : Machado Remains Patient, and It Pays Off
After less-than-ideal conditions greeted the men Friday morning at the Op Pro Surfing Championships, Rob Machado had a simple assessment.
“You’ve got to be patient,” he said. “That’s the key in this competition.”
Machado, 22, and some of the other top surfers in the world competed for the first time in Round 2 of the main event. But after 10 minutes of the 20-minute heat, he still had not caught a wave and stood fourth and last in his heat. Only the top two competitors advanced to today’s competition.
With the wind blowing out, creating choppy conditions and a shortage of ridable waves, Machado appeared to be in trouble. But the event’s defending champion, ranked sixth on the world tour, eventually was able to work his magic.
Machado scored 6.0 (out of a possible 10) on his first wave, then waited another few minutes before scoring back-to-back 5.67s to move into second place.
With less than three minutes left, Machado’s scored 7.17 to move into first and qualify for Round 3 beginning at 8:20 a.m. today.
“I haven’t been surfing for four to five days, so I felt a little lost out there,” said Machado, from Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Asked if he had felt any pressure waiting for those scoring waves, he just smiled. “Pressure is bad. When you put pressure on yourself, you make mistakes. You can’t panic.”
Added Conan Hayes of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii: “I didn’t feel solid out there. You just have to wait. You’ve got to be patient.”
Jeff Deffenbaugh of Huntington Beach also advanced.
“The waves weren’t cooperating too much out there,” he said. “In my heat, it was the smaller waves that provided more opportunities to score. I got one small wave and was able to do something with it. But it’s been tough.”
Shane Dorian of Honolulu called it brutal.
“The wind picked up and good waves just weren’t there,” said Dorian, who won his heat. “No one is going to give you a wave in this one. You have to fight for the waves.”
The adverse conditions worked to the advantage of others. Unranked Todd Miller of Costa Mesa, who broke a fin on his board Thursday, found someone to repair it that afternoon and also advanced in the elite field.
Although the men struggled with the morning conditions, the surf improved early in the afternoon, just in time for the women’s quarterfinals.
A possible matchup between the top American woman, Lisa Andersen, and Kim Mearig, the two-time world champion who came out of retirement for this event, was set up for this afternoon as both advanced. Mearig, a 31-year-old mother of two, was second in her heat. Andersen, of Ormond Beach, Fla., was first.
“The waves were better than yesterday,” said Mearig, who lives in Santa Barbara. “I’m sure glad they weren’t like this morning.”
Mearig’s husband, Brian Gruetzmacher, was all smiles. “I’ve been Mr. Mom while Kim has been surfing,” he said. “I told her she may as well enter this contest. At least she’ll get to go surfing more.”
Mearig and Andersen will face Trudy Todd of Australia and Patricia Rossi of Tahiti in this morning’s semifinals, with the finals scheduled this afternoon. Rossi has been the event’s surprise, winning all of her three heats.
“I really didn’t know what to expect when I got here,” Rossi said. “In Tahiti, I surf with the guys, and they always told me I should enter the Op Pro.”
In Round 1 of the long-boarding main event, 15-year-old Brandan White of Capistrano Beach advanced to the quarterfinals with some astounding rides, one of which included 360-degree maneuver and earned him a score of 8.0.
Also advancing was Josh Mohr of Huntington Beach, who edged Josh Baxter of San Clemente.
Today’s schedule
7-8:20 a.m.--Long-board quarterfinals; 8:20-11--Men’s main event, Round 3; 11-11:40--Women’s semifinals; 11:40-12:20 p.m.--Long-board semifinals; 12:45-1:15--Women’s final; 1:35-2:05--Long-board final.