The Long and Short of It: Moysa Advances

Geoff Moysa doesn’t care about the rift between longboarders and shortboarders. He doesn’t want to hear about the superiority of one over the other. And he certainly doesn’t want anyone telling him he can’t do both.

“I don’t understand why there has to be this attitude between the two,” said Moysa, 23. “It’s all surfing to me and I would love to be just as good on my shortboard as I am on my longboard.”

Moysa, of San Clemente, is the International Surfing Assn.’s longboard world champion. But on Wednesday, Moysa demonstrated his shortboard expertise as he advanced to the seventh round of the men’s open shortboard trials of the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach.

Moysa won his first heat, scoring one of the highest heat scores of the day. He then went on to take second in the sixth round to advance. He continues today in the men’s trials, as well as beginning his first round of the longboard division.

“My goal for shortboard is to be in the top 16 of the World Qualifying Series,” Moysa said. “Last year, I got to the second round of the main event. This year I hope to get a little further. So with each contest I enter in the shortboard, I would like to finish a bit better each time.”

Moysa started surfing on a shortboard while growing up in San Clemente. But because his dad rode a longboard, Moysa found himself moving away from shortboards and focusing more on the longboard.

For the last three years, Moysa has finished among the top 10 on the World Longboard Tour. He won the world title in 1997.

With a style he calls, “progressive longboarding,” Moysa combines the radical maneuvers of the shortboard--floaters, round houses and moves off the lip--with the classic longboard style.

“There is a period you have to get used to the shortboard after riding a longboard. I mean, going from a nine-foot board to what seems like a toothpick. . . . it takes a little while. But it loosens me up when I go from one to the other. Once you get going, its great.”

Others advancing in the men’s open were David Pinto of San Juan Capistrano, who won his heat and also advanced in the Op Juniors; Hans Hagen of Laguna Beach, Ryan Turner of Huntington Beach, and Jason Senn and Mike Parsons from San Clemente.

Among those joining Pinto in the Op Juniors quarterfinals are Micah Byrne of Huntington Beach, Peter Labrador of Fountain Valley, Jon Reyes of Laguna Beach and Troy Techlenburg of Seal Beach.

In the Wahine division, Jody Nelson of Sunset Beach is the only Orange County surfer who advanced to the third round of trials.

Notes

Tom Curren makes his debut today surfing in the second heat of the seventh round of the men’s trials. Curren, who now makes his home in Laguna Niguel, was a three-time world champion. He’s scheduled to surf at 7:20 a.m. . . . David Post of Newport Beach, who advanced to the seventh round in the men’s trials, had the event’s highest score with a 9.95.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Surfing Contest

* What: U.S. Open of Surfing

* When: Today-Sunday. Surfing begins at 7 a.m. each day and ends at 5 p.m.

* Where: South side of the Huntington Beach Pier, Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street

* Today’s schedule: 7 a.m.--men’s trials round 7; 9:40--men’s trials round 8; 12:20 p.m.--Wahine trials round 3; 3--longboard quarterfinals.

* Parking: Paid parking in lots by the pier and in the downtown area.

* Information: (714) 366-4584

* Web site: https://www.surflink.com