Todd Is Out to Catch Next Wave to Stardom

Mike Todd has been standing on a surfboard practically since he could stand.

He was born to die-hard surfing parents and spent his childhood touring several of the world’s top surfing locales--Hawaii, Australia, Costa Rica.

All of which explains why the 19-year-old from Laguna Beach, along with a select few other young competitors, could become the next big thing in American surfing.

Nine of the top 20 surfers in the World Championship Tour ratings are from the United States, but only a few of them are on the up slope of their careers. Twins Damien and C.J. Hobgood are 21. Cory Lopez is 23. Tim Curran is 22.

The others are at least 26, and top-ranked Sunny Garcia is practically a dinosaur at 30.

Todd aspires to be mentioned in the same breath as those surfing greats within a few years.

“That’s my goal, to be in the next wave of guys coming up,” said Todd, who began surfing at age 3. “That’s been my dream since I started.”

If he keeps performing like he did Friday, when he won his heat in the quarterfinals of the Junior Pro U.S. Open at the Huntington Beach Pier, Todd has a shot.

“This has always been an important event for me, and a good result can never hurt,” said Todd, who recently won a minor league surfing event in San Clemente and earlier placed 13th at a six-star event in Argentina.

Another young surfer who appears ready to make waves on the WCT is San Clemente’s Chris Baiata, 20, who came on late Friday to win his heat and advance to today’s semifinals.

But Baiata, who attends Saddleback College, said he is not in a position economically to become a tour staple.

“I’d love to go out and tour,” Baiata said, “but financially I’m not ready.”

He certainly appears ready athletically, having earned the respect of such universally recognized up-and-comers as Joel Parkinson of Australia.

“He was surfing really well,” said Parkinson, who finished second in Baiata’s heat. “He picked the right waves and really impressed me.”

Matt King of Mission Viejo and Dane Reynolds of San Clemente failed to advance.

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Chris Drummy and David Pinto of San Juan Capistrano are fast becoming a one-two punch.

On Friday, the friends from Capistrano Valley High advanced from the same heat for the third consecutive time at the U.S. Open, edging some big-time competition in the process.

Drummy won the heat--which also included Australian Daniel Wills (who finished third in the world in 1998) and Taylor Knox of Carlsbad (fifth in ‘95)--outright, but Pinto needed some last-minute help to advance to today’s Round of 32.

As the heat wound down, Pinto was in fourth, but finished second after Wills and Knox were penalized for double interference for attempting to catch the same wave.

“Hey, I’ll take it,” a jubilant Pinto said. “[But] I don’t expect any more breaks. I have to step it up.”

Drummy is in position for his best finish at the event. He placed 17th in 1996.

“This means more because that was a four-star event,” Drummy said. “This is the best I’ve done at an event this big. I’m stoked.”

This year’s U.S. Open is a six-star World Qualifying Series event.

Cory Lopez, a part-time San Clemente resident, and Rob Machado of Cardiff also advanced. But Lopez’s brother, Shea, and Gavin Beschen of San Clemente failed to qualify for today’s competition.

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For the second time in two weeks, Australian Layne Beachley lost in a heat when paired with countrywoman Prue Jefferies.

But unlike last week’s elleven Pro, in which Beachley recovered with a string of victories in the losers’ bracket to win the championship, there will be no reprieve in the U.S. Open women’s event.

Beachley, who leads the WCT ratings, was out after finishing third in her heat during Friday’s quarterfinal round. Jefferies, who’s not among the top 15 in the WCT ratings, won the heat and advanced to today’s semifinals.

“I was completely out of rhythm and out of touch and out of luck,” said Beachley, admitting she became a little complacent after winning last week. “I guess I lost my assertiveness and basically got outsurfed.”

Said Jefferies: “This event has really boosted my confidence.”

Beachley vs. Jefferies has evolved into a nice rivalry. Beachley did edge Jefferies in one heat en route to her comeback in the elleven Pro, but figures the two are about even in head-to-head competition this year.

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Pro Surfing

* What: $300,000 action sports festival features men’s surfing with the $100,000 U.S. Open of Surfing, women’s surfing with the $25,000 U.S. Open of Women, plus juniors’ surfing, longboarding, bodyboarding, BMX biking, skateboarding, in-line skating, a beach exposition and outdoor concerts. Wakeboarding and freestyle motocross will take place at Lake Elsinore.

* Where: South side of Huntington Beach Pier

* When: Today and Sunday. Men’s quarterfinals, semifinals and final (1 p.m.) on Sunday.

* Today’s schedule: 7 a.m.-9:40 a.m.--men’s surfing, Round of 32, Heats 1-8; 9:40-10:20--women’s bodyboard semifinals; 10:20-11--bodyboard semifinals; 11-11:40--juniors’ surfing semifinals; 11:40-12:20 p.m.--women’s surfing semifinals; 12:20-12:50--women’s bodyboard final; 12:50-1:20--bodyboard final; 1:20-1:50--juniors’ surfing final; 1:50-2:20--women’s surfing final.

* Admission: Free.

* Parking: Available at city structure on corner of Main and Olive streets.

* Webcast: Live on www.bluetorch.com

* Information: (949) 215-8000