Teen has tunnel vision when it comes to surf competition
COURTNEY Conlogue, winner of last month’s national amateur surfing championship, does not have time for boyfriends.
“No,” says the blushing 15-year-old, fresh from the waves off Huntington Beach. “I figure I have enough time later in life for that. Right now I’ve got to focus on school and surfing. Boys come later.”
And dads everywhere, after reading this, are hauling their daughters off to the beach.
But seriously, in this era of child obesity and sedentary obsession with computerized gadgetry, parents ought to encourage their kids to try surfing.
“It’s definitely a sport that you can get hooked on,” assures Conlogue, who is among the favorites to win the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing, which begins a 10-day run Friday at Huntington Beach Pier.
“It’s like a bug that gets right in you, and you get addicted and it’s something that’ll keep you out of trouble,” she continues. “It pushes you to be in the water and it’s definitely really enjoyable, and I think everybody should do it and not be intimidated by any of the guys out there because they started off just like everyone else.”
Conlogue is not like most surfers. She’s among a relatively small number driven to become champions. Fierce determination and mind-boggling skill have her pointed toward lucrative sponsorships and stardom on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ elite World Tour.
But that’s jumping ahead. Though Conlogue is worldly, having traveled extensively for competitions and photo trips, she is still a girl.
She spent the July 4 holiday on the beach and body-surfed for three hours with younger brother Ryan and older sister Charleen. She spends free time “getting mom’s garden all nice and pretty” and helping the family paint their Santa Ana house.
“Which is a big project -- trust me,” she says.
Winning the U.S. Open is another big project. But for Conlogue, who this fall will be a high school junior, it’s an attainable goal, even though many of the world’s top pro surfers are in the field.
Last year she advanced to the semifinals and was edged in the final 30 seconds by Australia’s Stephanie Gilmore, who won the event and went on to claim the world title in her rookie season on the World Tour.
“That made me feel a little better,” says Conlogue, who this year breezed through the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. national championships without losing a heat.
She learned to surf with her dad at Blackies in Newport Beach. Richard Conlogue then took her to other spots, working up to San Clemente’s Lower Trestles, a fabled point break and site of her recent triumph.
The initiation, when she was a mere wisp, occurred as a large swell arrived, and Conlogue recalls being “just this little spot on this great big wave.”
But there was no looking back.
Of the U.S. Open, she says, hopefully, “I’m really wanting to go out there and win this year, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to beat all those champions.”
Within the rules, of course.
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-- Pete.Thomas@latimes.com
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U.S. OPEN OF SURFING
WHERE: Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach
WHEN: Friday-July 27
PRICE: Free
INFO: www.go211.com, usopenofsurfing.com