Joe Surf: Surf series sets the time machine to the ‘80s
Other than being 30 years younger and maybe having Ronald Reagan as president, I can’t think of many good reasons to want to go back to the 1980s.
But that’s what’s happening this Saturday at Golden West Street. As part of the Triple Crown of Retro surf series, the HB 80s contest will take place. In the last few months they held the Jammin’ at the Jetty 60s contest and the Surfside 70s contest.
Onto the 1980s, and what better spokesman for the contest than Bud Llamas, owner of 17th Street Boardshop and an H.B. surfing legend. Bud, along with Quiksilver, is putting on the contest, and there are plenty of other sponsors that will be on hand to provide freebies and giveaways.
It will be a fun day all around, with three different divisions available — 14 and under, 55 and over and open.
While former world surfing champion and Huntington resident Peter “P.T.” Townend ran the ‘60s contest, it made sense for Bud to run the ‘80s contest.
Consider what encyclopediaofsurfing.com says about Bud:
“Barrel-chested goofy-footer from Huntington Beach, California; one of America’s top domestic pro competitors in the early and mid-’80s. ‘He’s thrilled viewers everywhere with his radical brand of power surfing,’ writer Sam George said in 1985, ‘which includes high-risk moves with the carving 360 and the aerial. They call him Mr. Goodspray for a reason!’
“Burton ‘Bud’ Llamas was born (1962) in Anaheim .. and raised in Huntington Beach, where he began surfing at age 8 — all three of his older brothers surfed as well. Llamas won the inaugural National Scholastic Surfing Assn. (NSSA) championship in 1978, and the following year he won eight of 10 NSSA contests to retain the title. He turned pro in 1980 and won the California Stubbies Trials, and two years later became the Body Glove Grand Prix tour champion.
“Although Llamas finished runner-up to Wes Laine in the 1983 Op Atlantic City Pro, a world tour contest, for the most part his international career never got off the ground. Llamas’ reputation had less to do with contest results and more with his gouging turns and first-generation aerials, and throughout the ‘80s he was Huntington Beach’s most exciting surfer.”
“It just kind of fit, and it’s a fun thing to do,” Bud said of running the contest. “They always did their thing (‘60s and ‘70s contests) down in Surfside, and this year Bolsa Chica for the ‘60s, but I wanted to do one here in Huntington. There’s usually a little more waves, it’s more consistent, and my shop is down the street. I’ve been collecting some boards from the ‘80s, so it just fit perfect.”
Just like the ‘60s and ‘70s contests, competitors must ride a board that reflects the Retro series. So on Saturday, Bud will bring a bunch of old boards made in the ‘80s down to the beach for competitors to ride.
“They’re bigger, heavier, thicker, a little heavier glass jobs,” Bud said. “But there were some good, nice shapes and wider.
“The equipment (today) is lighter. Board size is not a lot (different), but everything now is lighter and stronger.”
Not only will there be a winner of the ‘80s contest, an overall Triple Crown of Retro surf series champion will be crowned, based on accumulated points.
The current points leader is Justin Hugron, who won the ‘70s contest and placed third in the ‘60s contest. The ‘60s contest winner was Shane Jones.
Keeping up with Kanoa
Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi has definitely followed a pattern in this, his rookie season on the World Surf League’s (WSL) World Championship Tour (WCT).
At the Quiksilver Pro France, the ninth contest on the 11-contest WCT, Igarashi finished in equal-13th place. After finishing an equal-ninth in the first WCT contest of the season, he’s finished 13th in each of the last eight contests.
And it should be mentioned that Igarashi has won at least one heat in every contest. In France, he beat Jadson Andre of Brazil in an elimination Round 2 heat before being eliminated in Round 3 by Brazil’s Caio Ibelli.
The semifinals in France include San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino, who is currently ranked No. 10 in the world.
Conlogue reaches semis
Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue reached the semifinals of the Roxy Pro France, the ninth contest of the WSL’s 10-contest WCT.
Conlogue, who finished second in the world last year, is second again this year, but must win the contest in order to remain in contention for the world crown. Otherwise, the title will go to Australia’s Tyler Wright, who has been on a roll this season, winning four of the first eight WCT contests.
JOE HAAKENSON is a Huntington Beach-based sports writer and editor. He may be reached at joe@juvecreative.com.