Saturday will mark the start of the 2014 US Open of Surfing, held annually at California’s iconic Huntington Beach Pier. Though skateboarding and BMX events have been added to the festival to go with nightly concerts, the surfing is still
Saturday will mark the start of the 2014 US Open of Surfing, held annually at California’s iconic Huntington Beach Pier. Though skateboarding and BMX events have been added to the festival to go with nightly concerts, the surfing is still the main attraction with all the top women and many of the top men hoping to add a US Open championship to their resume.
As the sixth women’s World Championship Tour event of the season, Huntington has been a successful setting for some of the CT’s current points leaders, including Wailua’s Malia Manuel. Having her most consistent season to this point, Manuel comes into this week ranked fifth in the world tour standings and coming off her first semifinal appearance of the year at the Fiji Women’s Pro. It was the 2008 US Open where Manuel first burst into the public sphere, winning the then-Qualifying Series event at just 14 years old. Six years later, a second US Open title would bump her into legitimate striking distance among the current world title contenders.
Alana Blanchard and Tatiana Weston-Webb give Kauai some more representation. Blanchard took an Equal Ninth at Huntington last year, winning her first-round heat over Aussie powerhouse Tyler Wright and Kauai’s Leila Hurst, but ultimately falling to Pauline Ado in the fourth round. Tati’s busy 2014 continues as she is also competing in the Women’s Junior Pro event, featuring 24 of the top young wahine surfers hoping to boost their QS rankings.
Having moved up from 48th to 14th in the world rankings after a runner-up at last month’s Los Cabos Open, Kauai’s Brianna Cope received a wild-card entry into the Women’s Junior Pro and will be trying to continue toward potential 2015 world tour qualification.
Anahola sisters Maluhia and Mainei Kinimaka complete the Kauai contingent in the Women’s Junior Pro field, which includes nine Hawaii surfers in total. Oahu’s Dax McGill, Mahina Maeda and Bailey Nagy, all veterans of Team Hawaii International Surfing Association events, are the top three seeds. The Women’s Junior Pro is scheduled to begin Sunday.
The Men’s Junior Pro begins a day earlier with round one getting in the water Saturday. Kilauea’s Koa Smith represents the Garden Isle in the field of 64, headlined by Oahu brothers Josh and Seth Moniz, as well as fellow Team Hawaii members Kalani David, Imai Devault, “Ulu Boy” Napeahi and Barron Mamiya.
The older and wiser – well, at least older – men will have a few days to watch the groms perform before taking on the beach break, themselves. The top five men in the CT standings – Gabriel Medina, Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning, Taj Burrow and Michel Bourez – all opted not to compete in the Men’s Prime event, but just about everyone else will be in the competition, including Kelly Slater, Nat Young, Kolohe Andino, Jordy Smith and Kilauea’s Sebastian Zietz.
Seabass reached the Round of 24 in last year’s US Open, bowing out to Brazil’s Jadson Andre after surviving his first two four-man heats.
Men’s trials to still get into the Prime event take place Sunday and the main draw’s opening round gets underway Monday.
If all goes according to plan, both Junior Pros will crown champions on Saturday, Aug. 2, while the Men’s Prime and Women’s CT victors will be determined a day later on Sunday, Aug. 3.
Additional highlights for the week include the Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational – a longboard showcase with only single-fin, nine-foot boards – as well as another scheduled head-to-head duel between legends Tom Curren and Mark Occhilupo. Women’s current No. 1 and two-time US Open champ Carissa Moore will also be honored as a 2014 inductee into the Surfers Hall of Fame at just 21 years of age.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
