Land, surf and sand

Mike Sciacca

It has been a long journey for Sasha LaRochelle, who has traveled

some eight hours to reach Huntington Beach just to get the chance to

skillfully whip around an arena built of steel and wood.

The 14-year-old made the trip down to Huntington Beach from her

Santa Rosa home on Wednesday so she could compete in the 2002

Philips Fusion Soul Bowl to be held this weekend on the pier’s south

side.

The car trip is a familiar excursion as she often travels to

venues throughout the country to do what she enjoys best --

skateboarding.

She will be among the world’s best skateboarders and BMX riders

vying for a combined purse of $80,000 in the series that began in

Huntington Beach on Saturday and will end later this month in

Virginia Beach, Va.

The Soul Bowl skate event will mark the first time Sasha has

competed in a bowl-like atmosphere.

“I came to Huntington Beach for two reasons,” she said. “First, I

want to skate in a bowl. Second, I like Huntington Beach.”

Sasha achieved professional skateboarding status last year and is

among the youngest female professionals in her sport. She knows the

competition is fierce -- she routinely competes against women twice

her age -- but thinks she has a place in the sport.

“I want to take this as far as I can,” she said. “Coming to

Huntington Beach and competing in the Soul Bowl is a great way to

gain exposure.”

The skateboarding and BMX venue, the Philips eXpanium Soul Bowl,

was made in Germany and is built of steel and Finnish birch. It

measures 68 feet long, 46 feet wide and 13 feet deep and has a

kidney-bean shape.

The new bowl, officials say, reaches back to the roots and “soul”

of skateboarding while delivering a 3-D, futuristic look.

“We’re anticipating some great competition and maneuvers in the

Soul Bowl arena,” said James Leitz, vice president of International

Management Group, the organization running the event. “We have some

outstanding street skateboarders and BMX riders from throughout the

world coming here.”

Soul Bowl competition will include the Young Guns Bowl, Women’s

Bowl, Masters Bowl and Grand Masters Bowl.

Lance Mountain, last year’s Masters Bowl champion, is back to

defend his title.

“Contests like these offer me the chance to win money doing

something I love,” Sasha said. “I like catching air -- getting as

high in the air as I can -- and grabs on the board.”

In addition to the bowl competitions, 100 of the world’s top

street skateboarders will be hitting air when they display their

talents in the World Industries WW III.

The $5,000 “best trick” competition will be staged on a

120-by-150-foot platform that features unique obstacle courses that

will be arranged in different configurations on a daily basis.

With Soul Bowl practice opening today in anticipation of Friday’s

qualifying round competition, the competition also heats up in the

U.S. Open of Surfing.

One local surfer who has already made his mark this week is Brett

Simpson.

The 17-year-old, who gave up street skateboarding to concentrate

on surfing, has advanced in the competition after winning his first

four heats in this, his first entry into the men’s competition.

Simpson, set to enter his senior year at Huntington Beach High

School in the fall, bested a stacked four-man heat on Tuesday that

included Hawaii standout David Gonsalves, top Junior surfer Kyle Knox

of Imperial Beach and World Junior champion Jay Quinn of New Zealand.

“This is amazing for my first U.S. Open,” he said. “That was a

really strong heat, but I really feel like I’m in a rhythm right now.

I’m surfing waters I’m familiar and just stoked to be winning like

this.”

The young up and comer nearly missed the start of his heat on

Tuesday.

“We have a five-minute paddle out, and when I got out there I

didn’t hear the horn,” he explained. “I got out there late and didn’t

have time to really get psyched up. I had to just go.”

Once his heat was complete, Simpson accepted congratulations from

well-wishers and then was ushered to the bleachers for another first

-- he was asked to talk to a large group of junior lifeguards.

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at [email protected].