East All-Stars tame the West

Mike Sciacca

The ESPN X Games took surfing competition to a whole new level

Saturday when the sport debuted in the ninth annual extreme sports

competition.

With a large, enthusiastic crowd on the south side of the

Huntington Beach Pier, the Goodyear blimp flying overhead and ESPN

cameras -- including a FlyCam that traveled over the ocean --

providing coverage of the event, Saturday’s spectacle had all the

makings of a big-game atmosphere and was, in fact, dubbed “the Game.”

In X Games IX, the East versus West All-Star showdown pitted

several of the world’s top surfers against each other. This team

format was a first for the traditionally individual competition.

“We had an awesome time,” said Laguna Beach’s Pat O’Connell, who

surfed for the West team. “I thought it was a great format and ESPN

did a great job.”

The East, led by six-time world champion Kelly Slater, reigning

U.S. Open men’s champion Cory Lopez and his brother, Shea, a former

U.S. Open winner, Damian Hobgood, Aaron Cormican, Ben Bourgeois and

wild card members Shane Dorian and Taj Burrow of Australia, took

advantage of some big rides to handle the West, 209.06-188.20.

The East team was coached by Matt Kechele and assistants Todd

Kline and Todd Morcom.

The West squad, coached by Mike Parsons and assistants Dino Andino

and Chris Drummy, also included former U.S. Open champions Rob

Machado and Shane Beschen, Taylor Knox, Bobby Martinez, Tim Curran,

Dane Reynolds and wild card entry and 2002 U.S. Open champion, Kalani

Robb.

O’Connell had one of the better rides for the West taking a wave

through the pier, much to the delight of the crowd.

“When I went through the pier on that wave, I could hear the crowd

cheering,” he said. “It was like I had hit a winning, three-point

shot.”

Chris Stiepock, general manager of the X Games, said Saturday’s

surf competition exceeded his expectations.

“I thought the competition on Saturday was truly fantastic,” he

said. “It pretty much met our criteria from every standpoint. The

spectators were really psyched and media coverage was great.

“I also thought the format itself was fantastic in terms of a

spectator format. Everybody knew what was going on at all times and

it gave people a reason to watch above and beyond just who was in the

water surfing. There was a little intrigue, a little curiosity and a

little suspense as the Game wore on.”

Everything seemed in place for the Game, which was set up like a

football game with four quarters that had each team surf an 18-minute

period.

That is, except for one thing: wave production.

The few good sets that rolled in during the 3 1/2-hour game

seemed to come when the East team was in the water, especially in the

third period.

Flat conditions came just six days after six-to-eight foot swells

benefited the U.S. Open, an event O’Connell had surfed in the main

round of 64.

“The best way to describe the entire day was that given how

terrible the waves were, it ended up being as entertaining an event

you can have with those types of conditions,” O’Connell said. “Mother

Nature didn’t cooperate but that didn’t stop us from going out there

and being competitive and having a good time.”