‘There’s nothing like it’

Of all the contests held in exotic locales all over the globe, nothing seems to get surfers fired up like competing at the Huntington Beach Pier.

North America’s highest-rated qualifying event, the $185,000 Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O’Neill, begins Friday with early round trials at the pier and runs through to the championship finals on July 30.

The U.S. Open of Surfing anchors the 2006 Bank of the West Beach Games. The men’s and women’s divisions are six-star World Qualifying Series events and 500 world-class surfers are expected to compete in Surf City.

The U.S. Open of Surfing was originally held at the pier in 1959.

“There’s nothing like it,” said Chris Ward, a 2005 graduate of Huntington Beach High who will compete in the surfing competitions for the third-straight year. “To have this event right here is awesome.”

In addition to the surfing, the Beach Games will attract international competitors in skateboarding, BMX, FMX and the Karch Kiraly Invitational, a beach volleyball tournament. The various competitions will be set up in an interactive lifestyle festival that James Leitz, executive promoter of the event and vice president of International Management Group Action Sports, said covers 12 acres around the pier.

Construction of the area, which includes resurrecting a Soul Bowl arena for skateboarding, BMX and FMX competitions, began July 10. Leitz said that it took 120 semitrucks and several other “small vehicles” to bring in the pieces to build the mini city at the pier.

“Last year we had a full house and, as always, we expect to have another tremendous crowd on hand,” Leitz said, noting that last year’s event drew 350,000 to 400,000 spectators, which was an international attendance record. Some 100,000 showed up just to check out the surfing.

“The competitions will be incredible once again. The surfing pros who compete always seem to be the top-tied guys, and the skateboarding, BMX and FMX competitions continue to grow.”

Not only will competition in five different sports be in the spotlight, but so will 100 vendor booths, a teen fashion show on July 27 and an “intriguing” line up of live music, with the music stage being set up north of the pier and project out to the water, Leitz said.

Several new media groups also will set up at the Beach Games and AOL Latitude 34 will use the games as a launching pad for its live showcase capacities, Leitz said.

“Everything that makes the beach great is happening in one spot,” Leitz said. “There really is something to do and a lot of fun to be had for all ages. For the athletes, this will be the largest crowd they’ll compete in front of. For them, it’s a high.”

The gem of the games, the surfing, offers competition in five divisions: men’s, women’s, junior men’s, junior women’s and longboard. Athletes from the U.S., Australia, Brazil, France, Japan and South Africa are schedule to compete.

The $125,000 Honda U.S. Open men’s division is the mainland’s highest-rated World Qualifying Series event and includes the largest field of competitors. Andy Irons won last year’s men’s title and will defend it against the likes of Timmy Reyes of Huntington Beach, Cory Lopez (Florida), Rob Machado (Cardiff), C.J. Hobgood (Florida) and Sunny Garcia (Hawaii).

Julia Christian of Carlsbad had the thrill of winning last year’s women’s division, what she called the “biggest win of my career” and her first six-star World Qualifying Series event. She’ll be looking to repeat this year as the $30,00 Honda U.S. Open women’s division champion against a field that includes Holly Beck (Palos Verdes), Sofia Mulanovich (Peru) and Pauline Menczer (Australia).

For Junior Men, the $10,000 Lost Pro Junior is America’s largest junior event with 120 competitors and features the world’s top 19-and-under competitors. Past winners who have won this event and gone on to stardom at the professional level include Irons and Kelly Slater. Hank Gaskell of Hawaii won last year’s event.

The top 19-and-under junior women surfers in the world will be showcased in the inaugural $10,000 Target Women’s Junior Pro. Nikkita Robb of South Africa is the division’s defending champion.

The competition figures to be fierce once again in the $10,000 O’Neill U.S. Open of Longboarding. California’s Joel Tudor won last year’s event and will be pushed by such standouts in the sport as fellow Californians Colin McPhillips (San Clemente) and Geoff Moysa.

Chris Ward will enter both the U.S. Open men’s division and the Lost Pro Junior competitions.

The 19-year-old, who captained the Huntington Beach High School surf team in 2004-05, is coming into the U.S. Open with some momentum after having won the SoBe Air Show at the pier earlier this month.

Ward, who is ranked among the top 200 in his first year competing on the World Qualifying Series tour, said he surfs the men’s main event trails early Friday.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work, fire and determination to go far in the men’s main event,” Ward said. “I’m in one of the first rounds of trails. It’s a tough field and to reach the final rounds is a lofty goal. It’s do-able, and I’m just going to set goals as I go through the event.”

As for the Lost Pro Junior, he says the title is up for grabs.

“It’s pretty much open and everyone is pretty good in the division,” he said. “To be honest, I don’t know much about the other surfers, although a few of the Hawaiians, like Dusty Payne, should be right at the top. I’m really just concerned about what I can go out and do. I’m really looking forward to competing.”

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Beach Games schedule

FRIDAY

South Contest Area

8 a.m.: Men’s Trials (Round 96, heats 1-16)

1:20 p.m.: Men’s Trials (Round 64, heats 1-8)

HB Pier Contest Area

8 a.m.: Junior Men (Round 128, heats 1-16) 1:20 p.m.: Junior Men (Round 96, heats 1-8)

SATURDAY

South Contest Area

8 a.m.: Men’s Trials (Round 64, heats 9-16)

10:40 a.m.: Men’s Trials (Round 32, heats 1-8)

1:20 p.m. Longboard (Round 56, heats 1-4)

2:40 p.m. Longboard (Round 48, heats 1-16)

HB Pier Contest Area

8 a.m.: Junior Men (Round 96, heats 9-16)

10:40 a.m. Junior Men (Round 64, heats 1-16)

SUNDAY

South Contest Area

7 a.m.: Junior Men (Round 32, heats 1-8)

9:40 a.m.: Longboard (Round 48, heats 5-8)

11 a.m.: Longboard (Round 32, heats 1-8)

1:40 p.m.: Longboard (Quarterfinals, heats 1-4)

3 p.m.: Longboard (Semifinals, heats 1-2)

HB Pier Contest Area

7 a.m.: Junior Girls (Round 32, heats 1-8)

9:40 a.m.: Men’s Trials (Quarterfinals, heats 1-4)

11 a.m.: Junior Girls (Quarterfinals, heats 1-4)

12:20 p.m.: *Junior Men (Quarterfinals, heats 1-4)

1:40 p.m.: *Junior Girls (Semifinals, heats 1-2)

2:20 p.m.: *Junior Men (Semifinals, heats 1-2)

(*Denotes “man-on-man format.”)

MONDAY

7:30 a.m.: Men’s U.S. Open (Round 192, heats 1-24) TUESDAY

7:20 a.m.: Men’s U.S. Open (Round 144 heats 1-24)

WEDNESDAY

7:30 a.m.: Women’s U.S. Open (Round 60, heats 1-6)

9:30 a.m.: Women’s U.S. Open (Round 48, heats 1-12)

1:30 p.m.: Men’s U.S. Open (Round 96, heats 1-5)hbi.20-usopen-2-CPhotoInfo621T2QRB20060720j2mf6fncCredit: PHOTOS BY JAMIE FLANAGAN / INDEPENDENT Caption: (LA)Chris Waring (below and at bottom right) surfs the Huntington Beach Pier in preparation for his participation in the U.S. Open of Surfing. Below left: Construction worker Evan Houle carries a piece of scaffolding as he works to assemble grandstands on the sand near Huntington Beach Pier Friday in preparation for the surfing competitions. hbi.20-usopen-3-CPhotoInfo621T2QKM20060720j2mf8cncCaption: No Caption hbi.20-usopen-1-CPhotoInfo621T2JCU20060720j2mf5encCaption: (LA) hbi.20-last-open-1-BPhotoInfoPU1T3ODQ20060720ikmc0uncCredit: INDEPENDENT Caption: (LA)Hank Gaskell rips some water in the junior finals during the Beach Games last year.