Locals leave their mark

The Honda U.S. Open of Surfing presented by O’Neill certainly has a worldly flair to it but in the early stages of the competition, local athletes left their mark.

The U.S. Open of Surfing, which got underway Friday, continues today through Sunday at the Huntington Beach Pier.

The Women’s U.S. Open of Surfing, which began Wednesday, continues with heat action Friday into Saturday morning, all leading up to a 3 p.m. final on Saturday.

The Men’s U.S. Open of Surfing launched last Friday and moves forward with heats today, Friday and Saturday, building toward a 2:45 p.m. final Sunday.

Huntington Beach’s Micah Byrne turned in top marks in the men’s competition Monday to advance to Round of 144 heats surfed Wednesday. Success there would move him into today’s Round of 96.

On Monday, the former Huntington Beach High star turned in the highest score on a single wave to date (9.10).

That mark was eclipsed late-Tuesday morning by Nate Yeomans of San Clemente, however, who scored a 9.23.

Through Tuesday morning, Byrne had recorded the highest heat average score (17.43) among the early heat competitors.

While athletes still are jockeying for a spot in Saturday’s women’s and Sunday’s men’s finals, the fields are already set for the finals of the U.S. Open of Longboarding and Lost Pro Junior, both two-star events.

And there will be a new champion in each division.

The Lost Pro Junior will have a local among the four finalists, as Chris Waring (Seal Beach), a 2005 graduate of Huntington Beach High, blasted his way to Sunday’s finals.

Waring, 20, began his title quest Sunday with brilliant surfing that led to victories in all three of his heats before a hometown crowd that included family and friends.

In the first of eight, four-man heats among the 32 remaining competitors, Waring rolled to a decisive win over talented Jordy Smith (South Africa), Junior Faria (Brazil) and Nicky Rozsa (USA).

In the opening heat in the quarterfinal round, it was a one-two finish between a pair of childhood buddies as Waring beat out Ian Ekberg of Huntington Beach to win a heat that also included Shey Yates (USA) and Evan Geiselman (USA) who finished third and fourth, respectively.

With the top two finishers in each quarterfinal heat advancing to the semifinals, Waring and Ekberg met up again in the first of two semifinal heats and again, Waring came out on top.

He placed first and was followed by Smith, Kellen Ellison (USA) and Ekberg, who was eliminated from the competition.

“Ian and I are long-time buddies who grew up together,” Waring said. “It’s a trip whenever you go up against one of your buddies in a heat.

“We both have been thinking of competing and winning at the U.S. Open since we were kids. We’re stoked to be here.”

Waring, ranked fifth on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals North America Pro Junior Series, will battle Smith, Tonino Benson (Hawaii) and Granger Larsen (Hawaii) in Sunday’s Lost Pro Junior finale.

The foursome survived an original Lost Pro Junior field of 128 20-and-under competitors.

His performance at the U.S. Open Lost Pro Junior puts Waring within striking distance of taking over the No. 1 spot in the North America Pro Junior Series.

The top four juniors at the end of the year will be invited to compete at the World Junior Surfing Championships in Australia in 2008.

“Chris Waring possesses the passion to become whatever he chooses to be,” said Andy Verdone, head coach of the Huntington Beach High surf team who once coached Waring. “He chose to be a professional surfer. I believe he’s going to qualify for the Worlds in ’08.

“The four surfers remaining in this event are all going to be big names in professional surfing for years to come.”

Ben Dunn of Australia won last year’s Pro Junior.

In the U.S. Open of Longboarding, Dodger Kremel of Huntington Beach, last year’s champion, will not repeat, as the 23-year-old was eliminated from title contention in his first heat Sunday.

Kremel (Marina High, Class of 2003) finished third in the eighth heat in the Round of 32, a heat won by Josh Mohr (USA). Linden Broccoli (USA) finished second and Mikey DeTemple (USA) was fourth. Other favorites in the division to experience early exits were Josh Baxter of San Clemente and Rock McKinnon of Hawaii who were eliminated in the quarterfinal round and Round of 32, respectively.

The four finalists in Sunday’s U.S. Open of Longboard championship are Colin McPhillips (San Clemente), Kai Sallas (Waikiki, HI), Taylor Jensen (Oceanside) and Cole Robbins (Santa Barbara).

McPhillips and Jensen also reached last year’s longboard final won by Kremel.

Jensen won his only previous U.S. Open longboard title in 2003. McPhillips won the very first U.S. Open Longboard championship in 1994.

The Lost Pro Junior is scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. Sunday, followed in succession by the U.S. Open of Longboarding final and the final Honda U.S. Open competition, the Men’s final.

For a photo gallery, click here.

EVENTS SCHEDULE

TODAY

(Surf Stadium)

(Soul Bowl)

(Concert Stage)

FRIDAY(Surf Stadium)

(Soul Bowl)

(FMX Arena)

SATURDAY

(Surf Stadium)

(Soul Bowl)

(FMX Arena)

SUNDAY

(Surf Stadium)

(Soul Bowl)

(FMX Arena)