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SHUTOUT
Julia Christian wins Honda US Open of Surfing
Nikkita Robb takes Target Women's Junior Pro while Joel Tudor styles through O'Neill US Open of Longboarding
The summer sun shines down on the Southside of Huntington Beach Pier and the Bank of the West Beach Game organizers couldn't have wished for a nicer day. It's 77 degrees, not a cloud in the sky and balmy, salty seabreezes are keeping all the beachgoers cool.
A fine cloud of dust is steadily rising over the motley crowd of Huntington beachgoers milling about the various booths of the Beach Games village. The Orange County fair just down the road is definitely feeling some competition today as the whine of motorcycle engines, dance beats and ever-smiling vendors chase the crowd with fliers and schwag.
Almost an afterthought to the cacophony behind the grandstand, the relative quiet of the waves lapping on shore is broken by the booming voice of Rockin' Fig letting Newport Beach's Erica Hosseini know she needs a hefty eight point score to take over the lead. Meager 1-to 3-foot knee blasters limp onto shore, buffeted further still by the onshores that have just started to come up. The inaugural Target Womens Pro Junior finale is in the water.
The first finals heat has stocked the beach with cameramen -- some pro, but primarily local amateurs -- the digital age has made every one of these lenses a potential source for the next surf mag cover or surf vid blockbuster.
Alongside are the onlookers, some in the know, others asking who and what is going on and of course the people just out for the sake of the beach.
Meanwhile, the mid tide has created some of the day's more rideable peaks and South Africa's junior phenom Nikita Robb is stringing together a great round of backside turns into the shorebreak. Nikita fits in one final cutback and earns herself a 9.83 score in the dying minute of the heat.
The final wave plops Nikita right onto the sand and into the beach throng of fans and media. "It's so hard out there, I could barely do a turn, I definitely got lucky on that last one," replies the beaming South African who is admiring her fin setup, the latest in fin technology FCS texalium, "they gave me so much drive, definitely kept me going out there," she explains.
The longboard final follows minutes later and it's immediately apparent their boards are the ride of choice today. Floating over the chop, the longboard finalists sets up noserides and cutbacks all the way to the beach, a crowd-pleasing show in the almost sleepy conditions. Joel Tudor steals it with taunting nose acrobatics. Long tens and fives, a one-footed can-can and a final helicopter earn him an 18-point heat tally and the highest scores of the day.
"It was all about the board out there," he says. "I lost on this board last year in the second round, thought it was bad luck, but I pulled it out for one more shot and now I can put it away as a winner."
The US Open Women's final rounds out the day with Australian Rebecca Woods and local Californian Julia Christian squaring off in a wave-starved final. Julia plays it smart in the first couple minutes and takes a couple dribblers to secure her initial wave count. Believe it our not, minutes pass without a single wave breaking, and all of a sudden a zero count Rebecca is comboed with Julia sneaking into a 7-pointer with two minutes remaining.
The final second is called and Julia chalks up a shutout and a huge win on her campaign to return to the Womens WCT. "I'm currently sitting Eighth in the 'QS ratings, so this definitely boosts me into the running," gasps an overwhelmed Julia, feverishly stuffing her pack, "I have to get on a flight to England tonight for the next event."
Guess she won't be celebrating at the Bruce Movie premiere tonight. Though if the painful lack of surf is any indication, the rest of HB just might. –Mike Howrigan
RESULTS
Honda Womens US Open of Surfing presented by O'Neill
1. Julia Christian USA
2. Rebecca Woods AUS
Target Womens Junior Pro
1. Nikkita Robb ZAF
2. Karina Petroni USA
3. Coco Ho HAW
4. Erica Hosseini USA
O'Neill US Open of Longboarding
1
. Joel Tudor USA
2. Colin McPhillips USA
3. Taylor Jensen USA
4. Mathew Moir ZAF
Surfing concludes on Sunday, July 31 at the Honda U.S. Open of Surfing at 8:00 a.m. with the men's round of 12 (heats 1-4), 9:40 a.m. men's quarter-finals (heats 1-4), 11:20 a.m. Life Rolls Expression Session, 12:05 p.m. men's semi-finals, 12:55 p.m. Lost Pro Junior Final, 1:25 p.m. men's final.
And for those just joining us, here's what's gone down so far: Belo, Gudauskas and Reynolds set the pace on Day One, while Machado, Perrow and Randazzo advanced on Day Two, Brett Simpson downed former champ Taj Burrow on Day Three, and Layne Beachley dominated Day Four. Oh, and the World record for the most surfers ever on one board.
Stay tuned for a full wrap up when the event finishes tomorrow.
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Michael Howrigan
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