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2013 Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles

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When it comes to wave quality, Lower Trestles has been the SoCal benchmark for decades. Photo: Jackie Connor

When it comes to wave quality, Lower Trestles has been the SoCal benchmark for decades.
Photo: Jackie Connor

It’s that time of year, again!

The 2013 Hurley Pro will showcase 34 of the world’s top surfers plus wildcards Dane Reynolds and Mitch Crews at California’s most coveted peak, Lower Trestles. From September 15 through the 21, The Hurley Pro is stop number seven on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour. These surfers will carve, boost and annihilate their way to the top for a chance to win prize money, a bad ass trophy and valuable ASP points. The overall small surf that has prevailed for the past three weeks might make the beginning of this comp interesting, however a bit of south swell is forecasted for the final days…for now, it’s about gettin’ creative out there!

Who’s in-it-to-win-it this year? Who’s on your Fantasy Surfer team?? :)
11-Time World Champion, Kelly Slater. Photo: Jackie Connor

11-Time World Champion, Kelly Slater.
Photo: Jackie Connor

I’ve got my eye on San Clemente local all-star and comeback-kid Kolohe Andino. Ever since Andino was a grom, I watched him sky-rocket to the top of NSSA, onto the world tour and then disappear out of the lime light as quickly as he came. But after days of YouTube video clips and watching him tear up the pitiful peaks at crowded Lowers in-person, I think he’s just getting warmed up. Stretch your knuckles, journalism peeps, it’s gonna be a bumpy write.
And of course there is the 11-time world champ, Kelly Slater, who’s dominated this event for the past three consecutive years, one of which was his 50th win of his professional career…will Kelly make 2013 his fourth in-a-row? He certainly can pull out all the stops, especially in those final minutes. As for Sunday, Sept. 15th, we will see Kelly paired with Brett Simpson in heat six, said an ASP article.
Kelly Slater throws some spray at the 2012 Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles. Photo: Jackie Connor

Kelly Slater throws some spray at the 2012 Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles.
Photo: Jackie Connor

Or what about wonder-boy Gabriel Medina? Every time I’ve seen him on a wave on Lowers, he destroys the left with airs and combos that make my eyeballs spin in their sockets.
Who will meet in the final? Parko/Kelly? Andino/Florence?
Time, waves and skills will tell.
These stipulations about the 2013 Hurley Pro are based on no inherent facts about these athletes other than what I’ve observed. Call it what you will, but I’d really love to hear YOUR opinion more than mine! Rep it in the comments!
2012 Hurley Pro runner-up Joel Parkinson may not have won the final heat, however he went on to become the 2012 World Champion. Here, he shows why he's World Champ. Photo by: Jackie Connor

2012 Hurley Pro runner-up Joel Parkinson may not have won the final heat, however he went on to become the 2012 World Champion. Here, he shows why he’s World Champ.
Photo by: Jackie Connor

See you peeps on the opening and final day! I will be covering this for San Clemente’s Patch.com, so for opening and final day tweets, you can follow me!
Instagram: @jackiecmonkeee
Can’t make it down to Trestles? Watch the live webcast here!

Stay Classy, U.S. Open

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The surf industry has its ups and downs, peaks and valleys…and of course, where would an extreme sport be without an extreme competition followed by extreme behavior?

While we can probe into the psychological aspects of an adrenaline junkie and how it relates to the surf culture’s constant need to usher in self-proclaimed machismo behavior, I don’t think I will waste your time.

Nope, I’m just going to bitch.

The 2013 U.S. Open of Surfing brought to the lime light two amazingly talented athletes naming Brazilian Alejo Muniz as the men’s champ and (my favorited) Hawaiian Carissa Moore as the women’s champ (Yay, Carissa!). However, among the week-long HB “dustbowl,” a recipe for a prime time donkey show ensued: Combine alcohol with an already dehydrated sun scorched local and non-local crowd, near-naked bods, free live music -Trust me! It was SO hard to avoid the Modest Mouse show-and mix equal parts of the over-sexed sport of surfing, top with some testosterone and cops and, my friends, you’ve got yourself a shameless shit show.

Gross.

Gross.

Over-turning port-a-potties? Gross.

Fights? Expected.

Throwing a stop sign into a store and then looting the store? Wrong. Lame. Stupid.

On Aug. 31 1986, the OP Pro broke out with a rash of fires, vandalism and riots.

On Aug. 31 1986, the OP Pro broke out with a rash of fires, vandalism and riots.

I hope you enjoy the drunk tank as much as I enjoyed my Monday morning YouTube catch-up watching the exact reason why sponsors are so easily scared away from our sport.

Thanks for throwing our surf culture back to the 80’s.

Stay classy, U.S. Open.

*It should be noted: a correction was made to the title of this entry. While it originally stated ‘Stay Classy, Huntington Beach,’ it was my own conclusion the more accurate origin of the craziness was the U.S. Open.*