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Kanoa Igarashi feeds off the energy and rush of emotions that comes with performing in front of the massive crowds at the Vans US Open of Surfing.
The Huntington Beach surfer knows the feeling of having thousands of fans chanting for him as he is hoisted over the crowd in victory, twice earning the prestigious title at his home surf break.
Could he make it a three-peat this year?
“I don’t see why not,” said Igarashi, fresh off the plane from South Africa earlier this week and getting settled catching up with friends and family at home. “Just the connection I have with Huntington Beach and the support from the local crew is what drives me. I don’t see this year being any different. The motivation I get, the grit I get from the local crowd and the atmosphere and energy – for me, I feel unstoppable when I’m in the event.”
He just has to get past a long list of other athletes at this year’s event, which kicks off Saturday, July 27 and runs through Aug. 4 on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier.
The US Open of Surfing – considered the nation’s largest action-sports festival – draws upward of 250 surfers to compete, a mix of big-name pros, amateurs and hot young surfers looking to earn points to improve their ranking, and prize money to put in the bank.
There will be plenty of local surfers to root for while watching from the beach.
Locals to watch
With two consecutive wins, Igarashi is an obvious front-runner, but there are plenty of other Southern California surfers who will be dreaming of the title. “I’d love to have a final with a fellow OC surfer,” Igarashi said.
His top pick to match up with in the finals? Fellow World Tour surfer Kolohe Andino, of San Clemente, he said.
Andino has come close to the podium in several US Open of Surfing events, finishing as runner-up in 2013 followed by other strong finishes more recently.
This year, Andino may have a bit of a mental edge, finishing the last World Tour event as the points leader on the World Surf League Men’s Championship Tour, making him the current world No. 1.
The US Open of Surfing doesn’t count toward World Title points, but is a big event for the Qualifying Series, the minor leagues of the sport.
Fellow San Clemente surfer Griffin Colapinto, also on the World Tour, is another local to watch. He’s currently sitting below the cut-off for the World Tour, and will need a big finish at QS events to re-qualify at the end of the year.
Last year, Colapinto battled with Igarashi in a high-flying final, but went down in a buzzer-beater.
Two of three Gudauskas brothers also will be hitting the water, with Pat and younger brother Tanner on the list of surfers competing.
“I’m ready to win it. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” said San Clemente surfer Pat Gudauskas. “It’s one of those events that I put a super high level to try and win it. We’ve been there since we were 14. We’ve been a part of a lot of them.”
Brother Tanner Gudauskas took the podium for the junior win in 2008 and is ready for a win in the main men’s event, he said.
Speaking of the junior division, don’t count out some of the youngsters who will be doing double-duty competing in the main men’s event, scheduled to start Sunday, and the junior’s event. It’s the chance to take down the big names that makes things so exciting.
Among those participating in both contests are San Clemente surfers Cole Houshmand and Jett Schilling, both entered as wildcards into the main event. Newport Beach’s Tyler Gunter also has earned a wildcard spot in the contest.
Changes for women’s event
The last few years, the women’s contest at the US Open of Surfing has been a World Tour event – a chance for the top female surfers to use a win here toward the World Title race.
This year, the event has been downgraded back to a QS 10,000, making it the same as the men’s contest. That means the women’s contest will have more competitors, including lower-ranked athletes pitted against the world’s best.
Courtney Conlogue, of Santa Ana, will be looking for her third US Open of Surfing title — she won in 2009 and again last year.
“I’m feeling great coming into this year’s event, honestly so happy to be on the home soil again,” Conlogue said. “It’s been a lot of traveling and competing everywhere. There’s just something about being home and putting the jersey on in Huntington, where it all got started.”
Conlogue, now 26, has been competing in the event since age 12. She said she knows a lot of surfers will be putting up a good fight for the title.
“I’m definitely going to be giving it my best shot again this year,” she said. “Winning in your backyard always feels good. I’ll do my best to perform.”
Many of the big-name World Tour women’s surfers will be competing, such as seven-time world champion Australian Stephanie Gilmore, and Santa Barbara surfer Lakey Peterson, who won the event in 2012.
Florida’s Caroline Marks, a World Tour surfer transplanted to San Clemente, is also one to watch. She made it to the semifinals last year before falling to Conlogue.
Kirra Pinkerton, of San Clemente, will be doing her first QS 10,000 and will be surfing in the women’s junior event as the reigning world junior champion.
A strong result in the main event could help the 16-year-old surfer’s effort to join the World Tour next year.
More than money?
There’s been a lot of buzz about women’s prize money being matched to the men’s, a move by the World Surf League that started earlier this year for its top-tier events.
It’s the first year for the US Open of Surfing that men and women winners will earn equal prize money – $30,000 — under new rules adopted by the WSL. The sport and event has come a long way since 2009, when Brett Simpson made $100,000 for winning the US Open of Surfing and Conlogue took home $10,000.
“It’s epic,” Conlogue said about earning equal pay.
But there’s also significant change in this year’s men’s prize money, which dropped from $100,000 to $30,000 for the winner. Igarashi, who has earned two $100,000 prizes in the past, said the change won’t affect his performance in the water.
“At the end of the day, it’s more of the prestige of the US Open. I know $100,000 brought in a lot of competitors, that was a huge driving force of bringing in a lot of top athletes,” he said. “But for me, I’m going to do it no matter what. Every contest I do, I go for the win.”
The event kicks off Saturday, July 27, with the juniors hitting the water, followed by the men’s trial and main contest on Sunday. Event organizers each day determine the surf schedule.
For more information or a full schedule of events, go to vansusopenofsurfing.com.
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