Each September, the world's premier shortboard surfers come to San Clemente to compete at Trestles in the Boost Mobile Pro, the only ASP World Championship Tour contest held yearly in the continental United States.
Each June, the biggest concentration of top American surfers converges in San Clemente for the National Scholastic Surfing Championships at Trestles.
Next week, longboard surfing's elite come to San Clemente. The Association of Surfing Professionals will crown this year's world longboard champion at the Oxbow World Longboard Tour's concluding event, scheduled for Nov. 5-9 at San Onofre Surf Beach.
"Oh, it's awesome," said Colin McPhillips, a three-time ASP world champ from San Clemente. For a decade he has traveled the world competing in ASP contests, and now for the first time, he has a chance to capture a world title before a home audience.
The event will feature 48 of the world's top longboard surfers – 44 who qualified for it and four trialists. Seeded surfers from San Clemente include McPhillips, Troy Mothershead, Jed Morouse, Josh Baxter and Dennis Bourg, plus Tom Lloy of Dana Point.
McPhillips – who won world titles in 1999, 2001 and 2002 – said he is excited to share his favorite longboard beach with the world's best. "It's a beach with some serious history," he said. "They couldn't have picked a better place."
Oxbow, a leading European action-sports apparel company that opened its first U.S. store in Santa Monica this year, selected a stretch of San Onofre beach called Old Man's because it is steeped in tradition. The California surfing lifestyle took root there in the 1930s, and through the years the waves there have provided a playground for personalities from Hawaiian surf icon Duke Kahanamoku to actor James Arness.
"It's the perfect longboard showcase … one of the best waves available for a longboard contest where we can see the whole dance performed on a wave," said Henry Ford, Oxbow's tournament director and a resident of San Clemente. "This is an opportunity for people to come and watch the top 44 longboard surfers in the world."
Contact the writer: fswegles@ocregister.com or 949-492-5127
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