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Huntington Beach Pier
There's
a mass of people at the US Open of Surfing and Beach Games final
days that fall on a Saturday an Sunday in Huntington Beach,
California. Free stuff is given away such as plastic bags,
Frisbees, posters with autographs and small stuff, plus a few
drawings for skateboards and other items. With over 100,000
estimated people crowding into one small area, there's lots of
dust, sand and people moving every which way. It really is a
festive, fun atmosphere if you like crowds. But if you don't
like them, you should not go there.
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Competitors' home countries: U.S., Australia, Brazil,
France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal,
Puerto Rico, South Africa and Spain.
A typical day at the US Open
includes this basic schedule that's been used more or less
in recent years. Please be sure to check the
calendar of events for updates.
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US Open Surf City
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Surfers competing /
Womens competition /
Target Womens Junior Pro
/ Event /
Surfboard World Record
ARCHIVED RELEASE
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. ' Surf, sun, boards and bikes all
converge at the famed Huntington Beach Pier. California's
quintessential action sport and lifestyle festival showcases
professional surfing, skateboarding, BMX, FMX and beach
volleyball competitions along with live music amid America's
largest ocean-front exposition. Attendance is expected to record
of 500,000 spectators.
With a colorful
history dating back to 1959, the U.S. Open of
Surfing boasts North America's only
six-star World Qualifying Series-rated men's and women's
events. The addition of an all-new women's junior pro (ages
19 and under) compliments the existing men's junior pro and longboarding divisions, and star-studded expression session.
Cash prizes totaling $185,000 are on the line for what has
been described as the world's largest professional
surfing competition.
Prior event champions include Andy Irons, Kelly Slater, Cory
Lopez, Sunny Garcia and Rob Machado. Against the backdrop of
12 acres of action-packed activities for all ages, Freestyle
Moto-Cross (FMX) fuels the Bank of the West Beach Games for
the second consecutive year, electrifying crowds with
daredevil double-seat grabs, cliffhangers and
gravity-defying backflips. A custom-built course, within a
stones throw of the Pacific Ocean, allows spectators to be
within a few feet of top FMX stars, which included Brian
Deegan and Tommy Clowers in '04. A slew of BMX superheroes
and skateboard stars battle in The Bank of the West Soul
Bowl, a unique action sports competition apparatus that
combines the core or 'soulful' elements and history of pool
riding with the freestyle and modern attributes of half-pipe
competition.
Thousands of spectators will watch bands, surfing contests, bowl
games, and participate in a variety of interactive sports and
products areas.
Past bands include Hoobastank, Lit and Ozomatli. IMG Marketing
has held the contract and promoted the event in recent years. |
