Machado adds another Open championship and Hall of Famer to résumé

This year’s U.S. Open of Surfing was significant in many ways. The event, which took place at the south side of Huntington Beach pier in late July, coincided with hoopla of “extreme sports” venues including motor-cross, BMX, and skating. Skaters, bikers, surfers, party-goers, families, volleyball players, grandparents, hippies, and anyone else trying to get a piece of the action shared blazing beach space in what has become one of the largest sporting venues in California and undoubtedly the largest surfing event in the country. What began eight days before the final, ended with San Diego’s most prominent surfing icon taking the stage before tens of thousands and accepting his 3rd U.S. Open title. Although no longer on the World Championship Tour (WCT), Cardiff’s Rob Machado proved to the world that he still has the competitive edge and surfing prowess to battle the best surfers on the planet and come out on top.

Cirque du Huntington

    “There are people down on the beach that don’t even know a surf contest is going on,” commented Machado on his way to a semifinal showdown with San Clemente surfer Mike Losness, who blazed through 11 rounds only to lose to Machado in the semis. On day one of the weeklong stretch, empty white tents shrouded the beach, tractors beeped back and forth, sweaty shirtless construction workers carried giant planks of wood, and vacationing tourists wandered in bewilderment. It looked nothing like a surf contest but more like a 21st century Orange County Bedouin suburb. Fast forward one week -- the same sandy walkways were crammed, music blared, and bikini-clad hotties did all they could to get a little attention.
    It’s a hard scene to shut out when qualification points are on the line, but over 500 surfers from around the world managed to battle it out over 10 days of competition. There was $185,000 in prize money between five divisions of surfing, $125,000 of that to the men’s division of 240 surfers.

Dangga

    Among the mass of ultra talented, points and money hungry professionals, one competitor (other than Machado) that recaptured the public’s attention was Michael “Dangga” Campbell. Yes, the very same Aussie who challenged Slater for the world title harder than anyone until Andy vs. Kelly, advanced through 10 rounds from the trials to the quarterfinals. Mick sliced through the younger ‘QS war horses he faced to prove that he still is one of the most skilled surfers in the world and is a fierce competitor who could make a push to get back on tour. Maybe a solid sponsor (Campbell had been without a sponsor for several years until recently) and some supportive Aussie camaraderie, and Mick will show his ginger face on tour once more.

Young Guns

    Campbell was in his mid-twenties when he was a world title contender. So, how did this year’s 20-somethings fare at the Open? Well, it was at the hands of one of those 20-somethings that Campbell’s run came to an end. 25-year-old Mike Losness from San Clemente, who was also on a tear from the trials, won the battle against Campbell in the quarters and went on to face Machado. The other semi was significant as well. There were no vets in that heat. Slater protégé Jeremy Flores, a maturing grom from Reunion Island, and Hawaiian, WCT rookie Roy Powers battled it out in the 2-3 foot and glassy, classic, summer Huntington. Powers’ experience paid off, and he ended up prevailing, moving on to meet Machado in the final.

The Legend

In any sport, when one thinks of Hall of Famers, legends come to mind: Babe Ruth, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky, Rob Machado… Rob Machado? Concurrently with the comp, Rob was being inaugurated into the Surfing Hall of Fame along Huntington’s Main Street. In most sports, Hall of Fame inductions occur well after an athlete’s playing days are over. It’s a testament to Machado’s decorated career, reputation, and surfing ability that he was inducted while many still think he is one of the world’s best surfers. And he would need to use all of that ability to defeat the young ‘CTer Powers. “I’m just trying to keep it spunky,” Machado said. “I come here to get inspired by the young guys’ surfing, and I do.”
    The inspiration he took from the “young guys’ surfing” was applied in the final where he surfed a consistent and solid heat on the lefthander at the south end of the contest area. Powers struggled to finish his waves with the bang necessary to defeat the new Hall of Famer. And Machado came out on top taking his 2nd WQS win of the year, putting him in the top 50, which is amazing since he’s only competed in three events so far.
"I will never get tired of coming here. The crowd down here has been so amazing all week. The energy that was out there in the final was unbelievable. I lost a close final to Andy Irons here last year and that was hard to swallow, so this feels fantastic."
    If the rest of 2006 goes well, and Machado feels the competitive drive, he could potentially re-qualify, which would put one of surfing’s greats back on tour. "I've only surfed three contests this year but I'm heading to Europe to compete in a couple of events there which should be fun because I haven't surfed there in years," Machado said. "I guess I'll just see where I'm sitting on the ratings (WQS) after that, and take it from there."