Oilers surfers looking good

WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG

It’s the start of the new year and the start of the new season for

the Huntington Beach High School Oiler surf team.

On Thursday, Jan. 9, the Oilers had a scrimmage with Long Beach

Milikan on the Southside of the Huntington Beach Pier. I checked in

with coach Andy Verdone and assistant coach Barry Deffenbaugh to see

what this 2003 season is looking like.

As I was watching the lineup, in the 2- to 4-foot surf that was

rolling in, top gun team captain Brett Simpson had just ripped up a

wave, and by the radness of the moves he was throwing and pulling, it

looks like he’s ready for a great season.

Simpson is the son of the former Ram football star who was in the

big leagues for 10 years. It looks like he’s passed the athleticism

and competitive nature on, as Brett’s balance is unbelievable and his

track record lately has spoken for itself.

Simpson has been leading the prestigious National Scholastic

Surfing Assn. Open Season standings, and has done well as an amateur

in some of the big time pro-am surf events, too.

The Figster is making a prediction, and that’s if Simpson keeps it

together, and doesn’t get sidetracked the next few years, he’s the

next guy from Huntington Beach to make it to the big show, the World

Championship Tour.

The team has a couple of other seniors, Chris Schiavone, who’s

been ripping, and Brian Boster, who’s been doing double duty in

shortboard and longboard.

Juniors to watch for include big wave standout Brian “Rhino”

Paullins, who’s been getting some of the biggies on the last couple

swells, Chase Newsome, who made regular finals in the HB Surf Series

last summer, and Anthony Duarte, who’s had some good heats, too.

Sophomores who have been preforming well are Chris Waring, who was

the overall points winner in the Professional Surfing Tour of America

junior series last season, Korey Lapoint, who’s been surfing solid,

and Corey Weo, who was on the water polo team and just came back to

do some longboarding.

But the wealth doesn’t stop yet, because the Oilers have some

freshman hot prospects, lead by middle school champ Ian Eckberg, who

just came back from Costa Rica. Ian said he scored some killer waves

with his buddy, Huntington Beach surfer Domenic Defeo, at Playa

Grande and Witch’s Rock, which had some 30-mph offshore winds and

perfect 2- to 3-foot plus surf.

Coach Verdone said the main thing about Ian is that he hates to

loose and he’s a tough competitor. He has outstanding quickness, too,

like Joey Mungo and Eric Ramsey, who have some good years ahead of

them.

The big news is, a high-ranking transfer from South Africa may

strengthen the team even more. Diter Saraiva just moved to town. The

South African team won the World Amateurs there last year.

The Oilers also have two-time Sunset League girls’ champ Eva

Lewington coming back. She’s been training with World Qualifying

Series star Jodie Nelson, who has helped coach her the last couple

seasons, along with sister shredders Laura and Erin Roberts.

In bodyboarding, No. 1 in the NSSA, Darren Moody, has just come

back from Hawaii, where he was getting barreled at the Pipe.

Coach Verdone says they have the talent to take the Sunset league,

and if the kids step it up, possibly the state and nationals, too.

Assistant coach Deffenbaugh goes over the sessions and scores with

the surfers. They film the sessions and both coaches check out the

videos to see what improvements can be made.

Today, 10-year Sunset league director Robbie Haugen is putting on

the Sunset League All-Star surfing event on the south side of the

pier from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check out all the schools in the district.

See ya there!

* RICK FIGNETTI is a seven-time West Coast champion, has

announced the U.S. Open of Surfing the last nine years and has been

the KROQ-FM surfologist for the last 17 years, doing morning surf

reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at

(714) 536-1058.