Still near the top

Mike Sciacca

Surfing can be a fleeting career for many pros.

The traditional superstars shine for a few years before being

chased into surfing lore by a new generation of hot-shots.

Yet there are those competitors who have stemmed the tides of

change and stayed at the forefront.

Laguna Beach’s Pat O’Connell is one surfer who has known longevity

in the sport.

He joined the professional ranks in 1990 and is in his ninth year

on the World Championship Tour. Still as strong as ever, the

31-year-old today will surf his first heat at the Honda Element U.S.

Open of Surfing Presented by O’Neill at the Huntington Beach Pier.

It will be his 13th foray into the six-star competition, which is

North America’s highest-rated qualifying event and the world’s

largest and most heavily attended professional surfing competition.

O’Connell finished ninth overall last year in the men’s division.

His best U.S. Open finish was third place in 1998.

Today, O’Connell is surfing the first round of the main event

which features the top 64-seeded male surfers.

“I feel really fortunate to have had such a long and great career

that is still going strong,” the Hurley-sponsored surfer said. “It’s

a battle, but I have really put my head down to stay on the tour this

long and reap some of the rewards. I’m pretty proud of that.”

At 31 and going up against competitors who are in their 20s, even

their late teens, O’Connell still is far from hanging up his board.

He is very comfortable in his own skin and possesses the talent,

drive and positive spin needed to succeed in the surfing world.

Two days before he was to surf the U.S. Open, O’Connell was at

ease as he sat in board shaper Timmy Patterson’s shop in San

Clemente. The two were fine-tuning a couple of boards that O’Connell

says he’ll “possibly” use in the contest.

“Timmy’s made me a couple of boards and we’re just playing around

right now with the design of these boards,” he said. “He’s pretty

innovative and very talented and well-respected in what he does.”

O’Connell, one of the stars of the surf film “Endless Summer II,”

says he’s approaching the U.S. Open much the same way he has his

previous 12.

He has been training for the U.S. Open by surfing Dana Point’s

Salt Creek.

“Each year, it’s the same there in Huntington,” he said. “The

waves are so similar that I’m quite certain what to expect from one

year to the next. I don’t think there’ll be any surprises this year,

either.”

O’Connell has traveled the world as a professional surfer -- he

estimates he spent 12 full days on an airplane and 250 days away from

home last year -- but has the luxury of surfing this weekend’s

contest close to his Laguna Beach home.

But with the proximity comes more duties, he said, such as

interviews, promotions and parties he has been asked to attend.

In addition, this year he wrote and recited an introduction speech

for Surfing magazine photographer Larry “Flame” Moore upon Moore’s

induction Thursday into the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame.

“It’s been an incredibly busy time, but I’m having a blast,”

O’Connell said. “I feel that I’m surfing better today than I ever

have. I’m more efficient and with experience, I know how to do my job

better now than when I was 18, 19 -- even 25.

“I don’t want to do this too much longer, though, but I really

can’t say how much longer I’ll keep this up. When I get to the point

where I think I’m hanging around for no reason, then that’s when I’ll

call it quits. Surfing, though, has allowed me to live a pretty

comfortable lifestyle, have a house in Laguna Beach and travel the

world. It’s been great.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports for the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot.

He can be reached at 494-4321 or by e-mail at

[email protected].