Georgeson Opponents Fall by the Wave Side

Chelsea Georgeson not only surfed better than the remaining finalists Saturday in the U.S. Open of Surfing women’s competition, she outscored every rival who paddled out this week.

Georgeson produced the highest women’s heat score of the event and one of the highest wave scores in winning the women’s title at the Huntington Beach Pier.

Georgeson, a 19-year-old Australian, finished with a best-two-wave heat score of 17.00 points, good enough to defeat two-time defending champion Pauline Menczer of Australia, who scored 13.67. Jacqueline Silva of Brazil was the busiest of the finalist, catching eight waves in the 30-minute heat, but her best two scores totaled only 8.33 points. Julia Christian of Carlsbad caught only three waves in the final and finished fourth with 5.50 points.

Georgeson, who last year became the youngest woman to qualify for the sport’s elite World Championship Tour, set the pace by earning a wave score of 7.00 out of a possible 10 in the opening minutes of the final. Menczer, a 17-year professional, rode a rare right-hander in the three- to five-foot south swell and was awarded with a wave score of 7.67, moving her into the lead. But Georgeson came back with a score of 7.67 to retake the lead for good.

With five minutes remaining, Georgeson sealed the victory with a score of 9.33, the second-highest women’s wave score of the event. Georgeson produced the highest wave score of the competition, a 9.60, earlier Saturday in the round of 32.

“There were good lefts the whole day,” she said. “You just had to pick off the good ones.” Georgeson said she practiced in the contest area several times during the week, but Saturday’s larger waves and a powerful current that swept into the pier changed conditions dramatically. The waves were larger, but the stronger current forced competitors to spend considerable energy paddling out. Neither seemed to faze Georgeson.

“It was a lot better,” she said. “It’s probably good that I practiced when the waves were at their worst.”

Christian’s fourth-place finish will boost her effort to remain on the WCT for another year. In December, she became the first woman from California since 1982 to qualify for the WCT and the first from the U.S. mainland since 1986, but she has struggled in her rookie season and is last in the point standings. If she does not finish in the top 10 on the WCT this year, she must finish in the top six on the World Qualifying Series to re-qualify.

Christian, who produced the second highest heat score of the week, a 16.67, in winning her quarterfinal heat Saturday, was nearly eliminated in the semifinals. But Christian caught a left with 1:20 remaining and earned a wave score of 6.17, moving from fourth to second and eliminating Carmen Buecher.

Taylor Jensen of Imperial Beach won the longboard title, taking an early lead with an 8.33 wave score and moving back in front for good with a score of 6.20 late in the 30-minute heat. Jensen’s best three waves totaled 20.70 points. Colin McPhillips of San Clemente finished second with 19.63 points.

“It was insane,” Jensen said of his first contest in Huntington Beach. “I was just stoked to reach the final.”

Jensen, 19, may not be known around Huntington Beach, but he’s becoming a household name among longboard enthusiasts around the world. It was his second consecutive victory and he’s the points leader in the WCT longboard standings.

Jensen learned to surf while growing up on Coronado. His 6-foot-4 inch frame is better suited for the longboard and the usual poor conditions on Coronado helped him become a better surfer in good conditions, he said. He turned professional shortly after graduating from Coronado High two years agobut didn’t take his career seriously until this year.

Jensen began training with Del Mar’s Joel Tudor, who won his seventh U.S. Open of Surfing longboard title last year.

“He taught me to be focused and to relax,” he said.

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U.S. Open of Surfing

WOMEN’S FINAL

*--* Best two-wave scores Pos Surfer Country Score 1 Chelsea Georgeson Australia 17.00 2 Pauline Menczer Australia 13.67 3 Jacqueline Silva Brazil 8.33 4 Julia Christian U.S 5.50

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LONGBOARD FINAL

*--* Best three-wave scores Pos Surfer Country Score 1 Taylor Jensen U.S 20.70 2 Colin McPhillips U.S 19.63 3 Pete Johnson U.S 15.20 4 Dodger Kremel U.S 15.17

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TODAY’S SCHEDULE

*--* * Men’s round of 32, 8 a.m * Men’s quarterfinals, 10:45 a.m * Junior semifinals, 12:39 p.m * Men’s semifinals, 1:21 p.m * Junior finals, 2:03 p.m * Men’s finals, 2:34 p.m * BMX and skate competitions begin at 10:00 a.m

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