OCEANSIDE —- Day one of the Western Surfing Association’s Prime Man-on-Man Championships got under way Saturday at the Oceanside Harbor’s north jetty, despite concerns about the weather and poor surfing conditions.

The invitation-only event featured 84 of the most talented male and female surfers under age 18 on the West Coast, hungry for coveted slots in the Surfing America USA Championships.

Sean Mattison, an Oceanside surf shop owner and assistant coach to the United States surf team, described the competitors as “the best talent in the U.S. and possibly the world.”

Luke Davis of Capistrano Beach and Ian Crane of San Clemente, considered two of the best under-18 surfers in the country, opened up with strong victories in the opening heats.

Jake Marshall of Encinitas, the youngest person ever to make the U.S. Surf Team, also advanced to the next round of competition with a flair rarely seen in someone so young, Mattison said.

Lani Doherty of Maui, who was ranked ninth in the world at the 2008 World Surfing Games in Ecuador last year, asserted her authority with a convincing win in the opening round under the cool, drizzly skies.

In a first-ever for amateur surfing, finalists will be introduced to a “man-on-man” format, which is generally reserved for championship tour events involving the top professional surfers, said Nick Hill of Oceanside, a veteran judge of surf competitions. Two male and two female finalists will compete one-on-one to decide a winner.

Hill said the format makes it possible to focus on the surfing rather than on a bunch of “paddle battles.”

“Unlike typical surf competitions, which are usually geared towards recreational type surfing, the man-on-man format gives these kids a chance to surf to the criteria that they’re going to see if they go professional or if they make the U.S. surf team and represent the country internationally,” said Andrea Swayne, co-director of the World Surfing Association.

Event director Greg Cruse explained that the decision to implement the man-on-man format was in response to a need for a model in North America that mirrors those found in other nations such as Australia.

“Our kids aren’t being prepared for junior pros and professional contests the way kids in the other countries are,” he said. Cruse’s goal is to elevate surfing in the United States to match the level of long-running programs found throughout the world.

According to Cruse, the association, which was established in 1961, is the largest and oldest amateur surfing organization on the West Coast.

“We hope that surfing will someday become an Olympic sport,” he said.

story via