Juniors get chance
to show stuff

Star-Bulletin staff

The youngsters got the best of it yesterday at Haleiwa when the Juniors took to the waves for the first time in the OP Pro.

The 3- to 4-foot waves were glassy and fine when the 32 best amateur surfers in the nation paddled out in this first event of the G-Shock Triple Crown of Surfing.

But after the young amateurs put on a solid performance, onshore winds whipped the waves into such a mess that contest officials postponed the remainder of the competition.

Hawaii's Bruce Irons, Fred Patacchia, Jason Shibata, Aaron Naluwai and Mikala Jones remain in the final rounds of the contest.

With the juniors on hold, contest officials decided to resume the OP Pro Women's Division and send the wahine out into the waves, which had grown bigger and bumpier.

Megan Abubo, who lives right up the road in Waialua, used her local knowledge of the lineup at Haleiwa to chase down the best waves in the shifty, peaky conditions that frustrated many other contestants.

"The first couple of waves I was pretty nervous . . . then I started realizing 'Wait, I know this wave, I should just relax.' That's what I did towards the middle of the heat," Abubo said.

Abubo posted the top score of the day, 21.50, and earned a spot in the quarterfinals. She needs a good showing in the OP Pro and the Quiksilver Roxy Pro's two events at Sunset Beach to earn a berth on next year's elite World Championship Tour.

Hawaii's Keala Kennelly, Rochelle Ballard and Cathy Beauford also surfed their way into the quarterfinals.

For contest information, call 637-6376.