As little as there was to talk about last week, this week is shaping up to be the exact opposite. There is a lot going on, so let’s get started on a Wednesday round-up: THE U.S. OPEN OF SURFING began
As little as there was to talk about last week, this week is shaping up to be the exact opposite. There is a lot going on, so let’s get started on a Wednesday round-up:
THE U.S. OPEN OF SURFING began this weekend at Huntington Beach, Calif. and all four of the featured events have gotten underway. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Men’s Prime event had begun Round of 48 action, progressing from the starting field of 124 competitors. An early advancer into the Round of 24 was Kauai’s Sebastian Zietz, who paddled out for the first heat in the Round of 48 and moved on with a second-place finish. He will now go up against American Kolohe Andino and Australian Julian Wilson in their Round of 24 three-man heat.
Round 1 of the Women’s Pro, which is a World Championship Tour event, has been completed. Three of the 18 competitors are Kauai wahine, including Alana Blanchard who took a first-place finish in her opening heat to move directly into Round 3. She bested current women’s WCT rankings leader Tyler Wright and fellow Kauai surfer Leila Hurst in that heat. Hurst received a wild-card entry into the event.
The Women’s Junior Pro began with six Kauai surfers among the 24 competitors and two still remain as the event has reached the semifinals. Tatiana Weston-Webb and Hurst, who is competing in both women’s events, are among the eight hoping for the renowned junior crown. Brianna Cope, Mainei Kinimaka, Maluhia Kinimaka and Nage Melamed also entered the event.
The Men’s Junior Pro has reached the quarterfinals and Kauai’s Kaimana Jaquias remains among the 16 surfers still in the field. As a whole, the state is well represented, with six of those 16 hailing from Hawaii.
For competition updates, visit usopenofsurfing.com.
IT SEEMS I CHOSE AN INTERESTING time to write about performance enhancing drugs last week, as Major League Baseball suspended Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun, Monday, for the remainder of this season. Braun, who was named the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player even amidst a failed drug test, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing since that time and continued to proclaim his innocence, apparently until MLB presented him with evidence linking him to a Florida outfit called Biogenesis. It seems Braun was then eager to take the offered suspension and get ready for the 2014 season.
While the specifics of what Braun actually did are still mirky, he clearly realized that the jig was up and that MLB had the goods. So defiant in his denials, Braun joins Lance Armstrong as a disgraced athlete who had no problem throwing others under the bus to maintain a false reputation.
WHILE EVERYONE WAS WAITING FOR TIGER to charge during Sunday’s final round of the British Open, it was the other fan-favorite who rose to the occasion. Phil Mickelson scorched the back nine on his way to a 66 and the Claret Jug for his fifth major championship. “Lefty” now just needs a US Open title to complete the career grand slam. It will be an inescapable story moving forward, as Mickelson has amazingly finished second or tied for second at the US Open six times, including this year.
FAMED BOXER EMILE GRIFFITH passed away on Tuesday at age 75. Griffith was a welterweight, middleweight and junior middleweight champion, but is unfortunately best known for one of his opponents, Benny Paret, dying after Griffith knocked him out in their third fight.
While I never met Griffith, I’ve heard some tales about the young fighter from a unique perspective. My grandparents were friends of New York boxing trainer and manager Howie Albert. Albert handled Griffith and, once in a while, my grandfather would work as one of the corner men for his fights. My grandparents thought so much of him, they decided to let Griffith babysit for their two boys – my dad and uncle. Seeing Floyd Mayweather or Bernard Hopkins babysit sounds like a good reality show, but that was reality for my dad in Long Island. Many have written about Griffith’s warmth and kindness, which is obviously what my grandparents recognized, as well.
