A sea of teens kick up the sand at the chaotic 2012 US Open. Huntington Beach, CA. Photo: Victoria Smith
In June, Vans and IMG released an official statement about what surf fans can expect at this year’s U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach in light of the chaos that ensued after the event last year. For the most part, the focus will shift to family and community, although the release fails to delineate concrete efforts about how the event as a whole will be different.
Vague as it may be, the statement does provide some insight in the way that it makes no mention of certain components of last year’s event, presumably because they’ve been cut; most notably the live stages and free concerts. Instead, it emphasizes the introduction of art shows, and a premier of Volume 3 of Vans’ acclaimed Get-N-Classic series.
The event marks Huntington Beach celebration of “100 years of surfing,” and while event coordinators seek to bring surfing back to center stage, skate and BMX enthusiasts need not worry. It has also been confirmed that the Van Doren Invitational skate and BMX contests will be making their sophomore debut.
Fans of last year’s Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational can also rest assured that the innovative surf series will be making its return to the Huntington Beach Pier alongside the Men’s Qualifying Series Prime Event, and the Women’s World Tour event.
With the promise of a shift in focus, the hundreds of vendors that once covered the sand handing out free hats and tee shirts will also be absent this year. The team at VANS said that any brand presence on the beach will be limited to official sponsors of the event.
Huntington Beach Police Department has been very vocal about concrete efforts to thwart a repeat of last year’s riots. Mainly, HBPD has ramped up enforcement of alcohol consumption on the beach by augmenting officer presence, and increasing fines for alcohol offenses. In an effort to maintain transparency about these efforts, HBPD has released statements via social media including posts like, “The US Open of Surfing is coming back to Huntington Beach in two weeks. Bring your passion for surfing, a positive attitude, and your desire to have a great day at the beach. But don’t bring alcohol,” on their Facebook page.
HBPD has also announced a “Downtown Ambassadors” program, which will begin just in time for the kick off of the U.S. Open. The purpose of the program is to train participants to target lower level crime, particularly around downtown bars, but also to be greeters and facilitate hospitality for visitors. Ambassadors will assist primarily restaurants, bars, and hotels, and will model similar programs in Long Beach, Waikiki, Atlanta, and Phoenix.
Despite the added preparation, local business owners like Easyrider bike shop on Main Street still seem to shudder at even the slightest mention of the U.S. Open. After numerous attempts to open a dialogue with business owners, it became clear that most would rather ignore what happened and move on instead of addressing the situation head on and vocalizing their attitudes toward reforms enacted by the city and contest organizers.
In surveying business owners and locals, a palpable resentment toward visitors still seems palpable given that the majority of those arrested last year were from neighboring cities. The reality is the Huntington Beach economy very much depends on summer visitors, and benefits greatly from seasonal increases in revenue. Most summer tourists are in fact innocuous, their most grave offense being crowding parking lots, and a lack of awareness of beach etiquette (picking up trash, being safe in the ocean, etc.), and this resentment is largely misguided. In short, those arrested for their involvement in the riots were not rioting because they were from out of town, they were rioting and from out of town.
The question that remains is what about the U.S. Open attracts people that have seemingly no interest in action sports events and just want to cause mischief. Contest organizers seem to feel it’s the free concerts and vendors, while HBPD emphasizes the lack of enforcement of alcohol consumption in years past. Likely a confluence of factors, the resulting tensions could be a point of contention at this year’s event. And while most are hoping the event goes off without a hitch, any slip up has the potential threaten the event’s future by adding to public scrutiny.
With the event kicking off on Saturday, the scaffolding and tents at the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier are ready. Residents and visitors alike view the giant metal structures with mixed emotions, but only time will tell if the riots of last year will be overshadowed by this year’s success or if the scars are still too fresh to fully heal.
The Vans US Open of Surfing returns to Huntington Beach July 26th to August 3rd. Photo: Vans US Open of Surfing
