Vans Pier Classic Huntington Beach California

Vans Pier Classic West Coast Season Opener

As surfing competitions go, a two star qualifier doesn't get the billing of a six. Hosted in Huntington Beach as the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) season opener, two is an accurate rating of the waves and conditions normally appearing in Huntington Beach for the event. And when the U.S. Open of Surfing comes to town in July, some say that it really should be ranked a two, as well. In recent years there have been completely flat situations where there were no waves for a competition set.

The Van's Pier Classis is an annual event held on the West Coast and presented by Jack's Surfboards. The action will be on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier for five days in late March, just in time for the summer surfing season. Running in conjunction with the event will be the ASP Grade-2 Ezekiel Pro Junior, also presented by Jack's Surfboards.

15 top seed surfers advance to the coveted ASP World Tour at the end of the year, where they earn the chance to battle the top 45 competitive surfers for the ASP World Title. The ASP North America Pro Junior Series acts as a qualifier for the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships held in Narrabeen, Australia in January of each year. The event crowns the ASP World Junior Champion.

Huntington Beach hopeful, Shaun Ward, 26 was the reigning Vans Pier Classic champion in 2009. He returned for an opportunity to show other surfers what he can do on the hometown wave advantage. The talented regular-footer is looking to get the ball rolling for his 2009 ASP WQS campaign with a repeat victory. He doesn't have a sponsor currently, and hopes to grab the title in Huntington Beach, his pride and joy. The HB local has trained to improve his surfing.

Another HB resident surfer, Micah Byrne, 27, won the Vans Pier Classic in 2007. This father of a newborn baby was eager to get out on the local waves and prove what he's made of. Though he's busy as a dad, and doesn't surf as much, he's totally stoked to surf.

The Vans Pier Classic and Ezekiel Pro Junior, both presented by Jack's Surfboards, will run from March 24-27, 2011. vans.com aspworldtour.com aspnorthamerica.org