World’s best surfers, among them plenty of locals, gear up for Trestles Pro

The Lexus Trestles Pro, which could get underway as early as Friday, is bringing a big buzz to the cobblestone beach and beyond as elite-level surfers get set to battle it out at the iconic surf break wedged between San Clemente and Oceanside.

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For several local competitors, it’s a chance to shine on home turf.

The waiting period for the event kicks off on Friday, Sept. 11, and goes through Sept. 20, typically held on four days with the best waves. But the event means more to the coastal community than just a mega surf contest: It’s also a chance to get up close to the athletes, who will be at movie premieres, autograph signings, panel discussions, eating at local restaurants and coffee shops and making appearances throughout the contest window.

“It’s so cool having this event in town. Obviously San Clemente is so geared around surfing and surf culture, there’s so many young kids here that surf and their families are based around the ocean,” said Lakey Peterson, a Santa Barbara surfer who has been calling San Clemente home the past few years. “To have the event here with the best surfers in the world and the buzz around town, it’s phenomenal. It feels like this city was built for these events.”

Among the San Clemente locals who will be competing at Lower Trestles are brothers Crosby and Griffin Colapinto, Cole Houshmand, Sawyer Lindblad and Bella Kenworthy. Added into the hometown mix are wildcard surfers who either competed to earn their spot or got in through contest rankings: Taj Burrow, Eden Walla, Hayden Rodgers and Kirra Pinkerton.

Even without adding in Peterson and Florida transplant Caroline Marks, who has called San Clemente home the past decade, the event will go down in the record books as the most-ever San Clemente surfers to compete in a World Tour event together.

“I think we’re going to be super fired up, the beach will be packed,” said Griffin Colapinto, who grew up surfing the wave. “San Clemente usually comes out for their locals, I think that’s a good thing for this event.”

Rodgers, 20, earned his spot on Thursday morning through the San Clemente Boardriders Club trials, a nail-biting heat that had him waiting on scores following the buzzer to see if he would get a chance to compete against the world’s best for the first time.

“It’s fully what you dream of as a kid, my goal has always been to make the tour, and to be in the event is psycho,” he said. “To be at home with fun waves, I couldn’t be happier.”

Colapinto said it is good to be back in San Clemente, a chance to hang out with his “tour family” in his hometown, but also time to catch up with family and friends.

“It’s insane to be able to have my close friends and relatives be able to see us do this live at such an incredible wave, the most high-preference wave in the world,” Colapinto said.

On Wednesday night, Colapinto and his brother, Crosby, as well as Houshmand, gathered to give a mentoring talk to youngsters at the Salty Turf miniature golf course, giving guidance about overcoming adversity and how to stay mentally strong while following their dreams.

Also among the local surfers competing on the big stage will be the Lindblad siblings: Sawyer, a regular World Tour surfer, and brother Taj, who earned a spot as a WSL wildcard entry, his first appearance at the elite level.

“We’ve dreamed about this for so long,” Sawyer Lindblad said. “We feel so blessed to be in the position we’re in, to watch my brother compete out here, we’re all going to be cheering for him. My parents are so excited to just watch us. They are super chill, so they are just like, ‘Have fun, no pressure at all.’”

While she has more experience competing on the World Tour stage, her brother has been the one coaching her, Sawyer Lindblad said.

“I don’t really give him advice; he’s helping me out with my boards,” she said. “He’s giving me the tips.”

In addition to highlighting the high-performance wave that is Lower Trestles, a big focus for the WSL is ensuring the community sees the benefit of having a World Tour stop at their doorstep, said Brooke Farris, World Surf League president North America and chief marketing officer.

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In addition to the San Clemente surfers who got to earn spots to compete, the WSL has also teamed with the San Clemente Board Riders club to task young surfers with being caddies for the pros, taking care of their boards in and out of the water.

“I think these are moments for young surfers that can really help them on their pathway to be a pro or in the industry,” Farris said. “I really think that the community is not only benefiting economically, but also as a community in galvanizing down on the beach because we are here.”

On Thursday, surf fans got an up-close look at their favorite athletes competing during warm ups, many stopping their favorite surfers for autographs. The WSL also hosted its Rising Tides event, where pro surfers talk to and mentor young surfers for about an hour in and out of the water.

There’s plenty happening beyond the surf contest, including a Quiksilver screening of “Young Guns” on Friday at the Hobie surf shop in Dana Point.

Rip Curl events are planned at its surf shop just a short distance from the contest, including a movie showing of “Sketchy” and an athlete signing on Sunday, Sept. 13, followed by an athlete panel Q & A, as well as a panel discussion on “Path to Go Pro” Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Peterson said she is glad to see Lower Trestles as a regular-season event now, rather than a Final 5 showdown where only the top five in the rankings competed here for several years for the world title.

“This wave is one of the most iconic waves in the world. It just feels complete to have it as a regular-season stop, to see the whole tour out here,”  she said. “It’s going to be exciting.”

Italian surfer Leonardo Fioravanti likened the surf break to a wave pool, one that always produces waves, no matter what the conditions. While the last two competitions on the tour were all about heavy barrels — first in Tahiti and then Fiji — Trestles offers a skate-ramp wave that allows for big carves and aerial maneuvers. It will be the venue for surfing in the next Olympics.

“I think the forecast doesn’t look like it’s going to be crazy, it will be fun,” said Fioravanti, who is coming into the event as the highest-ranked surfer.

Between heats, like the locals, he’ll be enjoying all that San Clemente and Southern California has to offer, he said.

“California is pretty much the home of surfing, it’s where the culture of surfing has developed so much over the years,” he said, noting that he’s been enjoying San Clemente’s new coffee shop, Petrol Club, and always stops to get a burrito from Sancho’s Tacos.

He also appreciates how much the “true fans” know about surfing around town, he said.

“Everyone is excited to see us,” he said. “They are true fans that follow every single heat.

“That’s the unique thing about this place,” he said, “and I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting week.”

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