ON THE BEACH : Underdog Role Helps Frohoff Perform Like a Top Dog on Waves

Most observers were surprised when Chris Frohoff upset Rob Bain last week in the second round of the Op Pro surfing championships at the Huntington Beach Pier.

Nearly everyone, except Frohoff.

Frohoff of Redondo Beach, seeded 27th, had no doubts about beating Bain of Manly, Australia, the points leader on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals world tour who was seeded sixth.

“Bain has always had trouble surfing against me,” Frohoff said. “It must be some mental block. I’ve beat him so many times.”

But Frohoff, who was eliminated in the third round by Brad Gerlach of Encinitas, won’t be in the underdog role this week when he competes in the Laguna Sportswear surfing competition at Salt Creek State Beach.

He’s one of the favorites entering the seventh of 11 stops on the Professional Surfing Assn. of America tour. He won the previous stop at San Clemente in July, beating Brian McNulty of Capistrano Beach and Dino Andino and Matt Archbold, both of San Clemente, in the finals.

“I feel pretty confident although I like being the underdog,” Frohoff said. “It gives you that aggressive edge.”

Frohoff knows this event is no pushover. He’ll be among 250 of the top surfers and bodyboarders in the United States competing for a total of $50,000 in prize money. Competition begins Wednesday, with heats starting at 7:30 a.m. each day. The finals are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

McNulty, Andino and Archbold all will be back, as well as past PSAA event winners Shane Beschen of San Clemente and Pat O’Connell of Laguna Niguel.

Others expected to compete include Vince De La Pena of Laguna Niguel, Gary Clisby and Noah Budroe, both of Huntington Beach, and Danny Melhado, who’s fresh off his victory in the Op junior amateur competition. Melhado has been surfing PSAA events as an amateur this year.

Add Melhado: The 17-year-old is originally from Indialantic, Fla., but has been living in San Clemente the past six months. Melhado left Indialantic last winter when his parents moved to Washington, D.C.

“I had a choice of either living at my parents’ house in Florida, going to Washington or moving in out here with some friends,” Melhado said.

Since the surf’s not exactly up in the nation’s capital, and Florida was wearing thin on Melhado, the surfer packed his bags and moved to San Clemente. He’ll be a senior this fall at San Clemente High School.

Jim Hogan of San Clemente, the defending champion in the Laguna Sportswear contest, is listed as questionable for this year’s contest. Hogan injured his leg competing at a contest in Oceanside in June and has struggled at his past two contests.

The injury has damaged Hogan’s hopes of winning the tour points title. He was ranked as high as fourth earlier in the season but has dropped to 12th since the injury.

Defending champion Mike Stewart of Anaheim is clinging to a slim points lead in the bodyboarding division.

He has a 254-point lead over Ben Severson of Wahiawa, Hawaii. Charlie Kuhn of Indian Harbor, Fla., leads the surfing division by 72 points over Andino. Beschen, who won the Easter surfing competition in April, is in fifth place (3,055) and three-time defending champion Mike Lambresi of Oceanside is seventh (2,946).

Schedule: Only four stops remain on the PSAA tour after the Laguna Niguel event: at Malibu (Aug. 15-19), at Lower Trestles, Camp Pendleton (Sept. 5-9) at Sebastian Inlet, Fla., (Oct. 3-7), and at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, (Oct. 31-Nov. 4).

Marty Thomas, a finalist at the Op Pro last weekend, has established himself as not only one of the top surfers on the ASP world tour, but also one of the top golfers.

Thomas, a Seal Beach native now living in Sunset Beach, Hawaii, has a 15-handicap and has played on courses all over the world.

“I love golf,” said Thomas, 21. “It’s similar to my love for surfing. I’m going to do both as long as I physically can.”

Say what?: Jackie Silva of Redondo Beach and Janice Opalinski didn’t exactly split on the best of terms when they ended their pro beach volleyball partnership in June.

Volleyball magazine quoted Silva on their relationship: “I tell Janice, my world is very different than hers. We try to understand each other without invading each other’s privacy. We try to find something in common. We have strong minds. She believes in God. I believe in God. I start to think about that more, a spirit, a higher power. I like Jesus Christ, but I’m not a Christian.”

Silva and her new partner, Karolyn Kirby of San Diego, were victorious at the Pismo Beach Open last weekend.

Beach Notes

The next stop on the Women’s Professional Volleyball Assn. tour will be Saturday and Sunday at Redondo Beach. . . . The men’s tour will be at San Diego this weekend. . . . The International Waveskiing contest is Aug. 17-19 at the Huntington Beach Pier. Waveskiing is similar to kayaking. . . . The World Bodysurfing championships are scheduled for Aug. 17-19 at the Oceanside Pier. Admission is free.