<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/pt20070727uso070807.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1000073404\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/pt20070727uso070807.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Taras\\\" width=\\\"600\\\" height=\\\"400\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Men\\u2019s Contenders&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;em&gt;Big guns come out firing for the Honda U.S. Open Of Surfing Presented By O\\u2019Neill&lt;\\/em&gt;&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;Sure, there are tons of sideshows, entertainment, and random distractions on the beach during the U.S. Open, but the real reason this whole giant circus happens every year is because of this: the main event, with some of the best surfers in the world vying for points and prestige.&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nFrom elite pros coming from all corners of the globe to local shredders who want the chance to scalp some names, it\\u2019s truly a diverse affair. Last year, young Frenchman Jeremy Flores blasted his way into the finals, nearly taking it all. Even so, it\\u2019s been three years straight that American surfers have won the Men\\u2019s title. Still, Australian surfers have been riding high on Mick Fanning\\u2019s world title (the first Oz men\\u2019s world title in eight years), so look for them to be frothing to stick it to some seppos on their home turf.&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nIn addition to a huge international contingent amped to make waves in the industry\\u2019s epicenter, there are also some big U.S. surfers, like Rob Machado and Cory Lopez, who are no longer on the WCT but will be major threats at Huntington. In fact, both Rob and Cory are past winners.&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nSo plant yourself on the sand, the bleachers, or the pier, and get ready for the real deal entertainment. &amp;#8211; Casey Koteen&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/js0008.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1000073405\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/js0008.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"\\\" width=\\\"600\\\" height=\\\"400\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Faces To Watch&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rob Machado &lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/bb438_20070208.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1000073406\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/bb438_20070208.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Bielmann\\/SPL\\\" width=\\\"110\\\" height=\\\"165\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Age:&lt;\\/strong&gt; 34&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Stance:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Goofy&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Home:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Cardiff, California&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Hurley, Reef, Dragon, Channel Islands Surfboards, Boost Mobile, Nixon, Callaway Golf&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;The Dirt:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Rob can win this thing in his sleep\\u2014or at least look so casual doing it that you\\u2019d think he was catching Zs in between waves. It also doesn\\u2019t hurt that the crowd goes bananas for him, which not only might earn him a little bump on a score every now and again, but it also does a good job of psyching his opponents out.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dane Reynolds&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/3y4o6382.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1000073407\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/3y4o6382.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Dorsey\\\" width=\\\"113\\\" height=\\\"170\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Age:&lt;\\/strong&gt; 22&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Stance:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Regular&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Home:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Ventura, California&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Quiksilver, Channel Islands Surfboards, DC, Boost, Monster Energy, Komunity Project&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;The Dirt:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Dane\\u2019s doing well on the WCT this year, and the pressure\\u2019s pretty well off to earn WQS points. So he\\u2019ll likely be cutting loose, which means lots of huge tail wafts and big gaffs. But it can cut both ways with Dane. If the waves are good, he\\u2019ll be surfing hard to keep going and have fun. But if it\\u2019s flat, his amp factor may wane. Either way, it\\u2019ll be exciting and his heats will be required viewing.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;C.J. Hobgood&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/cs20080309_au_0038.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1000073408\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/cs20080309_au_0038.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Straley\\\" width=\\\"129\\\" height=\\\"143\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Age:&lt;\\/strong&gt; 28&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Stance:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Goofy&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Home: &lt;\\/strong&gt;Satellite Beach, Florida&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Globe, Body Glove, Vestal, X-Trak, Smith&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;The Dirt:&lt;\\/strong&gt; C.J. won last year\\u2019s event, which actually kick-started his year competitively. Prior to the U.S. Open, he was having a shaky WCT start, but rebounded in a major way, winning a bunch more domestic WQS comps and then going on to shoot up to 11th place on the WCT by year\\u2019s end. Even though he\\u2019s doing better on the World Tour this year, he\\u2019d be excited to relive last year\\u2019s emotional victory.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Timmy Reyes&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/dn20070531_ca_49038.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1000073409\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/dn20070531_ca_49038.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Nelly\\\" width=\\\"131\\\" height=\\\"147\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Age:&lt;\\/strong&gt; 26&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Stance:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Regular&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Home:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Huntington Beach, California&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;\\/strong&gt; O\\u2019Neill, T. Patterson Surfboards, Jack\\u2019s Surf Shop, Arnette, Vans&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;The Dirt:&lt;\\/strong&gt; We called Timmy out as a contender last year, and it turned out he wasn\\u2019t quite ready to jump back in the ring after a serious knee injury. But this year, Timmy\\u2019s back on the WCT and surfing stronger than ever. And even though by his own admission he does better at reefs and pointbreaks, you can bet Timmy will be gunning hard to win this event in his own backyard.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jordy Smith&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/fdf.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1000073410\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/fdf.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Bielmann\\/SPL\\\" width=\\\"143\\\" height=\\\"177\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Age:&lt;\\/strong&gt; 21&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Stance:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Regular&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Home: &lt;\\/strong&gt;Huntington Beach, South Africa&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;\\/strong&gt; O\\u2019Neill, DVS, Vestal&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;The Dirt:&lt;\\/strong&gt; During the U.S. Open last year, Jordy was smack dab in the middle of a gnarly bidding war for whose logo would be plastered on the nose of his board. You could tell it was a hectic time for the youngster, and the circus that is H.B. didn\\u2019t help his concentration either. This year, though, Jordy\\u2019s got a singular focus: winning. He\\u2019s won big six-star WQSes before, and he\\u2019ll be frothing to put this one in his r\\u00e9sum\\u00e9, too.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brett Simpson&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/cs20080508_samoa_152.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1000073411\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/cs20080508_samoa_152.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Straley\\\" width=\\\"136\\\" height=\\\"155\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Age:&lt;\\/strong&gt; 24&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Stance:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Regular&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Home: &lt;\\/strong&gt;Huntington Beach, California&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Hurley, etnies, Dragon, Huntington Surf and Sport, T. Patterson Surfboards, Toyota Of Huntington Beach&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;The Dirt: &lt;\\/strong&gt;Simpo\\u2019s another local boy who should be able to use his years of mastering the pier\\u2019s funky peaks and deep spots to good use. He\\u2019s surfing stronger and more confident than ever, and if he can maintain that through his heats, he\\u2019ll be a favorite to make it to the later rounds where he\\u2019ll bruise some egos.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Women\\u2019s Contenders&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The world\\u2019s best wahines vie for American glory at the Honda U.S. Open Of Surfing Presented By O\\u2019Neill&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;\\/em&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/kw0f2121.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1000073412\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/kw0f2121.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"English\\\" width=\\\"600\\\" height=\\\"400\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;While the Men\\u2019s arena at the U.S. Open is a high mark in American surfing achievements, the Women\\u2019s is equally as significant.&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nJust take the two finalists from last year\\u2019s competition: Australian Steph Gilmore and America\\u2019s own Karina Petroni. After strong showings at The Open, both girls were propelled on to accomplish additional amazing feats in \\u201907. Gilmore, who took first place in the event, went on to become World Champ. Talk about a competitive catalyst, it doesn\\u2019t get any better than that. And her good friend Petroni, who\\u2019s seen her share of peaks and valleys in her campaign on the WQS grind, took the impetus from that monumental placing, built on it through the end of the season, and earned herself a coveted ticket to the 2008 WCT.&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nOf course, last year\\u2019s a thing of the past, and both Gilmore and Petroni will be battling it out for this year\\u2019s title, along with a slew of other talented and hungry competitors.&lt;br \\/&gt;\\nBut if the past can tell us anything about the future, not only will this year\\u2019s women\\u2019s bouts be extremely thrilling to watch, they\\u2019ll also likely provide a crystal ball glimpse into what the rest of the year holds for whoever makes it to the grand finale. \\u2014 Mike Fish&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sofia Mulanovich&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/_mg_4060.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1000073413\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/_mg_4060.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"English\\\" width=\\\"133\\\" height=\\\"88\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Age:&lt;\\/strong&gt; 24&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Stance:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Regular&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Home:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Lima, Peru&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Roxy, Red Bull, Reef, Channel Islands surfboards, Movistar, Lan, DaKine&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;The Dirt:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Coincidentally, at the ripe age of thirteen, Sofia made her breakout surfing performance at the U.S. Open in Huntington Beach. As a novice competitor, she made it to the quarterfinals in the fabled event. And from there, her ascent to the top was rapid and steady, until she finally became Peru\\u2019s first and only ASP World Champion in 2004. She\\u2019s been consistently sitting at the top of this year\\u2019s 2008 WCT rankings, thanks to a progressive and powerful shred arsenal, so expect her to be a serious contender. Seriously, if she can do that much damage as an inexperienced thirteen-year-old, just think what she can do these days.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Steph Gilmore&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/carl_img_9564.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1000073414\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/carl_img_9564.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Steindler\\\" width=\\\"122\\\" height=\\\"143\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Age:&lt;\\/strong&gt; 20&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Stance:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Regular&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Home:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Tweed Heads, NSW Australia&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Rip Curl, DHD Surfboards, and Creatures of Leisure&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;The Dirt:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Steph\\u2019s the defending women\\u2019s champ at U.S. Open this year. Oh, and let\\u2019s not forget that she\\u2019s also the defending ASP World Champion. Those facts pretty much say it all: combine her rock-solid ripping, as well as her formative years spent alongside the likes of Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson as a \\u201cCoolangatta Kid,\\u201d and this Aussie\\u2019s probably the most serious threat at Huntington Beach this year.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Karina Petroni&lt;\\/strong&gt;&lt;a href=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/cs20071120_hi_0067.jpg\\\"&gt;&lt;img class=\\\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1000073415\\\" src=\\\"\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/2008\\/07\\/23\\/cs20071120_hi_0067.jpg\\\" alt=\\\"Straley\\\" width=\\\"130\\\" height=\\\"172\\\" \\/&gt;&lt;\\/a&gt;&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Age:&lt;\\/strong&gt; 20&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Stance:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Regular&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Home:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Atlantic Beach, Florida&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Vans, Oakley, Sobe, Channel Islands, Casio Gz-One Mobile Phones, Aqua East Surf Shop, and Sticky Bumps&lt;br \\/&gt;\\n&lt;strong&gt;The Dirt:&lt;\\/strong&gt; Karina turned heads at least year\\u2019s event with a fluid, high-octane performance, which gained her second place and later helped to push her toward a spot on the 2008 World Tour. Outspoken about her passion for competition, while exhibiting first class sportsmanship and deft wave prowess, she\\u2019s going to be looking to one-up her result last year. Not to mention, as a native Floridian, she\\u2019s an expert at taking apart shifty beachbreaks like Huntington.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.grindtv.com/surf/2008-us-open-mens-and-womens-contenders/>