Andy Irons surfed a heat yesterday. Since Andy's in the middle of a much-needed sabbatical from competition this kind of thing year passes for news this year. Truth be told, the elder Irons probably wouldn't be here if not for an appearance fee, and like a lot of veteran pros he shares some cynicism toward the ASP, but to his credit, when Andy Irons commits to something it's basically impossible for him to give anything less than his all.

Andy being welcomed back by the Huntington fans.
All photos in this post by Michael Lallande/hurley.com

Irons, like his foe Kelly Slater, is a competitor. A fierce competitor. And one thing fierce competitors can't do is roll over...for anything. Not a game of ping-pong, a poker game, or even a seemingly insignificant heat in average beachbreak slop. And while that trait is worthy of admiration, when left uncontrolled, it drives some competitors insane. Taking a page from Kelly, Irons has been working on some 'letting go' of his own during his break. Time will reveal whether or not he's successful, but he certainly looked sharp on Tuesday, and the fans on hand in Huntington Beach were genuinely thrilled to see him. If Irons can tap into a little of his 1998 magic (he won both the WQS and the ASP World Tour events held at the U.S. Open that year) and nab the $100,000 first prize, it'll seem to many like he never left.

Bruce Irons, on the other hand, seems determined to make himself irrelevant as quickly as possible. He netted a little over 5 total points and finished last in his heat yesterday, leaving a group of hot young pro juniors watching more than a little miffed, "What happened to him? He didn't do a single turn." Of course, Bruce's whole image is predicated on him not giving a shit, which apparently sells shorts, but let's not forget he is Andy's brother. Bruce's wires have been crossed for years because he's far more competitive than he'd like to admit, even if he's a lousy competitor. When he rolls over like he did yesterday it only tangles the internal wires more.

Bruce Irons, looking for the nearest exit sign.

But Bruce needn't worry. He is to Volcom what Occy is to Billabong, and the boys at Veeco HQ will give him three or four more years of screwing around before they force him to do the webcasting at the VQS championships, which, come to think of it, could be amusing. And for what it's worth we may see the better side of Bruce on Saturday in the tow-assisted expression session. He's also got a new video out which should reveal whether or not his surfing is reaching higher levels. Let's hope so.

For a full event preview, click here. As for the recent headlines, here you go:

1. Nat Young eliminates Damien Hobgood and Sunny Garcia; the kid is ripping on his backhand, as predicted.
2. Austin Ware loses early; this is a blow to the Californian's WQS campaign since he was rated 12th coming in.
3. Kelly Slater's heat postponed; a fog delay and Kelly's late arrival from J-Bay means he's surfing today.
4. Owen Wright wins heat, to face Fanning and Machado next; in what is undoubtedly the most heavily stacked heat of this round Fanning and Machado will have their hands full with the man leading the WQS charge this year.
5. The swell is starting to show!; the chicks are scoring some prime HB conditions this morning. Slater is due to surf around 1:30 PM.
Highlight reels below provided by Tom Aiello/Aaron Lieber/Hurley.com




Eric Geiselman looked solid.

Take your pick.