Quiksilver surf contest pushed to Monday

The start of the Quiksilver surfing contest in Long Beach has been pushed back to next Monday, and damage from Tropical Storm Irene has forced the cancellation of the festival and concerts during the contest, officials from Quiksilver Pro New York and the City of Long Beach said Tuesday.

The Quiksilver Pro Trials qualifying portion of the contest will be just Sunday, instead of Thursday through Saturday.

"The situation has been changing daily, and we recognize that city resources are focused on hurricane restoration and cleanup as first priority," a Quiksilver rep said. "We have been informed by the city that the festival and music components of the event are no longer achievable."

Some local businesses said they were disappointed by the cancellation of the festival.

The 11-day surfing competition will be the first Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour event held on the East Coast. The world's 34 top-ranked professional surfers are expected to compete for an unprecedented $1-million purse.

"We have all our city resources marshaled to get this together and pull this off," said Lisa Mulligan, deputy city manager. "We're all now working with Quiksilver to make this event happen."

The competition was scheduled to begin Thursday with four days for the surfing competition and other events filling out the schedule. Before Irene, organizers took down tents, stages, bleachers and other festival structures, expecting to rebuild Monday. But officials and event organizers decided late Monday to cancel the festival because of large-scale erosion to the beach.

Butch Yamali, president of Dover Hospitality and Catering Co., which operates the concession stands on the beachfront, said festival cancellation was another blow after the loss of sales due to the storm. "It will definitely hurt us," he said. "But we support Long Beach 100 percent."

To draw people to the event, Allegria Hotel officials will let the public listen to live music at the hotel's lounge and restaurant located on the boardwalk near the competition, said marketing manager Laura Vivonetto. The hotel has reserved the entire nine-floor facility for Quiksilver.

Mike Nelson, co-owner of Unsound Surf, sponsor of the qualifying trials, said he is relieved the contest will still take place. "The whole community has been looking forward to this for a long time," he said. "We are happy that Quiksilver chose us. It is a matter of pride and an honor."

With James T. Madore and Lauren R. Harrison