Cloudy skies and a red tide couldn't put a damper on the mood of the crowd and riders at the 25th Annual Victoria Pro/Am.  Good waves and a great turnout resulted in happy beachgoers today at Aliso.  The waves were solid head high all day long.  Consistency wasn't even much of a problem as wave after wave reached the shore.  The water looked absolutely putrid with brown water and yellow foam, but it was a small price to pay for solid waves all day long (even at high tide!).  When I pulled up at 9:00AM there were already a couple of hundred people on the beach (or at least it seemed like it).  After some questionable dealing with entry deadlines (more on that later...) the pro heats were underway.  The waves were not perfect but were very rideable, no one was complaining.  One thing that caught my attention was the sheer number of professional entries in the contest.  About 40 pro riders in all turned out for this contest (about twice as many as any other).  Competition is incredibly tough in the pro divisions.  Every heat is packed with excellent riders.  If you are not seated and make it to the finals it would be your FIFTH heat!!!  If you blow one round that is it.  There is no consolation round, see ya next year.  Hopefully the swell will hold through the night for the remainder of the contest.

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