Kelis Kaleopaa gets perched during the women’s Duct Tape Invitational down in Huntington Beach. Watch live now! Photo: WSL/Screenshot
The US Open is a lot of things. It’s teens with body paint and scant swimwear walking around smacking each other. It’s booths of free stickers, swag, and hordes of people from the Inland Empire trying to escape the sweltering heat. And it’s a surf contest.
Since Vans came on board as the title sponsor, different iterations of Joel Tudor’s Duct Tape Invitational series have taken place on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier, and dare we say they might overshadow the men’s QS and women’s CTs as the must-watch event. Something about stripping a contest of its competitive trappings and encouraging fun, all while honoring the heritage of the sport makes the Duct Tape highly watchable (not to mention the fact that a longboard is arguably the best tool for the current conditions).
The format is Tudor’s brainchild – single fin logs, must be over nine feet, no leashes. Good vibes and shared waves encouraged. A lot like the surf club contests of yore.
And this year, the cast is made up of 16 of the best women in longboarding including some of our favorite all-around good people like Kassia Meador, Jen Smith, and Erin “Worm” Ashley.
Watch the contest live now. It’s an absolute banger!
Surfers:
Ashley Lloyd Thompson
Erin Ashley
Hallie Rohr
Honolua Blomfield
Ivy Thomas
Jen Smith
Kaitlin Maguire
Karina Rozunko
Kassia Meador
Kelis Kaleopaa
Makala Smith
Mele Saili
Mia Larson
Sierra Lerback
Summer Richley
Tory Gilkerson
