The U.S. Surfing team are keeping their hopes high and expectations low with their admittedly makeshift bunch for the 2008 World Surfing Games.

On one hand, head coach Joey Buran’s juniors team was building momentum after returning to the medal podium at the World Junior Surfing Championships, but on the other, the WSG is a slightly different creature, open to the pros and too often featuring odds stacked against the U.S.

Since the 1990s, U.S. teams have usually been scraped together, hardly ever representing the best collection of talent here, yet facing teams from Australia, Brazil, Hawaii and South Africa that quickly bury U.S. hopes. The 2006 team was an exception. The Hobgoods, Pat O’Connell, Chris Ward, Julia Christian, Colin McPhillips and Courtney Conlogue put on a show of strength and won medals.

Putting that team together took months of effort. Buran never really had that option. Nevertheless, at the end of day three in Costa de Caparica, Portugal, the U.S. team is essentially right where they were at this point in Huntington Beach two years ago.

East Coast pros C.J. Hobgood and Ben Bourgeois, along with junior team holdovers Nat Young and Dillon Perillo are through the first round. It’s a bit of a surprise that Hobgood is back competing for the U.S. after he reacted angrily to sloppy judging in Huntington Beach. Having the 2001 world champ back is a big relief.

The women’s team of Lauren Sweeney and Demi Boelstirli took first round victories but are already facing the shadows of Australians Claire Bevilacqua and teen phenom Sally Fitzgibbons. Both U.S. surfers finished second in second round heats behind the Aussies. At least if the trend continues, U.S. women can battle and accrue enough points to get the team near the medal stand.

Defending U.S. Open longboard champ Taylor Jensen is holding his own and has won his first two heats. Jensen is still one of the top American longboarders, as reinforced by his U.S. Open performance. Jensen is facing surfers he is used to seeing and should be a steady veteran presence on the team.

It was no secret even before the team was named two weeks ago, that bodyboarding would be the trouble spot for the team. Not surprising then, that Jeremy Wright and Keila Grodzen finished third in their first heats and have been knocked into the repercharge. If they are eliminated early, it will deal a serious blow to U.S. medal hopes. However, Jacob Romero finished second in his opening heat and is into the second round.

The key to victory in ISA team events is keeping as many of your team mates in the competition for as long as possible. All surfers must finish in the top two of their heat (in the winner’s bracket). If they are knocked into the repercharge (the loser’s bracket), they must still place in the top two of each heat or cost their team.

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