Memories from the U.S. Open of Surfing through the years evoke a wave of emotions for Santa Ana surfer Courtney Conlogue.

The sun-kissed blonde – ranked the number one woman in the world – stands with her surfboard under her arm and looks out toward the water as she thinks back to some of her fondest – and painful – memories from the big Huntington Beach event, set to kick off Saturday and run through July 31.

There was 2007, when she entered as an eager 14-year-old and made it all the way to the semifinals. It was her first major pro surf contest, and the energy on the beach fueled her excitement. It was in that moment she knew she could hold her own against the top pros.

There was the bombing surf in 2009, when massive big waves pounded the bottom of the pier and personal watercrafts had to help pull the surfers out past sets.

Conlogue, 16 at the time, shot through the concrete pier pilings that year, to the amazement of everyone who watched the death-defying move, and she got a taste of victory when she was crowned the U.S. Open women’s champion, hoisted up and carried on the sand while proudly holding the American flag behind her.

There were the frustrating years: an ankle injury two years ago left her benched as she watched others surf her home turf, and last year the ocean simply went flat during the semifinal heat.

“It was literally a lake,” she said. “It was like when you’re a batter trying to hit, and not even one ball comes. You don’t even get a chance to strike out.”

Conlogue comes into the U.S. Open of Surfing this year with a renewed focus, lessons learned and a drive that comes with experience, success and failure. And it helps that she’ll be wearing the coveted yellow jersey, which lets fans and fellow competitors know she is leading the rankings, the top contender in the world title race.

If she claims it this year, she’ll be the first Orange County surfer – in the main men’s or women’s tour – to be crowned world champion in about a quarter of a century.

Now in her sixth year on tour, she’s quite familiar withthe grind of jet-setting around the world to battle against the top women surfers. She took a break between surf sessions while training in Huntington this week to talk about everything from struggles and successes on tour to getting barreled while surfing naked.

WISHES COME TRUE

Conlogue and her mom, Tracey, aren’t surprised that her food order number while waiting for her seared ahi burrito at Bear Flag Fish Co. is her favorite number: 11.

“Eleven follows me,” said Conlogue, who picked 11 as the number on her competitor’s jersey.

Growing up, when 11:11 would show up on the clock, she’d make a wish.

“You don’t tell your wishes,” she joked when asked to divulge.

But she lets a few slip. A big one: to make it onto the prestigious World Tour.

Her wish – and dreams – came true back in 2011, her rookie year after rising to the top as a standout amateur and grinding up the ranks of the qualifying series, the minor leagues of the sport.

She had just graduated from Sage Hills High, where she was a track star known for her artistic side. Before Conlogue joined, there hadn’t been an American female on tour in several years.

She had never been to many of the spots on tour, and had to arrive early to learn the waves at each destination. There were spots like Bells Beach in Australia, a point break where she had to adjust her surfing style to look smooth, seamless but powerful, she explained.

She had to learn how to keep her cool during the contests where the fickle ocean can be pumping one moment, then simply go flat.

“You can control yourself, but sometimes, it’s not your day,” she said. “You have to swallow that.”

It’s as much a mental game. She’ll never forget her first World Tour contest, which was put on hold for six days because of wave conditions. The rookie was in the first heat and exhausted herself with anxiety.

“I think I surfed 100 heats in my head before I even surfed my heat,” she said. “You have to be ready, you have to learn to switch off but be on. It’s this crazy balance of moderation.”

A painful lesson she’s learned: injuries are the norm.

Two years ago, when she busted her ankle while surfing in Australia, she was devastated – especially as the U.S. Open approached.

“To not be able to compete in my hometown, it was a bummer. All of my friends and fans look forward to coming down here to cheer me on,” she said. “I learned a lot of patience with that injury. I think it was a blessing in disguise. In hindsight, I learned a lot from it.”

Last year, an oblique ripped from one of her ribs. Even now, she has a tweaked knee.

After her ankle injury, she came back stronger. Last year, she came painfully close to winning a world title, but came up just short against Hawaii’s Carissa Moore, who got the edge on points over Conlogue.

It was a loss that lit a fire in her.

“I don’t like losing. No athlete likes losing,” she said. “To have to swallow loss, it makes you not want to lose. So you work really hard to not lose.”

She won the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach in March, and has consistently done well at other events, enough to catapult her to the top of the rankings, with Australia’s Tyler Wright close behind.

“I’m just doing the best I can, that’s all I can do,” she said. “Instead of worrying about judges, spectators, what people’s perception is, I’m just focusing on myself, and what makes me the best me when I put my jersey on. That’s all I’m doing.”

Well, that’s not all she’s doing.

BARE-NAKED BARREL

When Conlogue was approached this year to be part of the ESPN Body Issue, she had hesitations but decided it would be a great way to showcase how strong women surfers are, especially on a non-endemic platform.

She had an idea of what she wanted portrayed, what she thinks of when describing women’s surfing: Grace, power, beauty.

There are shots of her chiseled body on land holding a surfboard, and some taken in the crystal clear waters of Tahiti.

But the real challenge came when she had to catch a barrel while nude. On the one hand, she didn’t have to worry about bikini malfunctions, she joked.

But there was the sharp, jagged reef just a foot below the water’s surface. And a lineup of locals who were dropping in on her during the two-hour shoot.

“My job wasn’t done, I wanted to get a shot with me getting barreled,” she said. “I’m not someone who goes unfinished.”

The images were released a few weeks ago, and with being a part of the ESPN Body Issue, she got to go to her first ESPY awards.

“I love anything that is different, outside of surfing and more mainstream sports,” she said. “We’re all similar because we have this universal love for sports.”

In Orange County, she’s a celebrity athlete. As she exits Bear Flag, fans call out good luck to Conlogue. The night before, while eating dim sum at South Coast Plaza, a woman sitting nearby thanked Conlogue for helping her boost points on her fantasy surf team.

Wearing the coveted yellow jersey that signifies her status as the top-ranked surfer, Conlogue knows the U.S. Open of Surfing is just one more stepping-stone on her path to a world title.

“I think it’s nice to bring the yellow into the hometown, where things got started,” she said. “I think it will be great for the hometown support. … Let’s hope Mother Nature gives me some waves.”

Along her journey toward the top, she hopes to inspire others along the way.

“I’m always trying to evolve myself and take myself to the next level and just inspire the next generation to pursue their dreams,” she said. “Because I dreamed of being on the World Tour, and I worked really hard, and had ups and downs. It wasn’t easy, but I got here. … I’m just trying to be the best athlete I can and win a world title while doing it.”

Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com