Please mark your calendars for August 16-17th. The 12th Annual East Coast Wahine will be held in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. The event is open to girls and women of all ages and all abilities. More exciting news and updates soon….
Archive for the 'General' Category
Stephanie Gilmore wins the Rip Curl Pro
Published by March 25th, 2008 in General and Women's Pro Tour. 0 Comments
BELLS BEACH, Australia (Monday, Mar. 24, 2008) – Reigning ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) has defeated 2004 ASP Women’s World Champion Sofia Mulanovich (PER) to claim the 2008 Rip Curl Women’s Pro presented by Ford Fiesta in classic four-to-six foot (2 metre) surf at Bells Beach today.
Event No. 2 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Rip Curl Women’s Pro final was a repeat showdown of last year’s event, where Gilmore and Mulanovich squared off for the first time at Bells Beach. Today’s victory marks the second consecutive Rip Curl Women’s Pro win for Gilmore, who jumps from equal 9th to No. 2 on the ratings.
“I’d like to admit that that is probably the best performance I’ve ever put on in my career,� Gilmore said. “It feels absolutely amazing to ring the bell for a second time in a row. I really tried to brush off the first event and come down to Bells with a fresh head. We’ve had classic Bells conditions all morning, to be able to showcase your talent out in such good waves with just one other girl is an incredible thing.�
Although Mulanovich held the lead for the majority of the final, Gilmore stroked into a solid Bells righthander with five minutes remaining, stylishly weaving through floaters and top turns to scalp the day’s high single-wave score of a 9.33 out of a possible 10. Gilmore took the lead and Mulanovich could not keep the Australian from claiming her second consecutive Rip Curl Women’s Pro title.
“I don’t know how I did that on that wave,â€? Gilmore said. “Sofia (Mulanovich) had been surfing so well all day and to come back from such big scores, it just feels amazing. I was feeling a bit nervous and I knew I needed a big score. My boards have been feeling good all week, so I just put everything I had into it, and it paid off.â€? Continue reading ‘Stephanie Gilmore wins the Rip Curl Pro’
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach
Published by March 16th, 2008 in General, Ocean's oasis and WCT Archives. 0 Comments
The waiting period for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach begins March 18th, which for those of us in the United States is tomorrow so get your picks in now. There is swell on the way so the contest will probably start tomorrow. The waiting period ends March 29th.
Melanie Bartels has withdrawn from this event so Claire Bevilacqua is available for your teams again. Mel Redman Carr makes returns to the WCT by way of Bells after the birth of her daughter. I’m steering clear of her for this event because I want to see if she’s in full on contest mode. My surf dogs team consists of Woods, Sam, Steph.,Amee, and Bevo. I’m skeptical of Bevo because she can be so aggro out there and is notorious for drawing interference calls. If I find out in time who the trials winner is, I may pick her if she’s a good one. I wish I had a way of squeezing Jessi on my team, I think she’ll do well. Layne will do well if her mindset is on winning. Sofia is another good pick. She’ll kill it if nerves don’t get the best of her. She had a great start with her win at Snapper. Let’s see is she can carry the momentum into Bells. Steph. will be looking for a win after getting taken down by the little grom last year at Bells. J.Silva is my dark horse pick for some decent points. She had a good result there last year.
As for who to stay away from: Karina and Nicola for now due to them being low key rookies and seeming to have a hard time with the competitiveness of the WCT.
As for the men’s, picking a team is a bit more difficult. There are 45 of them versus 17 women, plus the trials winners.
My surf dogs team is made up of Slates, Parko, Reyes, Kai, Ace, Luke M., Jordy, and Bottle.
I may trade Luke before all is said and done. I dumped Tommy Whitaker for Ace because Whits is so inconsistent, however,he will probably do well at Bells. LOL! The Fantasy Surfer site’s hot picks are Parko, Jordy, Mick F., Whit(if it’s big), Ben Dunn, Reyes, Neves, and Taylor Knox. Other guys to think about are Wills, Taj, Slater, AI, and Pancho.
Fantasy Surfer’s ‘Groundswell’ says to stay away from Neco, Mick Campbell, Tiago,Picon, BI,The Goods, Rodrigo, Travis, Jihad, Royden, Fred, Wardo, and Benny B. I agree with him!
Wardo has all those felony charges pending so I can’t imagine his head would be in the contest, not that it typically is. Freddy P. is just not surfing well, seems preoccupied, and the rest of them just lack the skills, or just don’t do well at Bells.
Good luck everyone!
Sofia Mulanovich sits at number one!
Published by March 4th, 2008 in General, WCT Archives and Women's Pro Tour. 0 Comments
COOLANGATTA, Australia (Saturday, Mar. 1, 2008) – Sofia Mulanovich (PER) has won the 2008 Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by LG, defeating fellow finalist Samantha Cornish (AUS) in clean three foot (1 metre) waves at Snapper Rocks.
The opening event of the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour season, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast ran from Round 3 through the Final today with major upsets and inspiring performances enthralling the hundreds on the beach and thousands watching online.
Mulanovich, 2004 ASP Women’s World Champion and world runner-up last season, was in sensational form today, netting the day’s highest heat total of a 17.34 out of a possible 20 to combo Cornish in the Final.
“The final started out kind of slow, but I got a good score midway and from then on, I started pushing my surfing out there,� Mulanovich said. “My board felt really good out there and I when I caught that last wave, I knew that Sam (Cornish) was going to need a lot to catch me. So stoked.�
The Peruvian had yet to procure a solid result at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast in past seasons, but her victory today puts Mulanovich at the top of the ratings in the race for the 2008 ASP Women’s World Title.
“So stoked to finally get a good result here,â€? Mulanovich said. “I love the wave at Snapper, but until today, I hadn’t been able to get a result. It’s a long season and I am off to a good start, but there are still so many good girls out there. Steph (Gilmore) and Layne (Beachley) and so many others. Samantha today surfed so well and I know she’s hungry for a win.â€? Continue reading ‘Sofia Mulanovich sits at number one!’
It’s that time again! Trading has opened for both the men’s and women’s Fantasy Surfer. The grand prize is another boat trip for 2 and prizes will be given for the high score of each event so pick your team’s now! It’s fun and it’s free. Pick your 8 guys with your 50 million dollar salary cap and your 5 women with your 30 million dollar salary cap.
The first event is the Quicksilver Pro Gold Coast which is held at Snapper Rocks, a high performance right point break. The waiting period begins February 23 and ends March 5 and from what I’ve read Snapper was getting good again. However, with the recent storms, it seems the bank may have been washed away again so the contest may not be held at Snapper after all. I guess the Quick crew will have to do some scouting at other nearby breaks.Mick Fanning will be on hand to defend his title. Look for Joel Parkinson, Dean Morrison, and Bede Durbidge to give him a run for his money. The tour is going to be a little strange with several of the old guard having retired last season and a few of them failed to requalify so now they are back on the WQS Grovelfest. It will be interesting to see what the new young guns do. Will Jordy Smith wow us with his futuristic moves? Will Dane decide he really wants to compete and be patient enough to make two full turns for the points and then bust out some crazy moves? And then there’s Benny B. back on the tour. I’m anxious to see what he does. As usual, I’m pulling for my man Kelly Slater to grab number 9!
I’ll post my picks later, I’m still doing some research. Now let’s talk a bit about the women at Snapper. My number one pick this year is Stephanie Gilmore again. Whether she secures another world title this season remains to be seen, however, I’ll be carrying her on my surf dogs team all season. I’m also picking up Aimee Donahoe. She and Steph. both have that smooth flowing style that Parko has. I just love it! I’ll also hang on to the spit fire Sam Cornish. She’s a hard charger. I’m not sure about Layne yet. I hope she has a better season and I know she’ll be on one of my teams. She is still one of my favorites. She has done so much for the sport, I can’t help but have a soft spot for her and she is a powerful surfer. I just hope the young up and comers haven’t gotten the best of her. All in all, I think Layne will pull out some wins this season. She is probably sick of not being on the podium so I expect her to come out firing. As for Karina, I am going to wait and see what she does in the first contest before saying too much about her. I’ll miss Bevo and Chelsea and hope they come back for 2009. At least Bevo is the first alternate so we’ll probably see her in an event or two. Oh and Jessi, look for her to do big things this season. She’s another one I’ll probably pick up.
Good luck everyone!
My growing surf library- Women of the Waves
Published by January 24th, 2008 in Anne's Archives and General. 1 Comment
A few weeks ago Paula Bushardt sent me an email regarding photos of east coast surfers in a new book by Linda Chase, called Surfing, Women of the Waves. I finally followed through and ordered a copy to add to my ever growing surf library. It’s funny how sometimes I cannot put two and two together. I remember photographer/filmaker Elizabeth Pepin traveling to Wilmington - she and Sally Lundberg were showing their award winning documentary One Winter Story at the Scene First Student Film Festival. Elizabeth and Sally took some time off their hectic schedule to meet with a group of East Coast Wahines at Paula’s house on Figure 8 Island. Well these photos transpired into an entire chapter of Linda’s book!
When I opened the book, it’s coincidental how I just happened to turn to page 94 to see my name highlighted in red with a quote, talk of the East Coast Wahine Championships, and another quote from this very website. A little light bulb went off in my head and I recalled receiving an email from Linda many many months ago- she didn’t give me a lot of details, only to say she liked what was written about our contest and could I give her a quote about women’s surfing. That said, there are some great photos from that weekend (we used to have them linked up through our site, but I just checked and the link is no longer active) and talk of east coast surfers like Lisa Andersen, Mimi Munro, Frieda Zamba, Connie Arias, Christa Alves, Karina Petroni, and Jo Pickett.
I have only skimmed the rest of the book so I can’t offer a full fledged review, but I will post the synopsis from the publisher, Gibbs Smith.
“Surfing is art on waves, a form of self-expression.� —Lisa Andersen, four-time women’s world champion
As the official counterculture sport of the 1960s, surfing was not just a sport but a lifestyle, one long, sun-drenched beach party with endless waves and music, as well as an unapologetically masculine culture. This notion has since been disproved by generations of amazing female surfers who have made an indelible mark on the sport. Surfing: Women of the Waves highlights some of these extraordinary women of surfing, from Linda Benson and Joyce Hoffman in the 1950s and 1960s to Layne Beachley, Sofia Mulanovich, Bethany Hamilton, and the great Lisa Andersen, four-time women’s world champion. Today, women of all ages and skill levels have taken their place among the waves—longboarders, shortboarders, goofyfooters, hotdoggers, young girls, and surfer moms—these are the women of the waves!
Women featured include: Bethany Hamilton, Jessi Miley Dyer, Melanie Redman-Carr and Layne Beachley: Australia Sofia Mulanovich, Punta Hermosa, Peru (small town outside of Lima); won 2006 U.S. Open Lisa Andersen, Florida Megan Abubo, Hartford, Connecticut Emilia Perry and Alana Mock, Northshore, Hawaii Monyca Byrne-Wickey, Hana, Hawaii Kristen Steiner, Big Island, Hawaii Melanie Bartles, Hawaii Lisa Benson, Encinitas, California Kim Hamrock, Huntington Beach, California Jennie Useldinger, Ashley Lloyd, Jamilah Star, Savannah Shaughnessy, Katherine Carter: Santa Cruz, California
Linda Chase attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, where she obtained a degree in economics. Soon thereafter she pursued a career in publishing that included a stint as researcher, writer, and editor, and later as editorial director and publisher. Linda researched the sport while living in Malibu for five years and subsequently wrote an article in Preferred Way magazine on her surfing experience.
Elizabeth Pepin currently works as a Producer and Associate Producer at KQED-TV in San Francisco. She is one of four women in the country who specialize in shooting female surfers. She also makes independent documentaries outside of KQED and has won four Emmy Awards for her documentary film work. In addition to filmmaking, Elizabeth is also a photographer and author.
I was in the bookstore the other day and started skimming through a book called “The Toxic Sandbox.” It’s geared toward parents concerned with the chemicals and pollutants that are effecting children as early as inside the womb. I spent most of my time reading the chapter about plastics. It really has reinforced my want to get the most plastics possible out of my life. My first step was over a year ago when I purchased the reusable, collapsable bags from my local grocery store. They are well-made, hold a lot of weight and I keep a few in my car and home at all times. At my local Surfrider Foundation meeting the other night we talked about a campaign against plastics- not just bags, but bottles, take-out food containers, plastic cutlery, etc. A little lightbulb went off in my head and I realized I had managed to stop using plastic at the grocery store, but I was still guilty of accepting bags from Target and other similar stores.                 (Image note: that’s a bag not a jellyfish! Photo from NOAA)
I am now researching all the ways I use plastic in my life and what within reason can I get rid of. Did you know your plastic shower curtain is full of pollutants, or when you nuke cling-wrap covered food in your microwave you are cooking chemicals right into your food? I’m no expert on plastics, but I am definitely concerned enough to try and find an alternative wherever possible. I would love to hear any ideas on how you have stopped using plastics. Glass jars for storing food items? A cloth sack for produce? What can we use in place of Zip-locks?
Funny that I should be blogging on plastics, as just a few minutes ago I coincidentally received this message from StopGlobalWarming.org :
New York’s City Council passed a bill requiring large stores and retail chains to collect and recycle plastic shopping bags. According to a New York Times report: “New York is by far the largest American city to enact so broad a measure to limit the environmental impact of the bags. Altogether, each year the country is estimated to use 86 billion bags, which end up blowing down city streets, or tangled in the stomachs of whales, sea turtles and birds, or buried in landfills where they enjoy free rent for 1,000 years.”
Other cities like Melbourne and San Francisco have banned bags outright. San Francisco was the first city in North America to ban non-recyclable and non-biodegradable bags made from petroleum products. Africa has moved toward a continent-wide plastic bag ban, and just last week, China’s cabinet issued a directive banning their production, prohibiting stores from handing out free plastic bags after June 1st and imposing fees on their usage. People in China use up to 3 billion plastic bags daily! Help keep the momentum going here in the United States and just say no to plastic bags!
So maybe I’m on the right track. And I’m not stopping there. I have big issues with junk mail, disposable coffee cups, and what’s happening to China. But, for now, here are a few useful links regarding plastics
http://www.checnet.org/HealtheHouse/education/articles-detail.asp?Main_ID=24 http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Plasticizers/Out-Of-Diet-PG5nov03.htm
Chelsea Hedges leaves World Tour for 2008
January 9, 2008 : - - Motherhood has claimed another of Australia’s top surfers, with former world champion Chelsea Hedges quitting the world championship tour to give birth this year. The 2005 world champion will not tour in 2008 as she and board-shaper husband Jason are expecting their first child in June.
Hedges is the second top rated Australian surfer to quit in the past 12 months, with WA’s Melanie Redman-Carr stepping off the tour last October when she revealed she too was expecting. Hedges, 24, is currently enjoying her last surf trip, holidaying on the Caroline Islands with friends including recently crowned 2007 world champion Stephanie Gilmore.
“I’m going to go and surf on a surf mat and have so much fun. I’m over the moon about the baby,” Hedges told friends prior to departing. While Hedges will take the entire year off, Redman-Carr has left the door ajar for a possible return in 2008. The former world No.2 has been seeded 13th for the 2008 season, which suggests she has notified tour officials about her intent to compete this year.
Redman-Carr kept her spot on the WCT by finishing fifth on the World Qualifying Series. Hedges, who finished seventh in the 2007 world ratings after winning the opening event on the Gold Coast, could return directly to the WCT next year if she applies for and is granted a wildcard. Despite the loss of proven performer Hedges, Australia is still poised to dominate the women’s title race with nine of the 17 ranked surfers all from down under.
Serena Brooke and Nicola Atherton will join the tour this season while WA’s Claire Bevilacqua is the first replacement and will compete until Redman-Carr makes her comeback. And 2008 is set to be a watershed year for women’s surfing with prizemoney exceeding the $US1 million ($A1.14 million) mark for the first time in history. There will be $US695,000 on offer for eight WCT events and $US415,000 up for grabs at the 17 WQS contests.
World champion Gilmore will delay her season start, withdrawing from next week’s WQS event the Roxy Surf Festival at Phillip Island. Gilmore and Hedges have won four of the past six contests held at Phillip Island. While Hedges is out due to her pregnancy, defending two-time champion Gilmore has sponsor commitments following her world title triumph in her rookie season.
Gilmore was disappointed not to be able to chase a three-peat, as the year-opening event is often a precursor for the season ahead. “There’s really no better way to kick off your competitive assault for the year,” said Gilmore. “Winning this event the last two years really boosted my confidence for the rest of the year and with such an international field it gave me a taste of the fiery competition that lies ahead.
“It’s an enormous (WQS) points boost and with some other consistent results, the winner is almost guaranteed a spot on the ASP women’s world tour.”
