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Roxy Womens Surf Festival 2006

ASP Australasia 5 star WQS
Phillip Island, Victoria,
24  - 29 January 2006

www.roxy.com/festival

Georgeson heads historical field of Aussie female champions

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 22 January, 2006 : - - Australia's supremacy of women's world surfing will be unveiled at next week's Roxy Pro Women's Surf Festival at Phillip Island in Victoria with an historic three Australian world champions included in the elite international line-up. World no.1
Chelsea Georgeson (Gold Coast), Quiksilver ISA world amateur champion Stephanie Gilmore (Kingscliff) and ASP world junior champion Jessi Miley-Dyer (Bronte) will compete against each other for the first time as reigning Queens of the surf.

Georgeson, 22, is a two-time winner of the Festival (2003 & 2004) and fulfilled a childhood dream by winning the ASP women's world title in Hawaii last month when she narrowly defeated close friend, Sofia Mulanovich (Peru).

Eighteen year-old Gilmore stunned the surfing world by winning the professionally-rated Roxy Pro at Snapper Rocks last year and is the current holder of the U/18 girls Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship crown. While 20 year-old Miley-Dyer is still tasting success after claiming victory in the U/21 World Pro Junior Championships at Narrabeen, Sydney just a fortnight ago.

It's a first for Australian surfing, three girls flying the green and gold simultaneously at the highest levels of the sport. A remarkable achievement considering the incredible talent that has emerged globally thanks to the recent boom in women's surfing.

In its fifth year, the annual tournament which boasts seven divisions including the highly rated 5-star World Qualifying Series (WQS) is renowned for attracting the cream of women's surfing to Phillip Island's world class surf breaks each January.

Chelsea Georgeson : photo courtesy Roxy

"It's amazing for Australia to see three girls at the top. We are like the young crew coming up and we all won world titles last year. It's inspiring for younger girls from Australia too, they'll all be psyched about seeing what is possible," said Georgeson preparing for her first competitive outing for the year.

Georgeson will be using the event as a warm-up for the upcoming World Championship Tour (WCT) event on the Gold Coast which will run from Feb
27 - March 12 in her backyard at Snapper Rocks. But despite the added attention of her new-found fame, she won't be putting too many expectations on herself.

"It's a good way to start things off. Last year I was really psyched to pull off the hat-trick (at Phillip Island) but three wins in a row is hard. I'd be stoked if I could win again this year, even if it's not three in a row. But really I'm just going to have fun and not be too over-amped or put too much pressure on myself," she  said.

While the water may be colder than what she's used to at home, Georgeson rates the Island's numerous waves as "unreal". Organisers have a choice of nearly 20 quality breaks, depending on conditions and contestants need to be prepared to surf a variety of reef, point and beachbreaks.

Defending event champion and world-ranked #3 Melanie Redman-Carr (Dunsborough, WA, AUS), dominated last year relegating the likes of Georgeson, Miley-Dyer and Crescent Head's Sam Cornish (NSW, AUS) to the minor placings.

Melanie Redman Carr (WA) defending event champion : photo ASP/Tostee

"I feel comfortable in those types of (powerful) waves. It's unusual to see beachbreaks handle big swell so well," said Redman-Carr. "It's unlike anywhere in the world. Maybe France comes close and some spots around home (West Australia)."

More than 100 girls are expected to take part in the event that also incorporates a 3A rated Girls Pro Junior, the top-rated 6A womens longboard division, amateur girls under 18, under 16 and under 13 girls divisions plus an over 35 womens category.

Four more surfers from the ASP Women's World Tour elite Top 17 will be joining last year's Festival finalists including Megan Abubo (world
#4, HI, USA), Claire Bevilacqua (world #10, Scarborough, WA), Serena Brooke (world #12, Gold Coast, Qld) and Heather Clark (world #14, Port
Shepstone, ZAF).

A specialty legends event is also planned which will see world champions Georgeson, and Pauline Menczer (1993) along with Jodie Cooper
(Albany, WA, AUS) surf in a teams style event to raise money for charity.

The Roxy Womens Surf Festival is proudly supported by the Victorian Government "Play it Safe by the Water", Bass Coast Shire and Phillip
Island Nature Park.

Previous reports:
# 1 : Roxy Women's Surfing Festival a giant women's event
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

www.roxy.com/festival

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For further information please contact:

"JJ" Quiksilver
jj@qsilver.com.au

Mandy McKinnon
mandy@aspworldtour.com

Simone Haugh
simone.haugh@qsilver.com.au

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