Roxy Womens Surf Festival 2006

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

Results/Heatdraws

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 January, 2006 : - - Australia’s teenage surfing sensation, two-time ISA World amateur champion Stephanie Gilmore, couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present, the Gold Coaster celebrating her 18th today with a resounding win over fellow world title holder, ASP Pro Junior Champion Jessi Miley-Dyer (Bronte, NSW) in the blue ribbon WQS division of the Roxy Womens Surf Festival held at Woolamai Beach, Phillip Island. 

In clean and highly contestable 1-1.5m waves, Gilmore easily outpointed Miley-Dyer 17.67 points to 9.00 in the 30 minute final, showing the free-flowing class and maturity that first rocketed her to international surf stardom one year ago when she claimed the Roxy Pro World Championship Tour (WCT) event on the Gold Coast as a wildcard. 

The 5-star triumph is Gilmore’s first WQS win from just two starts and earns her valuable ratings points in her bid to officially qualify for the 2007 ASP Womens World Tour. Along with the appearance this week by reigning ASP Womens no. 1, Chelsea Georgeson, the performance of Australia’s young stars further showcases the current supremacy of Australian womens surfing. 

“I’m just blown away!” said Gilmore. “After working so hard all week and with so many girls from around the world in the comp, to come out on top is just amazing! From the start I wasn’t expecting a win, that’s for sure. I’ve been watching Chelsea and Jessi and all the other girls ripping and was thinking maybe I’d make the quarters, or the semis, then far out … everything just fell into place. It’s just blown me away. I couldn’t ask for a better birthday present that’s for sure!” 

Gilmore accounted for eight-year WCT veteran and the tournament’s best performed international, Heather Clarke of South Africa in her semi-final this morning, and her performance over the past six days included five of the top six two-wave combined heat totals and five of the six highest individual waves scored during the event. 

When she stepped on stage to accept her US$4,000 winner’s cheque, her older sister Bonnie surprised her with a chocolate cake, burning bright with 18 candles. The crowd then cheered her on and sang “Happy Birthday”. Later Gilmore also went on to win the 3A rated Pro Junior for the second time and pocketed another $1,000 (AUD). 

While Miley-Dyer couldn’t prevent Gilmore’s rampaging run to the victory dais today, the 19 year-old was satisfied with her runner-up spot. Like Gilmore, the high placing earns Miley-Dyer crucial qualifying points and more importantly, bucket loads of confidence heading into her first WCT event on the Gold Coast beginning later this month.

 “Steph was always going be hard to beat, especially in the waves we had today. She loves rights, but this is my second best result ever so I’m definitely happy,” said Miley-Dyer. “I think I’ve found a state of mind that’s enabled me to get on a roll since winning the Pro Junior at Narrabeen (in early January), so hopefully I can hang on to that and keep making more finals.”

The Bronte goofy-foot earlier eliminated Rebecca Woods (Copacabana, NSW). Woods can take solace knowing her equal 3rd placing today combined with her runner-up placing in the 4-star Gallaz Pro, Florida, USA a fortnight ago sees her jump ahead of Hawaiian Melanie Bartels to the top of the womens World Qualifying Series ratings. 

Roxy Pro Winner Steph Gimore & Runner-up Jessi Myler-Dyer : photo courtesy Surfing Australia

The 21 year-old, who missed the closing two Hawaiian events last season due to recurring shoulder trouble, felt she couldn’t put a foot right today but was still satisfied with her campaign.  

“It felt like it was one of those heats were whatever can go wrong, did go wrong. But you have those sometimes,” said Woods. “To get close to the final and not make it can leave you feeling a bit empty, but I was also not expecting to get through my first heat a few days ago and I did which was a surprise, so third is a good result.” 

Woods will return to Sydney for physio treatment in preparation for the first event of the 2006 ASP Womens World Championship Tour, the Roxy Pro, Gold Coast beginning February 28th. 1993 ASP Womens World Champion Pauline Menczer may have not fulfilled her potential after being eliminated in round four this week, but the 35 year-old natural foot still walks away with a bonus $500 thanks to Evian after winning the “Evian Longest Tube Ride” specialty award. 

Menczer shined during one of the larger days of surf during the Festival, pulling into, and making, a solid overhead tube which earned her a round of applause from the gallery watching at Surfers Point. 

Fantastic weather, favourable winds and non-stop swell blessed the week long Festival in which three of Phillip Island’s world-class surf breaks were utilised; Woolamai Beach, Flynn’s Reef and Surfers Point. 

The Roxy women’s surf Festival is the largest of its kind in the world, featuring over 200 female competitors spread across eight different divisions. The Roxy Womens Surf festival is proudly supported by Evian, the Victorian Government “Play it Safe by the Water”, Bass Coast Shire and Phillip Island Nature Park.

Official results Roxy Womens Surf Festival, Phillip Island, Victoria:
5-star Roxy Pro WQS

1st Stephanie Gilmore (Kingscliff, NSW) 17.67, $4,000, 2000pts
2nd Jessi Miley-Dyer (Bronte, NSW) 9.00, $2,000, 1720pts
=3rd Rebecca Woods (Copacabana, NSW) Heather Clark (ZAF), $1,700, 1460pts 

3A Roxy Pro Junior
1st Stephanie Gilmore (Kingscliff, NSW) $1,000, 1500pts
2nd Paige Hareb (NZ) $600, 1290pts

6A Roxy Longboard
1st Chelsea Williams (Coolangatta, Qld) 15.77,
2nd Carmel McGrath 11.57,
3rd Tessa Davidson (Byron Bay, NSW) 10.17,
4th Jodi Barsby (Crescent head, NSW) 10.07 

Roxy O/35 Womens
1st Kathy Cornish (Crescent Head, NSW) 17.16,
2nd Akemi O’Leary (Japan) 9.90,
3rd Mel Mott (Lennox Head, NSW) 7.83,
4th Michelle Bradley (Mornington Peninsula, Vic) 2.77 

Roxy U/18 Girls
1st Laura Enever (Narrabeen, NSW) 14.74,
2nd Jessica Hickson (Boomerang Bch, NSW) 12.33, 3
rd Mischa Davis (NZ) 8.40,
4th Angela Keighran (Mullaway, NSW) 6.93 

Roxy U/16 Girls
1st Pauline Ado (FRA) 15.67,
2nd Sally Fitzgibbons (Gerroa, NSW) 11.67,
3rd Airini Mason (NZ) 10.50,
4th Laura Enever (Narrabeen, NSW) 7.07 

Roxy U/13 Girls
1st Nikki Van-Dijk (Phillip Island, Vic) 15.17,
2nd India Payne (Phillip Island, Vic) 11.83,
3rd Kate Raines Angelsea, Vic) 8.33,
4th Sarah Mason (NZ) 7.53 

Roxy Masters
1st Pam Burridge $4,000
2nd Pauline Menczer $2,500
3rd Jodie Cooper $2,000
4th Toni Sawyer $1,500

The Roxy women’s surf Festival is proudly supported by Evian, 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 : Georgeson heads field of Aussie champs at Roxy Pro
# 3 : Roxy Pro attracts over 200 surfers from 3 generations
# 4 : Airini Mason leads charge at Roxy Pro WQS Phillip Is.., 
# 5 : Georgeson and champions reign supreme at Roxy Pro 
# 6 : World Champions battle royale looms at Phillip Island
# 7 : Miley Dyer eliminates Chelsea Georgeson at Roxy Pro
# 8 : Heather Clark surfs into semi's in Roxy Womens Pro
# 9 : Heather Clark takes 3rd in Roxy Womens Surf Festival

www.roxy.com/festival

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For further information please contact:

"JJ" Quiksilver
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Mandy McKinnon
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Simone Haugh
simone.haugh@qsilver.com.au

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