Roxy Pro Trials
Presented by LG

ASP Women's WCT trials event
Coolangatta, Qld Australia
22 February - 5 March 2008

Stephanie Gilmore Goes Full Circle at Roxy Pro presented by LG

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 12 February, 2008 : - - World surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore (Kingscliff, NSW, AUS) will be going all out to prevent history repeating itself at the upcoming Roxy Pro presented by LG, the season-opener on the ASP Women's World Tour at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast.

Gilmore took the surfing world by storm in 2005 when she claimed the Roxy Pro Trials wildcard and went onto become the youngest surfer ever to win in an elite world tour event as a 17 year-old. After a meteoric rise to world number one, 20 year-old Gilmore will enter the 2008 Roxy Pro presented by LG as top seed and therefore will draw the wildcard surfer when she commences her world title defense in round one.

"I've seen the trials list of exceptional talent and it's great," said Gilmore. "It's making me nervous but excited to step up and surf better than whoever the wildcard winner may be." "Of course any wildcard will be dangerous and from my own first-hand experience I know exactly how they will be feeling going into the event, so bring them on," added the always competitive champion.

The Roxy Pro Trials is again stacked with potential giant-killers including proven Hawaiian prodigy Carissa Moore (Honolulu, Haw, USA), Quiksilver ISA World Junior Champion Sally Fitzgibbons (Gerroa, NSW, AUS), Australian U/18's champion Laura Enever (Narrabeen, NSW, AUS) and world no.13 Claire Bevilacqua (City Beach, W.A. AUS).

2007 Roxy Pro runner-up Moore, also rode her way into the sports history books as the youngest surfer to ever feature in a world tour event final after finishing second to Chelsea Hedges (Gold Coast, Qld, AUS) last year. The then 14 year-old defeated many of the sports elite on her way to the final including seven-time ASP World Champion Layne Beachley (Manly, NSW, AUS), a feat she accomplished twice.

The phenomenally talented Moore has been competing since she was six and sponsored by Roxy since she was seven, and she knows just how hard it will be to win the coveted wildcard again. "This year it will be really tough to win the trials," said Moore. "I haven't been competing too much lately, so I may have a few kinks to work out in my contest surfing."

"On the other hand Sally (Fitzgibbons) and Laura (Enever) have been on a winning streak and surfing really well, and Clare (Bevilacqua) has a great forehand attack," added the 15 year-old. The undeniably talented Fitzgibbons is capable of taking down the big names and on recent form is the one to watch in the hotly contested field.

The 17 year-old has blasted out of the blocks in 2008, currently leading both the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the ASP Australasian Junior Series ratings. The pint-size charger has won three out of four events she contested in January alone including the international 6 star Roxy WQS at Phillip Island, Victoria.

"The chance to take on the world's best at Snapper Rocks is a dream," said Fitzgibbons. "Carissa's result last year is just inspiring. I would love to do the same in this year's trials and mix it with the best in some amazing waves,"  "Whoever wins will have to go up against Steph (Gilmore) and that's hard, anywhere, but at her home break of Snapper Rocks it's another level again," added Fitzgibbons.

The sizzling talents of Enever are also not to be underestimated either. The 16 year-old is regarded to be dangerous as both Fitzgibbons and Moore, and the Roxy Pro would be the ideal event in which, to project herself onto the world arena. 

Also out for the highly prized opportunity to surf against the world's elite at one of Australia's best point breaks is Lori Kelly (Caloundra, Qld, AUS), Alize Arnaud (FRA), Lyndsay Noyes (Cronulla, NSW, AUS), Ashleigh Smith (Kingscliff, NSW, AUS), Angela Keighran (Mullaway, NSW, AUS), Tiana McNeven (Snapper Rocks, Qld, AUS), Sheridan Sheilds (Tugun, Qld, AUS) and Arini Mason (NZ).

The 12 surfers will battle it out at Snapper Rocks, the main Gold Coast tournament site on Friday, February 22nd. The US$80,000 Roxy Pro will be staged in conjunction with the opening men's world tour event, the US$320,000 Quiksilver Pro presented by LG. Both tournaments have waiting periods from February 23rd through to March 5th.

Three wildcards surfers will be included in the 48 man field contesting the Quiksilver Pro. Super talents Julian Wilson (Coolum, Qld, AUS) and Michel Bourez (Tah) have been granted main event wildcards.

Sixteen trials surfers will fight it out for the third wildcard in the Komunity Project Trials. Indigenous surfer Dale Richards (Coolangatta, Qld, AUS) defeated Jordy Smith (Durban, ZAF) to win the 2007 trials and will be out for another chance to take on the world's top surfers.

Both opening world tour events are mobile, granting access to some of the best surf breaks on the planet. The tournament will be based at Snapper Rocks, yet can travel from Stradbroke Island to Duranbah Beach on the Qld/NSW state border in search of optimum waves.

Previous reports:
# 1 : Roxy Pro Gold Coast psychs up for world's top 17 women
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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