Bethany Hamilton : photo Steve Robertson

Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro

Men's 4 Star WQS Event
Women's 4 Star WQS Event
Soldiers Beach, Norah Head NSW
11 - 16 March 2008

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Bethany Hamilton and Sally Fitzgibbons set for quarter final showdown

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 14 March, 2008 : - -  With an improvement in conditions at Soldiers Beach for the fourth day of the Arrive alive Central Coast Pro, the surfers responded accordingly with an all-out assault on the excellent 1m peaks.  The first two heats of the women’s third round was a showcase of the future of women’s surfing, with top seeds Bethany Hamilton (Hawaii) and 17 year old sensation Sally Fitzgibbons (Gerroa) in devastating form.

Hamilton, who surfed in the opening women’s heat, had the spectators in a frenzy with her exciting brand of surfing.  “I got off to a slow start, but knew if I waited the right waves would come,” she said. “It was a really good heat to build my confidence for the rest of the event. I’m just trying to surf as well as I can and have fun.”

Sally Fitzgibbons who seemingly has the world at her feet, was untouchable in her first heat of the competition. Pitted against 2007 Women’s WQS Champion Jacqueline Silva, Fitzgibbons pulled out all stops en route to a commanding heat win – including an awesome single wave score of 9.93 (out of 10).

“It was my first heat of the event so I am really happy to get through it. It was a really tough heat as the girls were surfing really well. I was really lucky to get the two or three good scoring waves,” she said. The two young superstars are set to meet in a not-to-be-missed quarter final tomorrow.

Sally Fitzgibbons : photo Steve Robertson

As the men’s side of the competition blazed through the fourth and fifth rounds, Gavin Gillette (Hawaii) who has been impressive since day one continued his giant killing run – revelled in the improved conditions. “Today is definitely the best waves of the contest. It was fun and really clean,” he said

“Going into the quarter finals there are so many guys who rip, so I’ll need to put my game face on. At the moment I’m just trying to free-surf and aiming to get a few combos in as well.” Top seed Mick Campbell (Port Macquarie) again stamped his dominance on the competition, lighting-up his fifth round heat with the highest heat score of the contest, amassing a near perfect 18.24 (out of possible 20).

As has been the case throughout the entire competition, the curtain fell for a number of high seeds including World Championship Tour (WCT) surfers Roy Powers and Nic Muscroft (), Nathan Hedge (North Narrabeen) and Glen Hall (Umina).

The Arrive alive Central Coast Pro will see 144 male and 64 female surfers compete for total divisional prize money purses of US$80,000 and US$25,000 respectively, plus valuable early season WQS ratings points.  The event will be webcast live at the event website. The event website will feature live scores, heat by heat results, daily news as well as photo and video galleries updated daily.

Mick Campbell : photo Steve Robertson

The Arrive alive Central Coast Pro is proudly supported by the NSW Motor Accidents Authority, Wyong Shire Council, The Beachcomber Hotel, Ocean & Earth, ASP Australasia, Surfing NSW, NBN Television, Central Coast Sun Weekly, Star FM, Australia’s Surfing Life and Greater Toukley Vision.

About Arrive alive
Arrive alive is the NSW Motor Accidents Authority’s (MAA) youth road safety program. The MAA regulates the Compulsory Third Party (CTP) personal injury insurance scheme in NSW (known as Greenslips). The MAA is concerned about the over-representation of young people aged 17 to 25 in road crashes. Young drivers in this age group are at a higher risk of crashing than drivers of older ages for lots of reasons, including their inexperience, attitudes to driving and a tendency towards risk taking behaviour.

The MAA has a major commitment to improving road safety in NSW, and recognises that achieving this requires effective communication with young people about risk taking on the roads. This is where Arrive alive comes in. Arrive alive includes a range of programs that reflect common interest areas for young people. These programs aim to involve young people in activities they enjoy while positively influencing attitudes and behaviours on the roads.  The MAA wants to see young people stay safe on the roads and Arrive alive!

Check the Live Action

Previous reports:
# 1 : Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro readies for March 11 launch
# 2 : Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro rolls out with opening party
# 3 : Soldiers Beach turns on for Arrive Alive Pro opening day
# 4 : Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro Rnd 2 top seeds dominate 
# 5 : Arrive Alive Central Coast Pro sees an in form Sam Page

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Arrive Alive Media
Steve Robertson
stever@surfingaustralia.com

Michael Tyrpenou
michael.tyrpenou@gmail.com

WQS Contests - Surfersvillage