ASP Women’s Longboard World Championship
Pleasant Conditions For Day 1 Of The ‘Be Kind, Be Calm, Keep Smiling’ Whalebone Classic
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Competition commenced at Isos Reef, Cottesloe, WA in pleasant, but small waves this morning. The 190 competitors from as far a field as Taiwan, Spain, Hawaii and New Zealand were greeted by the small but contestable waves and are looking forward to a promised increase in swell tomorrow.
Defending Women’s champion Georgia Young (WA/AUS) used her local knowledge to the full extent as she posted a win in the opening heat in the ASP 3-Star LQS division. Lucy Small (QLD) started slowly but went on to finish 2nd, while Taiwan’s Wen Ling Chou scored the heat’s single highest wave score of 6.75 (out of a possible 10) but could not find a decent back up wave and was eliminated.
“There wasn’t many waves in my heat but it was so good to be able to share the waves with the other two girls,” said Ling Chou after she was eliminated.
In heat two Hawaiian Miku Uemura notched the day’s highest wave score of 8.50 (out of a possible 10) executing turns and nose rides all the way to the beach. She then backed up with a 6.5 to also have the day’s highest heat total to take the heat win and progress to tomorrows Semifinal.
The final heat suffered from a lack of waves but still saw former ASP shortboard competitor Wini Paul (NZ) catch eight waves to dominate with a two wave total of 9.90 (out of a possible 10) points. Fellow competitors Kirsty Webster (NSW) 9.5 points and Nava Young (NSW) 7.35 were wave starved having to share 3 waves each. Webster advanced with Paul to the Semifinals that will run tomorrow.
A full program of surfing was completed in the small conditions today.Organisers are confident of a bump in swell for tomorrow for the completion of the ASP 3-Star LQS Men’s division and Finals of all other pro and amateur divisions.
The women’s Final was a back and forth battle between the defending champion Young and the Hawaiian Miku Uemura (HAW). Young opened her account with a 6.50 (out of a possible 10) before Uemura replied with an impressive 7.50. Young then backed up with a 5.75 leaving Uemura needing only a 4.75 wave to take the win. The conditions deteriorated and the wave never eventuated for Uemura, giving Young back-to-back Whalebone Classic titles.
“I can’t believe I won this event two years in a row,” Young said. “With all the international competitors in the event this year this has to be the hardest women’s field I have encountered at the Whalebone.”
New Zealand’s Wini Paul (NZL) and Kirsty Webster (AUS) finished 3rd and 4th after advancing to the Final with some impressive surfing throughout the event.
ASP Australasia LQS Women’s Top 5
1: Georgia Young (AUS) – 958
2: Chelsea Williams (AUS) – 750
3: Wini Paul (NZL) – 738
4: Lucy Small (AUS) – 593
5: Nava Young (AUS) – 593
Results ASP 3 Star LQS Women’s Division
Ht 1: 1st Georgia Young, 2nd Lucy Small, 3rd Wen Ling Chou
Ht 2: 1st Miku Uemura, 2nd Claire Norman, 3rd Rosie Locke
Ht 3: 1st Wini Paul, 2nd Kirsty Webster, 3rd
Nava Young About the Whalebone Classic
The “Be Kind, Be Calm, Keep Smiling” Whalebone Classic is one of the premier events among the Australian professional longboard community. Staged annually at Iso’s Reef at Cottesloe nearly 200 longboard surfers and their supporters are expected to converge for another gathering of the tribes on July 14th & 15th July2012. Now into its fifteenth year, the Whalebone has always attracted some of the Australia’s best longboarders.
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