Happy Gilmore wins Again!
Steph Gilmore claims Roxy Pro
WQS, Phillip Island

(Sunday, January 29th, 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.
 
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.

Miley-Dyer eliminates World Champion
Chelsea Georgeson Semi Finalists decided
at Roxy Pro WQS, Phillip Island

(Saturday, January 28th, 2006): Reigning ASP Women’s World Champion Chelsea Georgeson (Gold Coast, Qld) made no bones about taking a “relaxed approach” to the high rated 5-star WQS at Phillip Island, Victoria during the Roxy Womens Surf Festival, but the 22-year old number one will think twice next time she hands a wave to a fellow world title holder, recently crowned Pro Junior champion Jessi Miley-Dyer (Bronte, NSW).
 
In clean four-foot (1-1.5m) waves at Woolamai Beach today, Miley-Dyer, 19, posted her best wave score against Georgeson during the opening minutes of their quarter-final clash when Georgeson, who was holding priority, passed up a wave. Miley-Dyer wasted no time seizing the opportunity, turning the long walling right-hander into a good scoring ride worth 7.83 out of a possible 10.
 
Georgeson quickly switched gears, however, retaliating with a near identical score of her own, reeling Miley-Dyer in with the form that officially took her to the top of the sport in 2005. As time ticked away, Georgeson locked in another good wave with seconds to spare, but it wasn’t enough.
 
The final tally was among the tightest of the event, an ecstatic Miley-Dyer getting the eventual nod over her by less than half a point, 13.83 to 13.40.
 
“I was so, so, sooo lucky,” explained Miley-Dyer, who clearly had the wave God, Huey on her side today. “Chelsea missed a wave when she had priority and it ended up being my best wave, then right at the end of the heat I looked at a wave when I had priority and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s not such a good one’ and then Chelsea caught it and nearly beat me. I was watching her, kicking myself, thinking why would you ever, EVER give a wave to Chelsea Georgeson!”
 
Georgeson’s elimination and subsequent 5th placing today is her lowest finish in the blue ribbon division of the Festival in four years. It follows her third place in last year’s event and back-to-back victories in 2003 and 2004. As a full-time touring professional, the Festival has become a traditional warm-up for Georgeson as she heads into the Roxy Pro presented by Samsung World Championship Tour event scheduled for her backyard, Snapper Rocks, Qld beginning February 28th.
 
“Even though I haven’t allowed myself to feel any pressure this week, I still go into every contest wanting to win,” said Georgeson, a little disappointed. “Jess surfed well today and I didn’t get enough good ones (waves). That’s one of the number one things in competition surfing, you have to choose your waves, and I’ll be taking that little reminder into Snapper.”
 
Miley-Dyer’s win sees her drawn against another WCT campaigner, Rebecca Woods (Copacabana, NSW) in tomorrow’s semi-finals. Woods, who missed the final two events of 2005 due to a recurring shoulder injury, ended the hopes of Hawaiian upstart Leilani Gryde this morning.
 
Eighteen year-old Gryde’s campaign began in the trials on day one with the goofy-foot putting in a remarkable solo effort; winning through five rounds including a victory over Georgeson in their four-man heat at Surfer’s Point yesterday.
 
Woods put her experience to good use today, however, controlling a wave-starved quarter-final clash against Gryde, advancing ahead of her 13.00 points to 5.90.
 
Surfing’s most talked about prospect, teenage giant-killer Stephanie Gilmore (Kingscliff, NSW) has continued her impressive charge, eliminating Japan’s Kaori Mayaguchi 11.00 points to 6.00 to set up semi-final clash number two versus the tournament’s lone remaining international, Heather Clark of South Africa.
 
Gilmore, the two-time and reigning ISA world U/18 amateur champion, has her 18th birthday tomorrow and will be hoping to celebrate with a win in the final of the $30,000 tournament. This morning Gilmore matched her own highest individual wave score of the event, a 9.33 which she set with a devastating display yesterday at Surfers Point.
 
Clark today disposed of defending event champion and her travelling partner of eight years, good friend Melanie Redman-Carr (Dunsborough, WA). With both surfers tied on identical scores at the end of their clash, Clark got the nod over Redman-Carr when scores were counted-back to the next highest wave.
 
“It’s horrible coming up against your travelling buddy in an event, but at least we knew one of us was going to make the semis. After Mel’s result last year in the event and considering she finished third in the world last year, I was so stoked to get through, but it was a bit close for comfort,” said Clark.
 
Despite bowing out today, Redman-Carr said she’s not being too hard on herself and is sure of a strong showing at WCT level to ensure her place in the world’s elite: “Just because you do well one year doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to do well the next, so I was just taking it one heat at a time,” she said.
 
The finals of the blue ribbon 5-star Roxy Pro WQS division are scheduled for early tomorrow morning with organisers expecting to wrap all divisions in great surf at Woolamai Beach.
 
The six day Roxy Womens Surf festival incorporates a total of seven divisions including the 3A rated Girls Pro Junior, the top-rated 6A womens longboard division, amateur under 18, under 16 and under 13 girls divisions plus an over 35 womens category making it the largest Festival of its kind. The Festival is also able to go ‘mobile’ to over 20 world class breaks each day, depending on conditions.
 
 
1993 ASP Womens World Champion Pauline Menczer still holds the lead in the Evian Longest Tube Ride specialty award. Menczer managed to position herself inside a large wave yesterday at Surfers Point and emerge triumphantly to hoots from the gallery watching on shore. Unless the ride is bettered, Menczer will walk away with $500 thanks to Evian.
 
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.