Rosy Saves Her Best for Last

Rosy Hodge’s stellar surfing qualities have seen her end a solid rookie season on the world’s premier surfing ASP Women’s World Tour stage with a morale-boosting life-time best third place. Picture ASP Towner © Covered Images

Rosanne Hodge ended her rookie ASP World
Tour at the season-ending Billabong Pro Maui at Honolua
Bay in Hawaii in stunning fashion, carving her way
to a tournament-best third place to confirm the great ability that qualified
her for the world’s premier surfing tournament in the first place.

Hodge started the final event in good
fashion, dumping eventual finalist Jessi Miley-Dyer out to a qualification
round after the first heat, and after an anxiety-building four-day lay-about due
to idle surf, Hodge started the round of sixteen against old enemy Brazilian Silvana
Lima by posting some of her best surfing of the year, her sublime 13.20 narrowly
moving her past the experienced opponent’s 12.25, and through to the
quarterfinals.

The last eight reflected Hodge’s best
placing to date, and the freedom to surf to her talent reduced the tension of
competing against one of the season’s three Vans Triple Crown of Surfing
contenders, home-girl Megan Abubo, and it was the Hawaiian who fell to the
pressure, her combined score of 7.60 no match for Hodge’s 12.75, bringing the
rookie South African into her first ASP World tour semi-final contest of her
life.

With the waves deteriorating by the minute,
it was a scramble for what remained, and though eventual Honolua Bay
champion Stephanie Gilmore only managed to ride three waves to Hodge’s five, it
was the Australian’s first wave that brought her the judge’s highest scores of the
heat, and resigned Hodge to the satisfaction of her best performance of the
year.

Sadly for Hodge, her talent didn’t shine
regularly enough in her first season against the world’s best, and leaves her
agonisingly short of automatic qualification for selection among the next year’s
surfing elite surfers.

Hodge is certain to retain that high ground
again, but for the next season the bright South African talent will have to build
up to the highest platform again through hard work and consistent performances in
the ASP’s Women’s World Qualifying series, where she ended the season second to
fellow South African star Nikita Robb, the two finishing 24th and 19th overall.

The final event of the 2007 ASP Women’s
World Tour saw the Australian rookie Stephanie Gilmore claim the 2007 ASP
Women’s World Title, marking the young Australian’s fourth win of the season
after beating Billabong Pro Maui Champ Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS).

"It’s been such an incredible year for me,"
Gilmore said. "Everything from traveling with my friends to winning events to
claiming the title in Maui, it’s all be so
much fun. I can’t believe it. To finish the year with another win, I’m just
over the moon."

Making use of the declining swell,
Billabong Pro Maui event organizers opted to run the final day of competition,
and although the Final was somewhat wave-starved, Gilmore’s stylish forehand
assault would prove victorious over the goofy-footer, Miley-Dyer.

"It was really special to finish the year
out there with Jessi (Miley-Dyer)," Gilmore said. "The waves weren’t that
great, but we still managed to get a few. We were just enjoying ourselves out
there and talking. I’m super stoked to finish the year with a win."

Miley-Dyer, who claimed the event’s high
heat total of an 18.65 out of a possible 20 in yesterday’s Round 3 action,
dominated the inconsistent right-handers throughout the day, defeating
opponents Keala Kennelly (HAW) and Layne Beachley (AUS) en route to her finals
berth.

In addition to the ASP Women’s World Title
and the Billabong Pro Maui Title, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing was on the
line during the final day of competition with three remaining contenders in
Layne Beachley (AUS), Melanie Bartels (HAW) and Megan Abubo (HAW).

Abubo, winner of the Reef Pro Haleiwa,
emerged victorious today, taking down the 2007 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing
with her equal 5th place finish at the Billabong Pro Maui.

"I was a little bummed that I lost out to
Rosy (Hodge), and I kind of took off," Abubo said. "I knew that Layne
(Beachley) was still in the hunt and she’s such a competitor out here that she
easily could have gotten the result. My team manager called me when she lost
out and told me that I had won the Triple Crown and I was almost in disbelief."

Abubo, who suffered a horrific abdominal
injury at the Roxy Pro Sunset, rallied at Honolua Bay,
posting solid scores in the earlier rounds and exhibiting excellent wave
selection. For her efforts, Abubo will be awarded $10,000 as well as a
brand-new Chevy Truck.

"Wow, I’m super stoked that Vans puts on
the Triple Crown," Abubo said. "It’s such a good thing for women’s surfing, to
allow us to showcase our talents in the big waves of Hawaii. I am so happy right now, I don’t
really have words to describe it. It’s been a long time since a Hawaiian has
taken the Vans Triple Crown and I am honored to bring it back to the islands."