Roseanne Hodge leads four South African girls contesting the 2008 season of the ASP World Qualifying Roxy Surf Series, where she was joined by fellow South Africans Tarryn Chudleigh, Stacey Guy and Nikita Robb at the tour’s 6-Star ASP World Qualifying Series Roxy Surf Festival at Phillip Island, ending on Sunday.
Hodge finished as the best-placed among the South Africans in joint-thirteenth place with an opening round of 1125 ratings points, one place better than Stacey Guy, who like Hodge, also made it through to the event’s round of 12, before finishing fourth in her heat, compared to Hodge’s third-place heat exit.
Robb and Chudleigh are tied at 780 ratings points alongside each other in 37th-place, after both failed to make it past the round of 24. It was Robb’s opening round after a first-round bye, where Chudleigh had surfed well to place second in her opening round, before falling at the next hurdle.
Australia’s phenom Sally Fitzgibbons appropriately took event honours on Australia Day, when she overcame Brazilian Bruna Schmitz for the $4,500 prize and 2,500 ratings points on offer for an early season lead.
The 17-year-old ‘super-grom’ (young surfer) has enjoyed a great summer season, after winning the senior tour ASP Women’s World Tour championship and $155,500 in winnings.
"It’s been a great start to 2008," Fitzgibbons conceded. "I won the World Junior Championships (in Sydney) which was a dream come true, and to win a 6-Star WQS really caps it off."
World No. 8 Jessi Miley- Dyer (Bronte, NSW, AUS) and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton (Kauai, HAW) finished equal third, after the two surfers were beaten by the ocean and their rivals both, when they could not find a wave in the tricky low tide conditions.
Hamilton’s remarkable equal third place finish marks the best of not only her career, but also possibly that of a physically challenged athlete, and has kicked started her full time assault on the WQS in 2008.
"I just couldn’t find any waves out there but I’m still stoked to have made the Semi’s," Hamilton said after she was defeated by Schmitz. "I’ve needed a good result to boost my confidence and it finally happened. Now I’m just going to keep doing my best in all the events and put my heart into it."
Former ASP World Champion Chelsea Hedges (AUS) made a guest appearance at Woolamai Beach, and was amazed at the level of surfing seen in this year’s competition.
"It’s scary to think I’ll be coming up against these girls in the next few years," Hedges, who has taken a break from elite competition due to her pregnancy, said.
"The talent among the juniors is pretty unbelievable and for there to be two 17-year-olds in the Final of a 6-Star WQS, tells you that women’s surfing is about to take off."
The 6-Star WQS Roxy Surf Festival is one of two 6-Star WQS events in Australia and one of six in the world. A 6-Star WQS is the highest rated event on the World Qualifying Series and holds the most amount of ratings points, which count towards a surfers overall standing at the end of the year.
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