Tarryn Does the Get Out There Double

Tarryn Chudleigh confirmed her position amongst the country’s top female surf stars, after winning both the Open and Pro Junior titles at the third of four Billabong ‘Girls Get Out There’ Summer Surf Series events, in Cape Town on Sunday.

As intermittent rain showers curtailed the beach activity in the all-girls celebration of the beach lifestyle at Tableview, the country’s top surfers set the one-metre light onshore waves alight with spectacular performances.

Chudleigh, 17, from Kommetjie clinched the 3A rated Open title in a cracker-jack, high scoring final where the lead changed hands constantly, relegating 14 year-old rising star Bianca Buitendag (George) to the runner-up spot with WQS campaigner Tammy-Lee Smith (Chaka’s Rock) in third and a fast improving Kirsty Delport (Berea, Durban) fourth.

That came immediately after Chudleigh had convincingly won the Pro Junior (U20) final from perennial rival and fellow SA junior team-mate Chantelle Rautenbach (Melkbosstrand), Buitendag and Sarah Baum (Athlone Park).

The twin victories saw Chudleigh pocket a total of R9 000 for the weekend’s action and rocketed her to the top of the ratings in both divisions heading into the final event at Scottburgh in two week’s time (16 & 17 February), where the 2007/8 Billabong ‘Girls Get Out There’ series champions will be crowned.

Cara MacDonald from East London upset the formbook in the Under 15 event, securing victory over the Kommetjie duo of Holly Armstrong and Tanika Hoffman who had finished first and second respectively in both of the first two events of the series in Margate and Jeffreys Bay, but placed second and third here.

Fourth place went to 11 year-old Anoush Zakarian from nearby Melkbosstrand, who also received the Kustom Kreative Award for the best performance by a local competitor.

Tiny Ruth Armstrong (Kommetjie) clinched the Novices division with Inge McLaren the runner-up and fellow East Londoner Chloe Meacham third. Meacham, who was advised to enter the Novices event after participating in one of the free ‘Learn to Surf’ lessons on Saturday, finished ahead of Grace Steel (Cape Town) in her first surfing contest.

The Von Zipper Expression Session featured a dozen of the top contenders in the event and resulted in Stacey Guy (Melkbosstrand) taking home the hamper of VZ eyewear products for a well executed ‘Indie Grab’ in the dying minutes.

While the weather played havoc with the beginners surf lessons and Soft Lips Yoga sessions, and the promotions teams from Tropitone and Seventeen Magazine wore sweaters in the unseasonable mid-summer cold snap, there were still plenty of participants in the Girls Inc painting competition which produced several outstanding artistic contributions.