WORLD CUP OF SURFING
Aussie barrels to front
Redman-Carr takes the lead in the Triple Crown series
By Brandon Lee
Special to the Star-Bulletin
SOME WOMEN dig the long ball. Others prefer big waves and hollow barrels.
Twenty-four who prefer the surf over baseball home runs participated in the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing Sunset Challenge at Sunset Beach yesterday, an inaugural specialty event that was the second jewel of the eighth-annual women's Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
Melanie Redman-Carr of Dunsboro, Australia, successfully rode one of the best barrels of the day during the final, and the resulting 9.33 (out of 10) score she received helped earn her the victory at the event and the overall lead in the Triple Crown series standings with one event left to go.
"I didn't know (the wave) was going to barrel," said the 30-year-old Redman-Carr, who picked up $2,500 with the win and tied for the highest individual wave score at the entire one-day Sunset Challenge with her barrel ride. "I just took off and I had no choice -- I had to just go straight and get barreled.
"Where I'm from there's a lot of big surf, and that bumpy sort of surf that you have (at Sunset Beach). I'm used to those conditions. ... But I got lucky as well."
The women's Triple Crown is a series of three big-wave events at premier Hawaii venues -- the first two on Oahu and the last on Maui -- that represents the final stretch of the surfing season each year. In addition to having winners at each of the events, the series also awards its own championship title to the best overall performer.
Unlike the first jewel at Haleiwa last month and the final one at Honolua Bay later this month, the Sunset Challenge was not part of the World Championship Tour. But most of the top WCT surfers participated and were joined by seven wild cards, as it was the first chance the women had to surf the famed North Shore break during the Triple Crown since 1997 and it did count towards the series standings.
Redman-Carr, who is tied for the No. 4 ranking in the world, also made the final at the first jewel -- the Roxy Pro Hawaii -- and placed third. With yesterday's victory she took the series lead away from world No. 1 and countrywoman Chelsea Georgeson, who won the Roxy Pro but went down in the Sunset Challenge semifinals to fall to the second spot in the Triple Crown standings.
"The Hawaiian events are probably more special than the rest of the events (around the world) because the waves are so big and powerful," said Redman-Carr, who has led before in the series but not won yet. "To have three contests in big, powerful surf, and to come out on top and be the Triple Crown winner -- that would be the ultimate. But I'm just happy to have won a contest in Hawaii; everybody remembers who wins in Hawaii."
Waves were mostly in the 8- to 12-foot-face range.
Redman-Carr's 9.33 came on one of the bigger sets of the 35-minute, four-woman final and was combined with a later 6.00 score to give her a winning two-wave total of 15.33 points. Kauai's Rochelle Ballard placed second with 8.33 total.
Also from the Garden Island, 15-year-old amateur Alana Blanchard (8.03) finished third as a wild card. Making her second straight Triple Crown final like Redman-Carr, Claire Bevilacqua (4.60) of Australia took fourth (she was runner-up at the first jewel) and now sits at No. 3 in the Triple Crown standings.
World No. 6 Ballard is one of the most experienced women at Sunset Beach. The 34-year-old pulled into two consecutive barrels of her own before anyone else had ridden a wave in the final, but unlike Redman-Carr she was unable to make it out of either one. Ballard suffered a broken board after both, and had to have her caddy swim to shore to retrieve two more spares.
"No, I don't think they did," said Ballard, when asked if the two unsuccessful rides and broken boards upset her rhythm. "Sometimes it's hard to get the ones that are really lining up, and to do those simple turns to get you through a heat. Some of the more difficult ones are the glory waves ... but it just didn't really happen for me."
Blanchard performed consistently all day among the seasoned pros and was distinguished with the Nose Guard Vans Triple Crown Rookie Award.
The Billabong Pro Maui is the finale for both the women's Triple Crown and the WCT and has a waiting period that begins in one week and runs through Dec. 20.
The men still have one more day of competition to go for their second jewel, the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing, also at Sunset Beach. Conditions permitting, that contest will run today, but it must be completed by next Tuesday.