The 14th Annual Roxy Pro Hawaii at Sunset Beach, which is the 7th stop of the ASP Women’s World Tour is set to go down this coming Monday the 24th of November and is scheduled on through December 6th.  The event takes place at the infamous North Shore on the island of Oahu.  This event is the second jewel in the Van’s Triple Crown of Surfing.  The contest, which will be broadcast live on the web from www.roxy.com, will take place over two days within the 12-day holding period.

The Roxy Pro Hawaii is the longest running women’s professional shortboard competition in Hawaii and will once again play a crucial part in deciding the 2008 Women’s World Tour Champion.  Coming into the event, reigning ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) holds a small lead in the ratings over Roxy team-rider Sofia Mulanovich (Peru), the defending Roxy Pro Hawaii and 2005 Women’s World Tour Champion.  With the ratings so close and the lead changing hands multiple times throughout this year’s tour, the Roxy Pro Hawaii will play a critical role in determining the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour Champion. 

“We are thrilled to be continuing the tradition of women’s big-wave surfing in Hawaii with the Roxy Pro Hawaii,” said Randy Hild, EVP of Global Marketing, Roxy.  “Sunset Beach is a defining wave and proving ground for any surfer, male or female, and Roxy is proud to offer women the chance to leave their mark on this famed break.”

Check out the press release below for more info. 

Sunset Beach is regarded as the most difficult wave in the world to surf well. It is a huge expanse of water with the primary take-off zone located more than 250 yards out to sea. Swells converge on that zone from a variety of directions that range from west, all the way to north-east. If a surfer doesn’t know her way around the lineup, surfing Sunset is akin to being lost at sea in a maelstrom.

The 2008 Roxy Pro Hawaii will feature the top 17 ranked women on the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Tour, as well as three wildcard entrants who will be determined in the Roxy Trials.  Roxy Team Rider, Sally Fitzgibbons will be among the contestants vying for the wildcards, with her spot already secured for the 2009 Tour, Fitzgibbons is looking to make an early impression at this year’s contest. 2007 Quiksilver ISA World Juniors Champion Laura Enever was also granted a trialist spot, along with Bruna Schmitz, Coco Ho, Carissa Moore and Lee Ann Curren.

The Roxy Pro Hawaii is the second in a series of two Roxy Pro events on the ASP Women’s World Tour schedule. The tour’s first event of the year the Roxy Pro Gold Coast (March) was won by Sofia Mulanovich, who hopes to lock down her second world title in Hawaii.

The Roxy Pro Hawaii will be streamed live on the web at www.roxy.com with live interviews and commentary by Roxy Team Rider and longboarder extraordinaire Kassia Meador.  For more information on the Roxy Pro Hawaii and the full trials list please visit www.roxy.com.

The film will follow some of the sport’s top athletes, including Stephanie Gilmore, and Sofia Mulanovich and newcomers like Sally Fitzgibbons, Courteny Conlogue and Coco Ho as they surf their home breaks (aka Dear) and other spots around the world (aka Yonder).  There will also be a tip of the hat to the sport’s legends, including Linda Benson and Lisa Andersen.

Roxy and the filmmakers held a one-night benefit art show Saturday to help raise money for the film, which is being shot by renowned surf cinematographers Thomas Campbell, Scott Soens and Dave Homcy.

For more about the project, visit www.dearandyonder.com.

Stephanie Gilmore | cr. Jimmicane

After several days off the ASP Women’s Tour was finally able to resume action on the Billabong Girls Pro Rio.  Hawaiian Melanie Bartels took on Sofia Mulanovich in the final and edged her with a 14.34 score to Mulanovich’s 10.60.

The match of the day, however, wasn’t the final — it was the first semifinal between Bartels and current world No. 1 Stephanie Gilmore.  Gilmore posted a perfect ten in the contest and scored a combined 18.50, while Bartels put together a 9.76 and 9.33 to take the win.

While Gilmore held on to her World No. 1 ranking after the equal-third finish, second-place surfer Mulonovich inched closer to catching up and now trails her by only 12 points with four events left to go, starting with the Beachley Classic on from Oct. 9-14.

For more about the final, read the full release below.

Stephanie Gilmore
Melanie Bartels Wins Billabong Girls Pro Rio in Rifling Barrels in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Wednesday, September 17, 2008) – Melanie Bartels (HAW), 26, has won the 2008 Billabong Girls Pro Rio, defeating fellow finalist Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 25, in rifling four foot (1.5 metre) barrels at Barra da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro today.

Event No. 4 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Billabong Girls Pro Rio survived through a grueling five-day lay period to culminate in excellent conditions today, with the ASP Top 17 putting in some of the best performances in ASP history.

Bartels, who rockets up from 14th to 6th on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, collects her second career Dream Tour win (her first as a full-time member) with today’s victory at the Billabong Girls Pro Rio.

“It’s an amazing feeling and I’m just overwhelmed right now,” Bartels said. “My last win was in 2006 as a wildcard at Sunset so to be able to come out on top today, in these conditions, is really special. The waves started to deteriorate towards the end, but I was able to grab a couple of scores against Sofia (Mulanovich) and I was really just surfing my own heat out there and doing my own thing. I was having fun.”

The Hawaiian, who was unable to make the second event of the season, has rebounded in spectacular form today, defeating the reigning ASP Women’s World Champion during the Semifinals in what some are calling the best heat in women’s professional surfing history (19.00 def.18.50) before taking down Mulanovich in the Final.

“After that Semifinal with Steph (Gilmore) I was filled with a lot of confidence,” Bartels said. “The waves pumped for that heat and we were trading barrel after barrel. That’s the most fun I’ve had in a heat in a long time. I had a tough start to the year with sponsors and results, but that just made me really hungry and after today, I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Mulanovich, who solidifies her position at No. 2 on the ASP Women’s World Tour ratings with today’s runner up finish, continues to collect consistent results in 2008 with her third Finals appearance of the season.

“Another Final is a good result for me,” Mulanovich said. “Of course I would have liked a win, but congratulations to Mel (Bartels), she was on fire. I just couldn’t find the scoring waves in the Final so maybe things will be different next time. The next event is in Sydney and after that it is at home in Peru so I am looking forward these next few events.”

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, reigning ASP Women’s World Champion and current No. 1 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, was in sensational form today, netting the event’s only perfect 10-point ride and backing it up with an 8.50, but was still unable to overcome Bartels in the Semifinals.

“You can’t be too disappointed when you lose a heat like that,” Gilmore said. “Mel (Bartels) surfed amazing and deserved that win. I did everything I could out there and there wasn’t much more I could do. Mel got two really good waves and I got one really good one.”

Gilmore also earned the Kustom Best Wave Award for her phenomenal perfect 10-point backdoor barrel, reiterating her dominating form, but the young Australian is more aware than ever of how close the race for the 2008 ASP Women’s World Title has become.

“You can’t count anyone out of it these days,” Gilmore said. “Mel (Bartels) is one of my favorite surfers and it was only a matter of time before she went off this year. The next stop is in Manly and I have a pretty good track record out there so hopefully I can regroup and put in another result there.”

Layne Beachley (AUS), 36, former seven-time ASP Women’s World Champion was another potential champion this morning, dispatching of local favorite Silvana Lima (BRA), 23, in their Quarterfinal bout, but was unable to overcome her Peruvian opponent in the Semifinals.

“I couldn’t buy a wave out there,” Beachley said. “I think the Semifinal before us took all the waves then so that was a bit of a disappointment. A 3rd is a good result, but it’s two years since I’ve had a win and I’m certainly ready for one.”

Highlights from the Billabong Girls Pro Rio can be accessed via www.billabongpro.com/rio08

The next stop on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour will be the Beachley Classic in Sydney, Australia from October 9 – 14, 2008.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

Billabong Girls Pro Rio Final Results:
1 – Melanie Bartels (HAW) 14.34
2 – Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 10.60

Billabong Girls Pro Rio Semifinal Results:
Semifinal 1: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 19.00 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 18.50
Semifinal 2: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 11.67 def Layne Beachley (AUS) 9.46

Billabong Girls Pro Rio Quarterfinal Results:
Quarterfinal 1: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 8.84 def. Samantha Cornish (AUS) 5.23
Quarterfinal 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.47 def. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 8.50
Quarterfinal 3: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 11.74 def. Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 8.60
Quarterfinal 4: Layne Beachley (AUS) 14.83 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 10.33

Current ASP Women’s World Tour Ratings: After Event No. 4 of 8
1 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 3516 points
2 – Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 3504 points
3 – Layne Beachley (AUS) 3036 points
4 – Samantha Cornish (AUS) 2628 points
5 – Amee Donohoe (AUS) 2424 points
6 – Melanie Bartels (HAW) 2112 points
7 – Silvana Lima (BRA) 2028 points
8 – Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 1836 points
9 – Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 1824 points
10 – Rebecca Woods (AUS) 1632 points
11 – Megan Abubo (HAW) 1452 points
11 – Julia De La Rosa (PER) 1452 points
13 – Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 1440 points
14 – Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) 1260 points
14 – Karina Petroni (USA) 1260 points
14 – Nicola Atherton (AUS) 1260 points
17 – Serena Brooke (AUS) 1080 points
18 – Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 912 points*

*First replacement on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour.

Um, so the Surfer Poll Awards went down last week in Anaheim.  We weren’t there this year but we fully expected Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore to be rewarded for their great seasons last year.  After all, the awards are supposed to honor the best surfers from the last season, not right now.  Turns out we were wrong…

Anyway, it’s great that “Bustin’ Down the Door” won two awards.

We’ve gotten a few releases about the awards, so read on for those — you will also see the full results…

Dane Reynolds also won something.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF AT THE 2008 SURFER POLL AND VIDEO AWARDS PRESENTED BY SUZUKI AUTO

DANA POINT, Calif. (Sept. 10, 2008) — The masses have spoken and once again Kelly Slater and Sofia Mulanovich reign supreme in the ultimate annual election. The two accepted their awards last night at the 2008 SURFER Poll and Video Awards presented by Suzuki Auto at The Grove in Anaheim, California. The venue was packed to the brim, with several being turned away at the door due to a record-breaking over-capacity crowd. The other big winner of the night, claiming both “Movie of the Year” and “Documentary of the Year,” was “Bustin’ Down the Door” featuring surf legends Shaun Thomson, Peter “PT” Townend, and Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew.

The action began outside on the red carpet with celebrity sightings including Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness, Miami Ink’s Tim Hendricks, musical guest Mickey Avalon, Prison Break’s Dominic Purcell, Charger football legend Junior Seau and former Major League Baseball pitcher David Wells, alongside all the big-name pros. FUEL TV was on hand filming for an upcoming broadcast, which will feature highlights from the night and classic “Point Break” dead presidents reenactments. Hosted again by the dynamic duo of Sal Masekela and Benji Weatherly, the evening stayed true to its roots of irreverent commentary and soul-stirring highlights from all of the year’s best surf movies and action.

“SURFER Poll is by the people and for the people – which makes it unique,” proclaimed Masekela in his fifth consecutive year greeting the SURFER Poll audience. This sentiment was echoed throughout the night as Poll Award winners accepted their trophies with humble acceptance speeches thanking their fans for voting and their sponsors for supporting. “It’s pretty cool to have the readers of the magazine like what I’m doing,” said Taj Burrow upon claiming sixth-place in the Poll, which awards the top 10 men and top five females honors based on SURFER readers’ voting.

Special guest presenters for the evening and for the Video Awards portion of the show included: South African icon Shaun Thomson, who presented Kalani Chapman with “Best Tube Ride” for “Second to None;” former World Champion Sunny Garcia, who presented “Best Male Performance” to fellow Hawaiian Clay Marzo for “Just Add Water;” SURFER Photo Editor Grant Ellis, who presented “Photo of the Year” to Scott Aichner; new SURFER Editor Joel Patterson, who presented “Boost Breakthrough Performer” to Nathaniel Curran; and legendary filmmaker Bruce Brown, who presented “Movie of the Year” to the “Bustin’ Down the Door” crew.

While most of the names in the Poll remained consistent, only shuffling in order, two surfers made their debut. In the women’s Poll, 16-year-old phenom Coco Ho claimed the No. 5 spot and accepted her award modestly stating: “It’s an honor to be standing here with my heroes and friends,” and giving a shout out to best friend, Carissa Moore, who snagged third in the Poll for the second year in a row. In the men’s Poll, ASP World Tour rookie and aerial dynamo, Dane Reynolds, made an impressive first showing in the No. 3 spot. Reynolds also walked with the “Best Maneuver” award for “Dude Cruise.”

A testament to just how impressive Reynolds is, Kelly Slater, upon accepting his monumental 14th Poll focused heavily on giving props to the young up-and-comer.  “Dane Reynolds is the best surfer in the world by far,” said Slater. “Surfing has advanced to where it should be right now and Dane is proof of that. Sitting back and watching surfing today [at the Boost Mobile Pro] made me really proud.”

Completing the event’s “firsts,” Dave Rastovich was presented with the first-ever “Agent of Change” award for the work he is doing with Surfers for Cetaceans. He launched the nonprofit in 2004 to help support the protection and conservation of dolphins, whales, and other marine wildlife, and is truly making a difference among the surfing community and beyond. Surfers for Cetaceans and Surfrider’s “Save Trestles” campaign were the two beneficiaries of this year’s VIP table sales, which raised $16,000 for the two organizations to share.

Complete SURFER Poll and Video Award results:

Coors Heavy Water
Ian Walsh (The Life)

Worst Wipeout
Mark Healey (The Life)

Best Tuberide
Kalani Chapman (Second To None)

Best Female Performance
Stephanie Gilmore (Somewhere)

Best Male Performance
Clay Marzo (Just Add Water)

Best Maneuver
Dane Reynolds (Dude Cruise)

Best Cinematography
Waterman

Best Documentary
Bustin’ Down the Door

Movie of The Year
Bustin’ Down the Door

Boost Breakthrough Performer
Nathaniel Curran

Photo of the Year
Scott Aichner

Agent of Change
Dave Rastovich

Breakthrough Filmmaker
Matt Beauchesne

SURFER Poll Men
   1. Kelly Slater
2. Mick Fanning
3. Dane Reynolds
4. Joel Parkinson
5. Andy Irons
6. Taj Burrow
7. Bruce Irons
8. Rob Machado
9. Bobby Martinez
10. CJ Hobgood

SURFER Poll Women
   1. Sofia Mulanovich
2. Stephanie Gilmore
3. Carissa Moore
4. Layne Beachley
5. Coco Ho

Check www.surferpoll.com for complete details from the event including images and video.  See highlights on FUEL TV on October 27 in the “Meet & Brotatoes” Monday night special block at 8pm ET/PT. Check www.fuel.tv for additional airdates and times.

Special thanks to the sponsors of the 2008 SURFER Poll and Video Awards: Suzuki Auto, FUEL TV, Red Bull, Boost Mobile and Coors.

QUIKSILVER SURFERS PICK UP FOUR WINS AT 2008 SURFER POLL AWARDS

(Huntington Beach, Calif.) September 11, 2008 – Quiksilver congratulates team-riders Kelly Slater, Clay Marzo, Dane Reynolds and Mark Healey for first-place nods in categories for Best Male Performance, Best Maneuver and Worst Wipeout at the 2008 SURFER Poll and Video Awards presented by Suzuki.  Slater was once again voted into the top-spot in the poll, while Marzo picked up Best Male Performance for his role in “Clay Marzo: Just Add Water”.  Dane Reynolds locked in Best Maneuver for his sick sections in “Dude Cruise” while Mark Healey was lauded for continuing to chase shacks despite suffering Worst Wipeout on film in “The Life”.

The 36th Annual SURFER Poll award show was held on Tuesday, September 9 at the Grove of Anaheim, and was attended by top industry executives, pro surfers, celebrities and other notables.  Slater’s win Tuesday brings his tally of SURFER Poll awards to 14 in the year he is expected to win his ninth World Title.

Upon receiving his award the surf legend focused on praising the up-and-comer Reynolds, “Dane Reynolds is the best surfer in the world by far,” said Slater. “Surfing has advanced to where it should be right now and Dane is proof of that. Sitting back and watching surfing today [at the Boost Mobile Pro] made me really proud.”

For all up-to-date information on Quiksilver team-riders’ activities, and Kelly’s quest for number nine, please visit www.quiksilver.com and be sure to sign up for the Mountain Wave blog.

For additional coverage of the 2008 SURFER Poll Awards check out www.surferpoll.com.

ROXY PROFESSIONAL SURFERS TAKE HOME TOP HONORS AT THE 2008 SURFER POLL AWARDS
Sofia Mulanovich Claims #1 Spot for the Fourth Consecutive Year, With Young Gun Carissa Moore Claiming Her Second Consecutive #3 Ranking

Huntington Beach, Calif. – (September 11, 2008) – History repeated itself at this year’s SURFER Poll and Video Awards with Roxy team rider Sofia Mulanovich winning top female surfer for the fourth year in a row, her sixth SURFER Poll award altogether. Roxy’s young superstar Carissa Moore scored the #3 spot for the second consecutive year.

The 36th annual SURFER Poll and Video Awards is recognized as the most powerful voice in the surf industry because the list is determined by the people, those that love the waves. Roxy rider Mulanovich won her first #1 SURFER Poll award in 2005, and remains on top ever since. In addition, Mulanovich took home two awards in 2006 for Best Documentary and Best Female Performance in a Surf Film for “Sofia – A Documentary.”

“I am so stoked to have won the SURFER poll,” said Mulanovich, via video.  “It’s special because it is an award decided by the votes of surfers from around the world, which is the group that matters most in the end. To win the top honor four years in a row is so amazing, I can’t thank everyone who voted for me enough.” Currently Mulanovich is competing aggressively at the Billabong Girls Pro Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sofia Mulanovich was not the only Roxy girl making waves at this year’s award ceremony. Sixteen-year-old “Queen of the Groms” Carissa Moore nailed the #3 spot for the second consecutive year.  Over the past five years Carissa Moore has captured the surf world by storm with her incredible talent and vibrant personality.  Amassing a fan club that includes Kelly Slater, who said, “she’s a refreshing face of humility and kindness.  And she’s arguably one of the best ever at her age, in any sport.”  Moore thanked her fans and her father for the support given to her.

Sofia Mulanovich, the world’s first Latin American surfing champ, and Carissa Moore are proud members of the Roxy surf team.  Leaders both in and out of the water, they embody the spirit and heritage of the Roxy culture.

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