Rip Curl Pro Search Portugal

We may be a little late on this one, but as I like to say...better late than never. Funny, when Jenna and I went to the US Open we noticed that all the ripping girls who were once sponsored by Roxy suddenly had Nike stickers on their boards. Nike sends the industry a message by saying, we want the best of the best and we are willing to outbid you. Here's a sneak peek into what happens when you reward talent by giving them the access to the resources needed to become better than anyone ever expected them to be.

Halfway through the season and the standings are anything but definite for the surfers on the ASP World Tour- Rookie Coco Ho (HAW) shook up the rankings with her first ASP win at the Rip Curl Search in Belgas, Portugal.

Just as the title race narrowed focus to previous 2009 title winners Silvana Lima (BRA) and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), the ASP World Tour wildcard and the tour rookie claimed stake in the quarterfinals, eventually facing off in the Search finals.

It was an exciting day of competition here in Portugal. Round 1 of the first ever Rip Curl Women’s Pro Search was completed today in clean, yet shifty three-to-four foot (1 metre) waves at the backup venue of Belgas.

 

 

The Rip Curl Women’s Pro Search commences its waiting period tomorrow, monday october 26 and will run through October 30, 2009.
 
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 18, 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour rookie and current ASP Women’s World No. 10, is keen to get back into the contest singlet again and excited about the potential for another solid wave event on the ASP Women’s World Tour.
 

The Rip Curl Pro Search is a special event and already has a special history. Very few surfers have never heard about it (remember the 2006 edition of the contest where we saw some of the best waves seen in a surf competition so far). Mobility and unpredictability make this event the one to not miss.

This edition has already entered history in two ways : this is the first time a Rip Curl Pro Search is organized for women and last night the contest site has been completely smashed by a 15 foot storm swell !