Silvana Lima defeats Steph Gilmore to win Beachley Classic

DEE WHY, New South Wales (Sunday, October 4, 2009) – Silvana Lima (BRA), 24, won the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic  over reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion and current ASP Women’s World No. 1 Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, in stormy three-to-five foot conditions at Dee Why in an action packed Final, marking back-to-back wins for the hungry Brazilian after claiming the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

Gilmore jumped out to an early lead in the sea-saw battle for the 2009 Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic title, but Lima fought back throughout the heat, collecting a 7.77 and eventually securing the win with an 8.83 for a lengthy forehand barrel to post the highest heat total of the event, an impressive 16.60 out of 20, en route to her first victory at the event after three consecutive Final appearances.

“I can’t believe it,” Lima said. “I’ve been in the Final in this event three times and I finally won. I was feeling really confident. The waves here today were like the waves in Brazil and I’m always surfing in these conditions. The final was really good. Steph (Gilmore) got some good waves too and I was able to get two good ones.”

The back-to-back ASP Women’s World Tour wins secured by the hungry Brazilian have significantly tightened the ratings for this year’s ASP Women’s World Title and although Gilmore still holds on to the ratings lead, Lima is following closely in the No. 2 position.

“I’m definitely looking at the title, but it’s too early,” Lima said “There are still four contests left this year, so there is more work for everyone, but I feel so much more confident after my first win at Bells.”

Gilmore was in devastating form throughout the entire Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic, blasting some of the event’s top scores with a committed forehand attack on the steep Dee Why right-handers, but was unable to top Lima in the Final.

“To come back after such a long break and still make the Final, I’m pretty happy with that,” Gilmore said. “Silvana (Lima) beat me at Bells and her confidence is through the roof at the moment, so my challenge is to step it up another level. I did it in the Semifinals, but maybe I peaked too early.”

Gilmore, who fell to Lima in the Final at the last stop on the ASP Women’s World Tour, knows claiming this year’s ASP Women’s World Title will be no easy task and is preparing for the next four stops scheduled on the 2009 calendar.

“It’s definitely game on,” Gilmore said. “There are four events left and everyone is really fired up and off to Portugal, Peru and Hawaii, so I can’t think of a better way to finish off the tour.”

Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 26, was also on fire throughout the entire event, topping 2005 ASP Women’s World Champion Chelsea Hedges (AUS), 25, en route to her third place finish, but could not find a solid score in her Semifinal heat against eventual Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic winner, Lima.

“I couldn’t really find a rhythm in that last heat,” Mulanovich said. “I couldn’t land a turn, but it’s alright. I guess I was a bit nervous and the waves didn’t come my way, but it’s the same conditions for everyone. I’ll just look at where things went wrong and use that for next time.”

Mulanovich, who was the 2004 ASP Women’s World Champion, has now notched back-to-back third place results, leaving her in third overall on the ratings, but as a former champion, the Peruvian natural-footer knows she’ll need to win events this year if she is to claim another ASP Women’s World title.

“Silvana got me at Bells too,” Mulanovich said. “It’s the same result. A third-place is a good result and I need to work a little more on the mental side of things, but I know that, so that’s what I’m going to do. A third is good, but you need to win events to win the title. I’m still towards the top of the ratings and I’m just going to go from there.”

Melanie Bartels (HAW), 27, was a standout performer throughout the event’s entirety, ousting an international field of competitors including Rebecca Woods (AUS), 25, and Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), 22, on the way to her Semifinals berth. The talented Hawaiian struggled to find a solid score in her battle against Gilmore, bowing out of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic with a third place finish.

“I just wasn’t in rhythm out there and I couldn’t find anything,” Bartels said. “It’s tough out there, but I’m stoked that I made the Semifinals, it’s a good result, but I just wanted to surf well, I wanted to put on a good performance and I don’t feel like I did that, but that’s how it goes.”

The next stop on the ASP Women’s World Tour will be the Rip Curl Search in Peniche, Portugal, which holds a waiting period from October 26 through 30, 2009.

Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic Final:
1- Silvana Lima (BRA) 16.60
2- Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 12.67

Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic Semifinals Results:
Heat 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.17 def. Melanie Bartels (HAW) 6.87
Heat 2: Silvana Lima (BRA)10.60 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 5.40

Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic Quarterfinals Results:
Heat 1: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 6.35 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 5.97
Heat 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.54 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 8.80
Heat 3: Silvana Lima (BRA) 12.57 def. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 9.00
Heat 4: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.86 def. Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 8.10

ASP Women’s World Tour Ratings After Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic:
1 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 3241 points
2 – Silvana Lima (BRA) 2880
3 – Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 2139
4 – Melanie Bartels (HAW) 1983
5 – Coco Ho (HAW) 1723
6 – Rebecca Woods (AUS) 1711
7 – Paige Hareb (NZL) 1704
8 – Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 1519
8 – Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 1519
10 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 1512
11 – Samantha Cornish (AUS) 1308
12 – Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 1116
12 – Alana Blanchard (HAW) 1116
14 – Bruna Schmitz (BRA) 1110
15 – Amee Donohoe (AUS) 918
16 – Layne Beachley (AUS) 756
16 – Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 756

Cover Girl: Carissa Moore first girl on cover of Surfer Magazine in over 10 years

High school student and rock star surfer Carissa Moore is the first female to grace the cover of Surfer Magazine in over a decade.

Last November Moore became the youngest surfer to ever win a Triple Crown event just after splitting with longtime sponsor Roxy and signing a huge sponsorship deal with Nike and Red Bull.

With her appearance on the cover of Surfer Magazine, the 16-year-old high school junior is the first female since Lisa Andersen in 1995 to be featured, and only the third girl in the magazine’s 50-year history.

For the moment the teen phenom has lightened her pro surfing load and is just focusing on getting through school (she’s attending Punahou on Oahu, the same school that produced both Michelle Wie and President Obama). That said, the minute she has diploma in hand you know she’s going to be taking the world by storm.

ESPN Action Sports caught up with Carissa to see just how she’s handling it all. Find out what she thinks about high school gossip, not wanting a driver’s license, how she was punked and whether she has a date for the Junior Dance.

Silvana Lima claims maiden ASP Dream Tour Victory at Rip Curl Women’s Pro

BELLS BEACH, Victoria (Sunday, April 12, 2009) – Brazil’s Silvana Lima, 24, claimed her maiden ASP Women’s World Tour victory today, defeating reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion and two-time defending event winner Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, to take the Rip Curl Women’s Pro presented by Ford New Fiesta and become the first Brazilian in history ever to win at the iconic venue.

Event No. 2 of 8 on the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Rip Curl Women’s Pro culminated today with an action-packed Final that saw both athletes pushing the levels of high-performance surfing. Despite both surfers racking up high scores, it was Lima who would rise to the occasion and ring the bell for her inaugural win.

“This feels amazing,” Lima said. “This is the first World Tour event I’ve ever won and to win it at Bells Beach is like a dream. To be the first winner from Brazil to ring the Bell, it’s amazing. I am so happy. I hope everyone in Brazil stays up and parties big.”

The high-flying Brazilian wasted no time in racking up scores against Gilmore, opening with a 9.17 before backing it up with an 8.17 in the opening minutes of the Final to put her opponent on the ropes.

“Steph (Gilmore) is so good out there in any conditions and I knew I needed to get scores on top of her quickly,” Lima said. “I was able to get really strong waves at the start and my boards felt like they were working really well.”

The win rockets Lima into No. 2 on the ASP Women’s World Tour ratings, once again cementing her position as a legitimate ASP Women’s World Title threat.

“The World Title is always my goal, every year,” Lima said. “Last year was a really good year for me, but I couldn’t win an event. Now that I have a win, my confidence is very high and I look forward to the next event.”

Gilmore was the form surfer of the morning, eliminating Paige Hareb (NZL), 18, in a close Quarterfinal before racking up the highest single-wave score of the event (a 9.60 out of a possible 10) in her Semifinal bout, but was unable to find a rhythm against her South American opponent in the Final.

“Silvana (Lima) finally got me and she was ripping,” Gilmore said. “Her win was well-deserved and I hope it creates a great rivalry for the year ahead.”

Despite her runner-up finish, Gilmore has further established her stranglehold on the ASP Women’s World Tour ratings lead heading into the mid-year break.

“Of course I’m disappointed not to come away with the win but runner-up is still a solid result for me,” Gilmore said. “Bells is one of those places that makes you hungry to come out on top and it would have been amazing to get three in a row. Congratulations to Silvana though and I’ll look ahead to the rest of the year.”

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 18, 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie and last year’s ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) No. 1, put is a solid performance at the Rip Curl Women’s Pro, ousting veteran Jacqueline Silva (BRA) and former seven-time ASP Women’s World Champion Layne Beachley (AUS), 36, from competition before falling to Gilmore in today’s Semifinal.

“I had an okay start but Steph (Gilmore) really came steaming back with some big scores,” Fitzgibbons said. “There were definitely a few waves I would have loved to have been on, but that’s how our sport goes and the ocean wasn’t in my favor this time around. Last year was a good year for me so I am trying to take confidence from that to find a big result as the year progresses.”

Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 25, former ASP Women’s World Champion, put in another strong performance at Bells Beach, taking down Samantha Cornish (AUS), 28, before falling to eventual winner Lima in the Semifinals.

“It is still a pretty good result and I am happy for that,” Mulanovich said. “I couldn’t do anything out there so it was frustrating. I was a bit nervous and couldn’t really read the waves that well. I was just falling off, getting stuck on my turns and once you do it once, it gets stuck in your head so it is a little bit psychological. I am always stoked to come back here though. I love this wave and I love this place.’

Highlights from the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford New Fiesta available via www.live.ripcurl.com

The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Snickers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:30am for a possible 8am start.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Silvana Lima (AUS) 17.34
2 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 13.06

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.60 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.67
SF 2: Silvana Lima (BRA) 15.00 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 7.57

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.50 def. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 12.00
QF 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 8.43 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 7.50
QF 3: Silvana Lima (BRA) 7.23 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 7.07
QF 4: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.83 def. Samantha Cornish (AUS) 7.50

(via press release)

Steph Gilmore claims Roxy Pro crown

Hands down the most dominante woman in the world right now, TWO-time world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore is off to the perfect start in 2009, taking out the season opening Roxy Pro at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast.

The 21-year-old, affectionately known as Happy, had more than 10,000 people singing her praise as she stormed home to reclaim her Roxy Pro throne.

Four years after winning the event as a teenage wild card the reigning world champion rocked the final in front of the record crowd for a Womens World Tour surfing event.

It is the first time Gilmore, who is a member of the Snapper Rocks Surfriders club, has won her home event since taking the title as a 17-year-old in 2005. The phenomenal natural-footer has been a perennial event favorite at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast but despite her extensive local knowledge, Gilmore had failed to secure a solid result at home since beginning her ASP Dream Tour campaign until this comp.

From Round 1 through the Final the reigning world champ made short work of everybody she faced. In the final  Gilmore against Hawaii’s Melanie Bartels in two- to three-foot waves, and registered the day’s high single-wave score of a 9.57 to open the heat, after a long series of fin releases and power turns.

“It’s a new start for me,” said Steph. “To win on your home turf, in front of all these people, it’s unbelievable.”

Despite the disappointing showing in Final, Bartels’ runner-up finish sees the Hawaiian rocket up the ratings from ASP World No. 7 to No. 2 heading into the rest of the season.

Gilmore now leads the world championship rankings in her quest for third consecutive title.

The next stop on the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour is the Rip Curl Women’s Pro presented by Ford New Fiesta at Bells Beach from April 8 – 13, 2009

Roxy Pro surf contest on but women’s tour may be facing wipeout

The stage is set for a stellar finish to the Roxy Pro Gold Coast with quarterfinalists being decided in rising 1-metre waves at Duranbah on the southern end of Australia’s Gold Coast today.

The season-opening ASP women’s world tour tournament returned to the water this morning for the first time in almost a week, with rounds two and three being completed ahead of this afternoon’s quarterfinals.

It will be a battle of the rookies in quarterfinal one, with Kiwi upstart Paige Hareb taking on Brazilian Bruna Schmitz.

This will be followed by the battle of local stars; with reigning and two-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore coming up against former world champion Chelsea Hedges in quarter two.

Hawaii’s Coco Ho will take on Australian Rebecca Woods in quarter three, whilst Hawaiian Melanie Bartels is matched up against Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich in the final quarterfinal.

Just as Gilmore begins a quest to win a third championship in as many years on the ASP Women’s World Tour,  a formidable force looms on the close horizon — for all 17 surfers on the elite tour. It’s the ravaged economy, which threatens to wipeout a large chunk of the tour schedule.

The LA Times’ Pete Thomas writes:

Corporate sponsors, ailing because of sluggish sales and mounting debt, have either pulled out or are contemplating pulling out of some events in order to cut costs.

There are eight contests on the World Tour schedule but at least one — a prestigious event next winter at Sunset Beach on Oahu — has no sponsor and might be dropped. Roxy, which operates under the Quiksilver umbrella, was the title sponsor last year.

Also, Billabong reportedly is considering dropping sponsorship of one of two contests on the women’s schedule: the Billabong Girls Pro Rio.

At least two other contests are in jeopardy this year, so whoever wins the world title might do so on a severely diminished schedule.

Said ASP Women’s World Tour Manager Brooke Farris, in an e-mail:

“The financial crisis is being felt by the ASP and the best women surfers in the world. We are currently actively seeking a sponsor for the ASP Women’s World Tour event at Sunset Beach as well as trying to confirm a number of events on the tour.

Hopefully the ASP will find those partnerships and quickly. The men’s 10-contest World Tour schedule, an ASP spokesman said, is so far intact.

Silver Surfer: 72 year old Kitty Pechet wins ESA Open Women title

I love hearing stories like this:

Seventy-two-year-old Grand Legend Kitty Pechet (pronounced PECK-et) didn’t let the 32 degree water temperature and 28 degree air temperature stop her from winning the Open Women’s title at the 2009 New England Mid-Winter Regionals held February 20th in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Kitty is from Cambridge, Massachusetts.  She charged to the win by picking off two solid rights, working them into the beach for the title.

This year marked the 41st consecutive New England Mid-Winter Surfing Championships, making it the oldest and longest running winter surfing contest in the world. 

A quick search for info about surf champion Kitty and the story gets even better. 

The grandmother of four is a minor New England surfing legend. Petite (barely 5 feet tall) and self-effacing (”I’m a terrible surfer”), Kitty is a serious artist who challenged gender barriers at Harvard University in the pre-feminist era. She never touched a surfboard until paddling past age 50, when one of her sons caught the surfing bug and needed a lift to the beach.

In a Boston Globe article titled The Silver Surfer,

“Surfing has become a metaphor for life, my life” Pechet says during an interview at her spacious home in Cambridge, which she shares with her husband, Harvard University professor Dr. Maurice Pechet, a member of the medical school’s Board of Fellows . “You paddle out, turn around, choose a wave, and miss it or catch it. When you get up, you finish, fall off, turn around, and paddle out again.”

Surfing “is a survival skill for the body and the soul,” she continues, surrounded by her painting and calligraphy, examples of which cover the studio walls. “Surfing and art have kept me healthy, physically, emotionally, artistically, and spiritually.”

According to the article, the more Pechet surfed, the better and more confident she got. The better she got, the greater the spillover effect on her art was. Paintings once rendered in tight, calligraphic brushstrokes began exploding with energy and color. Small graph-paper squares gave way to sprawling canvases. Her paintings became both more personal and more political.

“It was like they’d been waiting all their lives to be painted,” says Pechet, who studies and teaches at Watertown’s Turtle Studios, an artist-run educational and cultural collaborative. She also teaches art classes at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and Harvard Neighbors program.

Surfing and art – how much better can it get?

Surfing: Pauline Ado claims ASP World Junior Title

France’s Pauline Ado, 17 has sensationally made ASP history as the first non-Australian female to claim the undisputed ASP Junior World Title, defeating opponent Bethany Hamilton (HAW), 18, in a hard-fought Final at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships at North Narabeen.

Hamilton, who suffered the loss of her left arm during a Tiger Shark attack in 2003, put in an inspirational performance, beating Australian favourite Laura Enever and Hawaiian Leila Hurst to make the final.

Ado now joins the prestigious ranks of past ASP World Junior Champions Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), 22, Nicola Atherton (AUS), 22, and Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 18 – all three past champions qualifying for the prestigious ASP Women’s World Tour within one season of claiming the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

In addition to being crowned ASP World Junior Champion, Ado will also receive a guaranteed seed into the second-to-last seeded round of all ASP WQS events in 2009, giving the young natural-footer a great advantage as she vies for a position on the elite ASP Women’s World Tour in 2010.

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (WOMEN) FINAL:
1 – Pauline Ado (FRA) 13.43
2 – Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 12.47

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (WOMEN) SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Pauline Ado (FRA) 12.17 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 10.00
SF 2: Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 11.50 def. Leila Hurst (HAW) 10.07

BILLABONG ASP WORLD JUNIORS (WOMEN) QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Pauline Ado (FRA) 16.33 def. Arini Mason (NZL) 11.87
QF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 18.23 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 10.33
QF 3: Leila Hurst (HAW) 11.17 def. Diana Cristina (BRA) 9.23
QF 4: Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 14.83 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 12.77

2009 Women’s World Tour surfers announced

December 29, 2008 – The best female surfers in the world are locked in and the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour looks to be one for the record books. Days after the conclusion of the Women’s ASP World Tour season in Maui the roster for next year’s Tour has been finalized. 

While the surfers on tour will include 11 Women’s World Title holders represented over four competitors – Stephanie Gilmore Layne Beachley, Sofia Mulanovich and Chelsea Hedges – there are also five rookies joining the vets — all teenagers.

Sally Fitzgibbons, 18, made history earlier this year by becoming the fastest surfer ever to qualify for the world tour in a season.  She will be joined by Brazil’s Bruna Schmitz, Kiwi Paige Hareb, Hawaiian Alana Blanchard (all 18) and Coco Ho, 17.

Aussies will dominate the tour, with Fitzgibbons and current world champ Stephanie Gilmore leading eight of their compatriots.

Seven-time world champ Layne Beachley remains on the tour, though she previously announced her retirement.  The move allows her to still compete at some events, though she will not participate in all events (there are eight total events).

The new season kicks off on Feb. 28, 2009 with the Roxy Pro Gold Coast.

Here are the 2009 World Tour Surfers:
1 – Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
2 – Silvana Lima (BRA)
3 – Sofia Mulanovich (PER)
4 – Layne Beachley (AUS)
5 – Amee Donohoe (AUS)
6 – Samantha Cornish (AUS)
7 – Melanie Bartels (HAW)
8 – Rebecca Woods (AUS)
9 – Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
10 – Jacqueline Silva (BRA)
11 – Chelsea Hedges (AUS)
12 – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
13 – Rosanne Hodge (ZAF)
14 – Bruna Schmitz (BRA)
15 – Paige Hareb (NZL)

Carissa Moore becomes youngest Vans Triple Crown Champion

November 24, 2008 – The 2008 Reef Hawaiian Pro was always going to be about the new guard of women’s surfing from the opening heat of competition. And when it was over, Haleiwa crowned it’s youngest ever Vans Triple Crown of Surfing event champion in 16-year-old Carissa Moore.

Seems that Moore, who just dropped her longtime sponsor Roxy and signed a huge sponsorship deal with Nike and Red Bull, is making history on all fronts.

Moore won her way through every round of the competition from the preliminary trials heat that awarded one wildcard spot into the event. She now leads the 2008 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series ratings.

Three teenagers and a 36-year-old, 7-time world champion featured in the 30-minute final. Moore won, multiple world champ Layne Beachley (Australia) was second, 17-year-old Laura Enever (Australia) was third, and North Shore local Coco Ho, 17, was fourth.

While Moore’s rise to the win came with calm, sure-footedness, there was no shortage of drama around her to help pave the road to victory.

First came the fourth place elimination of reigning world champion Stephanie Gilmore (Australia) in quarter final one.

Next came the quarter final defeat of Alana Blanchard (Hawaii), who was hoping for a final finish today to guarantee her qualification onto the 2009 ASP women’s World Tour.

In the final, 17-year-old Coco Ho was at the center of drama. A win here would have guaranteed Ho a start on the 2009 elite World Tour, but after finding herself in fourth for most of the heat, her focus shifted to securing the win for Moore. With less than a minute remaining, Beachley was in need of little more than six points to steal the win from Moore. Ho took off, dropping in on Beachley, popping an air above her head and effectively shutting down Layne’s scoring potential in a classic case of schoolgirl tactics.

While it will never be known if Layne would have earned the score she needed to win, its indisputable that Moore earned the victory on the merits of her surfing alone.

As the final ASP women’s World Qualifying Series (WQS) event of the year, all eyes will now shift to the next two stops on the Vans Triple Crown to determine the final lineup for the 2009 women’s ASP World Tour: the Roxy Pro (Nov.24-Dec.6) and the Billabong Pro Maui (Dec. 8-20).

In addition to being the second of three stops on the 2008 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, this week’s Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach carries the added weight of potentially crowning the 2008 ASP Women’s World Champion.  Will Aussie Stephanie Gilmore, 20, reigning ASP Women’s World Champion and current No. 1 on the ASP Women’s World Tour successfully defend her title?

Teenage surfing phenom Carissa Moore’s big deal

November 18, 2008 – Eleven-time NSSA National champ, former Roxy Pro Gold Coast runner-up and sure-to-be future world champ Carissa Moore has just upped the ante – this time in the sponsorship arena.

Recently split from her longtime sponsor Roxy, the Hawaiian teen has signed two major deals – one with Red Bull and the other with Nike 6.0. 

According to Surfing Magazine,

All said and done, the 16-year-old Punahou junior will likely be enjoying one of the most lucrative contracts in female pro surfing history (estimated to be in the range of three-quarters of a million dollars by one anonymous source). “Carissa’s new agreements have for the first time ever shattered the glass ceiling of surfing sponsorship, opening up new and never heard of before possibilities for other surfers to eventually emulate,” says [agent Bryan] Taylor.

Moore is apparently also close to making a deal with a major department store – kind of like the deal snowboarder Shaun White made earlier this year to “design” a fashion line for Target.

And as a “head to toe” Nike rider, Moore will likely be marketed not just in the surf world, but in some of their more mainstream campaigns as well joining the likes of well-known Nike athletes Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova and LeBron James.

After eight years with Roxy, Moore’s split from the sponsor who’s been with her since the beginning is truly the end of an era. It seems a bittersweet transition but it’s great that Nike and Red Bull are stepping up to the plate with women’s surfing and Moore seems a great choice to represent the sport.

To other brands looking for the TNBT – there’s a whole new generation of super groms stealing the show.

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