The Change Mariner

11-year-old moore wins her way to quarter finals of roxy pro in Hawii

TripleCrownSurfing:
Eleven year-old Carissa Moore (Kahala, Hawaii) battled victory at sea conditions and a stellar lineup to win her way into the quarter finals of the $30,000 Roxy Pro at Haleiwa today - the opening event of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. After fighting her way through an onslaught of 4-6 foot waves at the start of the heat, Moore set straight to work against current world No.4 Heather Clark (South Africa), former world No.2 Serena Brooke (Australia) and Dara Penfold (Australia) to eventually turn the tables and win the heat. Moore entered the event at the seeded second round with a wildcard berth.

"It was a little bit scary, but I've surfed here at Haleiwa in competitions before and I've been out here practicing for this."

Conditions were particularly difficult for Moore, with blustery side-shore winds making hard work of it for the young surfer who weighed half as much as any of her rivals. Still, she flitted across the waves like a feather as she notched up a total of six rides in the 20 minute heat. Her best two scores gave a total of 8.27 (5.10 and 3.17) points and saw her eliminate Brooke and Penfold. After losing today, Brooke is now borderline for requalifying for next year's elite World Championship Tour (WCT).
"It was a little bit scary," said Moore, "but I've surfed here at Haleiwa in competitions before and I've been out here practicing for this. I was definitely excited to be out there. My goal for this event was just to do my best for me. I'm pretty surprised."