Carissa Moore takes on surfing elite in men’s Vans Triple Crown of Surfing 2011 (Part 3)
The 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Champion, Carissa Moore, had left Haleiwa, the famed North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, pretty disappointed on November 22 after failing to secure a victory in her first and only heat of the Reef
Hawaiian Pro’s Round of 96 (Round 6), which consequently led to her elimination from the competition. She had been in the spotlight for making history by competing against some of the biggest sharks of surfing at two events of men’s Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
Speculations were being made and miracles were expected to happen.
However, the 19-year-old Hawaiian was not found slaying any dragons and finished in fourth position in her heat, which left her disappointed as she felt that she could have offered a more effective challenge to her competitors. However, she did not allow
the defeat to put her down too much and remained optimistic about her next bout that was scheduled to take place in the second round of Vans Triple Crown of Surfing’s second stop, Vans Hawaiian Pro, on November 28.
Much to her dismay, Moore found herself pitted against three extremely talented surfers, namely Australia’s Mitch Coleborn, Tahiti’s Alain Riou and Hawaii’s Sunny Garcia, in a wave-starved heat 14 of Round of 96. She had found herself fighting for a limited
number of waves on offer in her previous heat, which had not gone well and now she found herself in a very similar situation once again.
During the heat, the Honolulu-based Moore held nothing back as she competed against her three competitors and even rose to second place at one stage, though the joy was short-lived as she got pushed to third place by the time the battle concluded.
Despite her third place finish and consequent elimination from the competition in her very first heat once again, Moore was applauded for her impressive performance by her competitors. Garcia, who clinched top honours in the heat, had reminded his 19-year-old
Hawaiian rival before the battle had gotten underway that she is an excellent surfers and deserved to be in the event. After the conclusion of the heat, his opinion about Moore had not changed at all and he still regarded her as a worthy opponent.
Moore seemed much more satisfied from her performance as compared to her performance at Haleiwa a week back. Commenting on the outcome of the heat and her sentiments, she said, I was in second for a little bit of that heat, then I dropped to third and all
I needed was a five before Sunny got that eight. I was like, 'I can do this, all I need is a wave!' But unfortunately not too many came in and I wasn't able to jump on another one. It feels awesome just to come and be welcomed in after that heat. People were
stoked. It means a lot to me. If I can walk away today inspiring somebody else to follow their dreams... then mission accomplished.”
There are very few who would argue with the statement that Moore actually did accomplish what she was looking for and her performance was indeed inspiring. She was up against some of the most intimidating surfers in the world and the way she went hard at
them, one could not help but feel respect for the female surfer.
The experience of surfing against the sharks of surfing would indeed contribute to the grown of Moore as a surfer. She had already proved her mettle against the best females surfers from around the globe. She now pushed the boundaries of female surfing even
further by stepping into men’s territory. She may have failed to clinch top honours, but she had shown a lot of promise and courage during her battles, which consequently earned her a lot of respect.
Moore deserved a standing ovation for her courage to accept an offer to compete against the world’s best surfers at the first two events of men’s Van Triple Crown of Surfing and should be applauded for the her effort. Indeed, the female surfing has made
its way into spotlight, with much of the credit for its development and progress going to Moore.
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