Round 1 of TSB Bank NZ Surf Festival resumes in improved conditions
TSB Bank NZ Surf Festival featuring the Dow AgroSciences Pro got all set to resume with Round 1 heats after a brief hold due to low tide at the main event site of Taranaki in New Plymouth, New Zealand, on Thursday, April 4, 2013.
The fourth of seven stops on the 2013 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Championship Tour is expected to play a huge role in this year’s campaign for the coveted World Title, as the season is well poised for an exciting finish.
The female surfers were clearly rearing to go and putting on a spectacular show for the huge crowd that had arrived at the main event site to catch the exciting female athletes in action.
After the first three heats of Round 1, the event was put on hold, as the ASP officials were not too happy with the surfing conditions on hand.
Fortunately, the situation got better, allowing the officials to say the words that the surfers and crowd were hoping to hear.
“We’re going to start with Round 1 at 8am and monitor conditions throughout the morning,” Jessi Miley Dyer, ASP Women’s Tour Manager said. “We’ll watch conditions closely and have placed Round 2 on standby.”
The opening round kicked off with America’s Courtney Conlogue taking on New Zealand’s Paige Hareb and Hawaii’s Malia Manuel in a three-person battle for the Round 3 spot. It turned out to be an intense battle, but the American surfer eventually walked away
with top honours, relegating her two rivals to the second round.
Reigning five-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore from Australia was forced to accompany America’s Sage Erickson to the relegation round after finishing behind Hawaii’s Coco Ho in the second heat.
The third heat saw former ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore from Hawaii got the better of France’s Pauline Ado and New Zealand’s Ella Williams in the third heat to make it through into the third round.
Once the competition resumes, current ASP World Championship Tour No.2 Tyler Wright from Australia will take on South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag and Peruvian Sofia Mulanovich in the fourth heat of Round 1.
Tags: