World Tour rookie Lakey Peterson off to an ideal start at 2012 Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic
America’s Lakey Peterson kicked-off the 2012 Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic with an impressive win in the opening heat of Round 1 that went down at Dee Why point in Sydney, Australia, on Thursday, April 19.
An ideal result in the opening heat of the fourth of seven stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Title Series served to carry Peterson directly into the third round. France’s Pauline Ado was forced to settle for second
place, while Australia’s Laura Enever finished in third place. This resulted in the relegation of both the surfers into Round 2.
After keeping the event on hold on Wednesday in order to make the most of the approaching high tide, the organisers were not disappointed on Thursday. Three-to-five foot waves were breaking at Dee Why point, convincing the fans that they would be witnessing
a series of exciting and intense battles between the elite ASP Top 17 female surfers.
The first heat of Round 1 pitted Peterson against Ado and Enever in a battle for the Round 3 slot without having to surf in Round 2.
Looking for a solid start in order to build upon it as the event progressed, the 17-year-old Peterson came down hard on her rivals during the course of the heat. The ASP Women’s World Tour rookie and current No.6 on the ASP Women’s World rankings showed
absolutely no jitters as she took on the tour veterans and managed to put on an impressive show for the crowd. Scoring a 7.25 off her very first wave and backing it up with a 5.50-point wave in the dying minutes of the heat, the young American surfer finished
with a heat-total of 12.75 points, which remained unbeatable until the end to seal her place in the third round.
“The waves were really tricky,” Peterson conceded after the heat. “When the right ones come you just had to be on them. I got lucky. I’ve never surfed Dee Why, it was good to get my feet wet and make it through that first heat. Right now a big goal of mine
is to finish the year as ASP Rookie Of The Year. You’re only a rookie once and I want to make the most of it.”
Ado and Enever failed to make much of an impact in the opening hour of the event. While the French surfer finished with a two-wave total of 8.50 points, the local talent disappointed her crowd by scoring a 4.00 and 2.40 off her best-two waves for a heat-total
of 6.40 points.
The thrilling action continued at Dee Why point with the remaining Round 1 heats of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic.
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