Thank you xx

Surfers Against Sewage Education Tour

Coastal environmental education programme reaches out to schools in the North East.

Surfers Against Sewage’s innovative environmental education programme will be visiting the North East of England from the 21st to 26th May, with the support of the Quiksilver Foundation. The SAS education team will be visiting locations from Mablethorpe to Newcastle, visiting schools and colleges along the way.

SAS educational sessions provide up-to-date information and local actions that can be taken by the students in tackling marine pollution, complementing the cross-curricular syllabus at primary and secondary levels. SAS believes that inspiring young people and providing them with the tools to help protect our oceans, waves and beaches, will help create a new generation of environmental ambassadors.

Dominic Ferris, SAS Campaigns & Education Officer says: “Through our educational programme we hope to share the beauty and complexity of our marine environments, giving students and the wider community the inspiration, knowledge and tools to help protect the UK’s precious waves, oceans and beaches.”

SAS’s school presentation is delivered in classrooms, assemblies and even on beaches, and includes a specially designed presentation and interactive environmental board game, ‘Marineopoly’. The lessons cover all of SAS’s latest initiatives including campaigns on sewage pollution, marine litter, climate change, toxic chemicals, shipping and wave protection.

Every student participating in the sessions will receive a ‘SAS Green Ambassador’ certificate and an ‘SAS Quiksilver Education Tour’ interactive educational booklet, along with the chance to win special SAS & Quiksilver prizes for contributions during the presentation. The SAS educational programme has received very positive feedback from schools across the country and has already communicated the importance of protecting UK beaches to thousands of students nationwide.

“The talk that Surfers Against Sewage gave was brilliant! We filled the lecture theatre and some people actually had to sit on the stairs.” Falmouth University Student Union.

Surfers Against Sewage is an environmental charity protecting the UK’s oceans, waves and beaches for all to enjoy safely and sustainably, via community action, campaigning, volunteering, conservation, education and scientific research. SAS projects target environmental issues affecting beaches including marine litter, sewage pollution, climate change, toxic chemicals, shipping and coastal development. SAS has over 50,000 active supporters across the UK.

The Quiksilver Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to benefiting and enhancing the quality of life for communities of boardriders across the world by supporting environmental, educational, health and youth-related projects. The Quiksilver Foundation is a long-standing supporter of SAS’s educational programme, so please do take a moment to check out all the projects they are involved with – the-quiksilver-initiative.com/Foundation

For more information please contact Dom Ferris, SAS Campaign & Education Officer, 01872 553 001 or dom@sas.org.uk

For more information on Surfers Against Sewage campaigns and environmental initiatives please visit www.sas.org.uk

However there was a blip a few days ago so Sarah Bentley grabbed Holly and Alexa and photog Mike and drove down to the south coast for a board test we’d been planning for ages. Big smiles all around as they greeted by two foot surf and sunshine. It was like an oasis in a desert and true it wasn’t epic but it was summer for a day wahoo! Here’s Holly, Sarah and Alexa having some fun on the south coast. Photos and story will be in the next issue out on July 1st.

Hawaii usually means big boards when we talk surf. Dave Rastovich included. Though the difference between your guns and his, is that he still rides them with 2 fins not 3.
Rasta never discriminates against any board, stating that they simply resemble different types of musical instruments all playing a different sound.
There’s no such thing as a “bad” board for Dave.

Check Billabong Blog’s page here:
www.billabong.com/eu/blog-post/3158/dave-rastovich

Earlier this year at the Hurley Pro in Manly Mikala and I got a opportunity to meet some of the world’s best female surfers and find out what life is like as a professional surfer girl. It’s the life we all dream about traveling the world with your friends surfing and exploring new places. There is so much more to it than that, we found out pretty quickly. They all have pressure to perform at their best and have to answer media requests, also sponsor duties and much more going on.

The first girl we got to speak to was Sally Fitzgibbons and I’m not going to lie I was a tad nervous as she is a bit of a hero to me.  Within a minute of meeting her Mikala and I both felt at ease, as it was evident she was just like us just a millions times better surfer. She knew what she was doing in the interview way more than I did and showed maturity beyond her years but also was super friendly and instantly likeable.

After Sally we got to hang by the skate bowl with Tyler Wright, who was great to chat to as well, pretty funny and easy going. A few days later we spoke to the inspirational and amazing surfer girl Bethany Hamilton. What a beautiful soul and presence she has. We were completely swamped by young admirers asking her to marry them.

Getting to spend time with theses girls just makes you realize that it takes an incredible amount of strength of character, determination, drive, talent and desire to succeed to make it in the female professional surfing world. It also made me think that anything is possible if you have the courage to pursue your dreams like these girls are doing!

Happy watching and surfing X

Words by Hayley Shaw McGuinness

BARRA DA TIJUCA, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Sunday, May 13, 2012) – Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 21, has taken out the Billabong Women’s Rio Pro over Coco Ho (HAW), 21, by a score of 14.10 to 14.03 in peaky one-to-three foot (.5 metre) waves at the primary venue of Barra da Tijuca.

Event No. 5 of 7 on the 2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, the Billabong Pro Rio culminated in a thrilling fashion this afternoon with both Fitzgibbons and Ho exchanging the Final’s lead multiple times before the hooter sounded..

In need of a high 7-point ride with just minutes remaining in the heat, Fitzgibbons bashed a blowing lefthander on her backside, notching a 7.93 out of 10 to take the elite win, her second of the year.

“That was so crazy and Coco (Ho) had me on the ropes for sure,” Fitzgibbons said. “I just had my fingers crossed and knew there would be one towards the end. I made a few mistakes and it happens in Finals but I was able to recover there at the end. I’m so excited.”

Fitzgibbons, current No. 2 on the ASP Women’s WCT, has significantly narrowed the gap between her and current ASP frontrunner Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 24, but remained humble in regards to her chase for the 2012 ASP World Title.

“This makes the World Title race more interesting, but thinking ahead, it’s still pretty far to go,” Fitzgibbons said. “There are still a couple of events, but to get a win, it’s an amazing result. To win at Bells too, it’s been an awesome year so far.”

Ho, who was ranked 12th on the ASP Women’s WCT ratings before the Billabong Rio Pro, had yet to advance beyond the Quarterfinals this year, but her Runner-Up finish to Fitzgibbons vaults the young Hawaiian to 9th in the world and restores her confidence to appropriate levels.

“This result really opens things up for me,” Ho said. “I’ve been having a really tough year and I’m stoked to get into this Final. This is my best result of the year and this has been an important event for me. Congrats to Sally on her win.”

Carissa Moore (HAW), 19, last year’s Billabong Rio Pro winner and reigning ASP Women’s World Champion, was edged out of a hard-fought battle against Fitzgibbons in their high-scoring Semifinal affair. Both competitors posted big-scores in the dying seconds of the heat, but it was Fitzgibbons who earned the best of the exchange, handing Moore and equal 3rd place result.

“I think we all want to make the Final and it’s disappointing,” Moore said. “I’ve lost to Sally (Fitzgibbons)twice this year and I’ve just got to keep trying in the next couple of events and that’s it.”

Moore, who was dominant over the course of 2011, has yet to find a win this year, but remains focused on attaining a strong performance to end out the season..

“I think it’s been a bunch of things this year,” Moore said. “I think finding the right waves is one thing overall and I need to switch it up and bring something different out.”

Alessa Quizon (HAW), 18, Billabong Rio Pro wildcard, put in an incredible performance at this year’s event, tearing through the world’s best female surfers and finding her way into the Semifinals. Quizon put up a good fight against fellow Hawaiian Coco Ho, but ultimately fell during last minute exchange, finishing with a respectable equal 3rd place finish overall.

“This has been an amazing event for me,” Quizon said. “I had nothing to lose and it’s been a great learning experience for me and I’m happy that I made it to the Semifinals. I could tell that Coco (Ho) was getting the scores that she needed and I was looking for one big score and I just didn’t find it. Sometimes it happens that way.”

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am local time for a possible recommencement to men’s Billabong Rio Pro competition. For all of the LIVE action log on to www.billabongpro.com

The Billabong Rio Pro is proudly supported by Monster Energy Drink and Xperia Sony Smartphone.

The next stop on the 2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour is the Roxy Pro Biarritz from July 10 – 14, 2012

BILLABONG WOMEN’S RIO PRO FINAL RESULT:
1 - Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.10
2 - Coco Ho (HAW) 14.03

BILLABONG WOMEN’S RIO PRO SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Coco Ho (HAW) 14.16 def. Alessa Quizon (HAW) 10.94
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.47 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.36

CURRENT ASP WOMEN’S WCT TOP 5 (After Billabong Rio Pro):
1. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 38,400 pts
2. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 36,900 pts
3. Carissa Moore (HAW) 30,200 pts
4. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 29,600 pts
5. Tyler Wright (AUS) 28,700 pts

This includes the reigning Girls Pro champion and second of the 2011 ASP Women’s World Tour, Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), as well as four-time ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS). One of the most interesting aspiring rookies is 19-year-old Courtney Conlogue (USA). Hailing from Orange County, California, she’s currently ranked third in the ASP Women’s World Tour and just recently won the ASP event at Northern Beaches, Australia. The line-up will also include some young, but already established riders like 21-year-olds Coco Ho (HAW) and Pauline Ado (FRA), or 20-year-old Justine Dupont (FRA). Bruna Schmitz (BRA) and Rosy Hodge (RSA) also rank among the favourites.

Seignosse Hossegor is Europe’s Mecca of surfing and located at the Atlantic coast in the Southwest of France. With its 230 kilometres of sand beaches, the “Côte d’Argent“ offers Europe’s longest uninterrupted succession of beach breaks. The selected spot for the contest will only be known at the last minute according to the wave condition forecast. The organizers want a maximum of flexibility and mobility to offer the best conditions to the best women surfers.

More information can be found at www.jpsurfboards.co.uk/demoday.php and their Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/JP-Surfboards/110579025658821