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"While at the hair salon the stylist forgot me under the dryer, my hair fried, and is ruined forever. In short I left the place crying and every day I have to pin it up so it doesn't frizz out of control," writes 17-year-old Carissa Moore on her blog, ruminating on the merits of inner beauty while coming to terms with a botched hair cut.
For a teenage girl, that's a tough way to go into the US Open. Most would probably lock themselves in their room, turn up the Justin Bieber, and bawl about it for days. Moore's hardly one to be deterred by a little frizz. As the ladies took the water yesterday in Huntington, with the recent announcement that the first place prize money had just been jacked up to $50,000 still buzzing around the competitors' area, Moore went out, asserted herself and left all the other girls with the complex.
In her third round heat, which Moore admitted "could have been a final," she faced up against reigning world champ Stephanie Gilmore, reigning world junior champ Laura Enever, and reigning US Open champ Courtney Conlogue.
"Every one of those girls just rips and especially with the conditions out here, it's a little random, so everyone can do anything at anytime," she said in her post heat interview. "It's pretty crazy that Nike decided to step up and decided to put 50 grand for first place for the girls. I think it's awesome. There's a lot more on the line and a lot more excitement, and I think it's great to have them support us like that."
But don't kid yourself, on the other side of the draw is Ms. Sally Fitzgibbons, who's proving to be Moore's emerging rival. Ranked second in the world, Fitzgibbons has been in form all year long. It's hardly a stretch to imagine her and Moore in the final together, especially when you consider in Round Three Fitzgibbons earned a 9.0 for one wave, and an event-high 17.17 combined heat score for the round.
"I was feeling really good out there and in rhythm of the sets," she said. "It was fun out there."
The ladies roll through Rounds Three and Four today, and after that have a couple days to digest what the 50 large on the table means to not only them, but the entire direction of women's surfing. Nike 6.0's been diligently filming a women's surf movie for the last year, so there's little question their keen on keeping the support going, but it'll be interesting to see how the rest of the boys in the business react.
Ah, and one final note, young Alana Blanchard was a winner on the day. As always, it's nice to see her getting back in the mix, and hopefully back on tour.
US Open of Surfing Women's Round of 24 Results:
Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.94, Laura Enever (AUS) 14.67, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.37, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 10.30
Heat 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 9.50, Tyler Wright (AUS) 9.07, Sayuri Hashimoto (JPN) 10.10, Paige Hareb (NZL) 4.00
Heat 3: Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 7.33, Chantelle Rautenbach (ZAF) 6.66, Malia Manuel (HAW) 6.40, Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 4.87
Heat 4: Justine Dupont (FRA) 11.83, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 8.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 7.73, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 4.43
Heat 5: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 17.17, Sarah Baum (ZAF) 13.60, Cannelle Bulard (REU) 7.70, Karina Petroni (USA) 6.17
Heat 6: Alana Blanchard (HAW) 11.57, Nicola Atherton (AUS) 8.93, Claudia Goncalves (BRA) 5.07, Mizuki Hagiwara (JPN) 3.95
US Open of Surfing Women's Round of 48 Results:
Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.07, Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.93, Pauline Ado (FRA) 11.87, Arini Mason (NZL) 5.93
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.34, Paige Hareb (NZL) 9.13, Valaria Sole (PER) 5.50, Gabi Cope (HAW) 3.17
Heat 3: Lakey Peterson (USA) 15.50, Laura Enever (AUS) 11.74, Bruna Schmitz (BRA) 6.26, Natalie Anzavino (USA) 6.06
Heat 4: Sayuri Hashimoto (JPN) 10.10, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 8.57, Laurina McGrath (AUS) 5.47, Francisca Santos (PRT) 4.43
Heat 5: Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 8.06, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 7.23, Anastasia Ashley (USA) 3.93, Ornella Pellizzari (ARG) 2.53
Heat 6: Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.84, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 12.03, Leila Hurst (HAW) 9.93, Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 8.73
Heat 7: Sage Erickson (USA) 11.73, Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 8.90, Keleigh Gilchrist (USA) 8.53, Nage Melamed (HAW) 5.20
Heat 8: Justine Dupont (FRA) 10.00, Chantelle Rautenbach (ZAF) 8.23, Silvana Lima (BRA) 7.47, Joana Rocha (PRT) 2.64
Heat 9: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.60, Claudia Goncalves (BRA) 7.73, Freya Prumm (AUS) 7.43, Erica Hosseini (USA) 6.73
Heat 10: Canelle Bulard (REU) 6.16, Alana Blanchard (HAW) 5.17, Lee Ann Curren (FRA) 4.13, Shelby Detmers (USA) 2.86
Heat 11: Nicola Atherton (AUS) 12.00, Karina Petroni (USA) 10.77, Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 9.40, Leilani Gryde (HAW) 5.94
Heat 12: Mizuki Hagiwara (JPN) 7.93, Sarah Baum (ZAF) 7.26, Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 5.87, Coco Ho (HAW) 4.84
US Open of Surfing Women's Round of 60 Results:
Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 6.50, Valeria Sole (PER) 6.44, Alessa Quizon (HAW) 5.07, Amy Nicholl (USA) 3.50
Heat 2: Natalie Anvizino (USA) 10.76, Laurina McGrath (AUS) 5.07, Jessica Santorik (NZL) 4.60, Louisa Noble (GBR) 1.64
Heat 3: Felicity Palmateer (AUS) 10.33, Leila Hurst (HAW) 8.14, Bailey Nagy (HAW) 8.07, Amy Stewart (AUS) 4.37
Heat 4: Nage Melamed (HAW) 12.90, Chantelle Rautenbach (ZAF) 8.25, Monyca Byrne-Wickey (HAW) 7.04, Mackenzie Kissler (USA) 0.50
Heat 5: Freya Prumm (AUS) 8.53, Cannelle Bulard (REU) 7.77, Dimity Stoyle (AUS) 7.60, Quincy Davis (USA) 6.27
Heat 6: Karina Petroni (USA) 10.34, Sarah Baum (ZAF) 9.24, Brittani Nicholl (AUS) 7.20, Bo Stanley (USA) 4.13