[i]BILLABONG PRO MAUI (8 December 20 December)
EVENT #9 ON THE ASSOCIATION OF SURFING PROFESSIONALS (ASP) WOMENS WORLD TOUR
Live on www.aspworldtour.com and www.billabongpro.com
The 2005 ASP Womens World Tour is rapidly approaching its apex. In just two short weeks, the final stop on this years tour, the Billabong Pro Maui, will enter its 13-day waiting period at Honolua Bay located on the island of Maui in Hawaii.
With only two days of the December 8-20 competition window needed to decide the Billabong Pro champion, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing champion and most importantly, the 2005 ASP Womens World Tour champion, all are hedging their bets on whether the highest honour will go to current ratings leader Chelsea Georgeson (AUS), or reigning world champion Sofia Mulanovich.
For the rundown of facts on the event please see below [/i]Event Name: Billabong Pro Maui presented by Hawaiian Airlines
Status: The Billabong Pro Maui presented by Hawaiian Airlines is the ninth and final event on the 2005 ASP Womens World Tour. It is here that the 2005 ASP Womens World Tour champion will be crowned.
World Title: The race for the 2005 ASP Womens World Tour title is a two-way tussle between Chelsea Georgeson (AUS) and reigning world champion Sofia Mulanovich (Peru). Between them they have won six of the eight tour events staged this year they are tied with three wins apiece. Georgeson, however, holds the number one ranking going into the event with Mulanovich requiring a win or a second place finish to keep her title. Yet even with a win for Mulanovich, Georgeson must finish in a position worse than second otherwise Mulanovich will be forced to relinquish her crown. If Mulanovich places second, Georgeson can win with a fifth place finish or better.
Location: Honolua Bay, Maui, Hawaii. The world famous break offers one of the most picturesque lineups in the world with long right-handers boasting a number of sections that feature large open walls and hollow tubes. Like the North Shore of Oahu, Honolua breaks best in the winter. While the surf is smaller than Oahu, its also smoother and better formed. Honolua is protected from the trade winds that affect the waves on the North Shore. The break has become synonymous with the Billabong Pro Maui, which does an exceptional job of showcasing the world’s top rated women year after year. Honolua Bay is part of the Mokuleia Marine Life Conservation District.
Chelsea Georgeson: The 22-year-old goofy-footer from Australias Tweed Heads will compete in Maui as the worlds number one ranked surfer. She also leads the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing ratings, is defending Billabong Pro Maui champion as well as defending Triple Crown champion.
Sofia Mulanovich: The 22-year-old Peruvian regular-footer was responsible for ending Layne Beachleys six-year stranglehold on the ASP Womens World Tour in 2004. Mulanovich sat in the number one ranked position for the majority of the 2005 season and only recently fell into the number two spot after Georgesons win in the last event at Haleiwa.
Tournament Duration: The Billabong Pro Maui presented by Hawaiian Airlines waiting period is December 8-20, 2005. Competition can be staged over a minimum of two days within the 13-day waiting period and will take full advantage of the best possible conditions on offer during that window.
Prizemoney: $US65,000 total. First place receives $US10,000 and 1000 World Championship Tour (WCT) points.
Format: Six three-woman, non-elimination round one heats, with first and second progressing to round three. Third place surfer in round two is eliminated. Round three onwards feature woman-on-woman elimination heats.
2006 WCT Qualifiers: The Billabong Pro Maui will decide the top 10 to requalify for the 2006 ASP Women’s World Tour. They, along with the top six World Qualifying Series (WQS) surfers, will make up the tour. In addition, a wildcard is awarded by the ASP at years end, bringing the final tally to 17 surfers who will negotiate the ASP Womens World Tour next year.
Defending Champion: Australian Chelsea Georgeson won last years Billabong Pro Maui by posting an amazing 9.75 wave score out of a possible 10, just minutes away from the final siren to claim the final womens event of 2004. In the nail-biting finish, Georgeson defeated Samantha Cornish (AUS).
Previous Billabong Pro Maui Champions:
2004 Chelsea Georgeson (AUS)
2003 Samantha Cornish (AUS)
2002 Jacqueline Silva (BRZ)
2001 Neridah Falconer (AUS)
2000 Neridah Falconer (AUS)
1999 Trudy Todd (AUS)
1998 Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) (NB: WQS rated event only)
Field: The Billabong Pro Maui presented by Hawaiian Airlines will feature 15 of the worlds full-time top female touring professional surfers, two replacement surfers and the trials wildcard winner.
Replacement Surfers: 1993 world champion and 2001 event runner-up Pauline Menczer (AUS) has been granted a replacement berth into the Billabong Pro Maui after the withdrawal of Rebecca Woods (AUS) due to a shoulder injury. The 35-year-old finished her 18-year elite surfing career in Maui last year after failing to re-qualify for the 2005 ASP Womens World Tour. In 2001, she handed the world title to former six times world champion Layne Beachley (AUS) by finishing second in that years Billabong Pro Maui event. Beachley rewarded Menczer by giving her laser eyesight treatment to restore her vision.
Prue Jefferies, formerly rated sixth on the ASP Womens World Tour in 1998, will be replacing Beachley who withdrew citing a hernieated disk in her neck. Jeffries first surfed on the WCT in 1990 and was on tour until last year when she missed requalification with her 17th place finish.
Billabong Pro Maui Trials Wildcard
A formidable line-up of five local contenders, along with rising Brazilian star and 2006 WCT qualifier Silvana Lima, will battle it out in the trials for the lone main event wildcard.
The talented field comprises of:
1. Moana Wietecha the Maui surfing champion who finished second behind Rebecca Woods in the 2004 Billabong Pro Maui Trials.
2. Melissa Proud Top Maui HASA girl
3. Lipoa Kahaleuahi Top Maui NSSA girl
4. Paige Alms Maui Interscholastic champion.
5. Hi-Tech/Gerry Lopez Surfbash women’s champion
6. Silvana Lima (Brazil) The talented Brazilian is looking at a 2006 ASP Womens World Tour berth. She is currently ranked at six on the WQS ratings.
Vans Triple Crown of Surfing: The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing showcases the world’s top pro female surfers in their own back-to-back WCT events in Hawaii. They run concurrently with the men’s series. The WCT at Haleiwa, a specialty event at Sunset Beach, Oahu and the Billabong Pro Maui will collectively determine the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing champion. Chelsea Georgeson is leading the ratings following her victory in the previous WCT at Haleiwa.
Contest Director: Billabongs Global Contest Director, Mike Parsons, will once again oversee the surfing action on Maui. The big-wave legend from Californian is highly respected amongst the worlds elite having competed on the mens tour for 12 years.
Live webcast: Via www.aspworldtour.com and www.billabongpro.com Each day of the event will feature various camera angles, highlights, replays, weather, scoring information, direct viewer interaction, celebrity guests, interviews and more.
Supporting Sponsors: The Billabong Pro Maui presented by Hawaiian Airlines is supported by Hertz Rental Car, Copula Resorts and the ASP.