Is this girl better than the boys?
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing has given Moore wildcards into the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa (Nov. 12-23), and the Vans Hawaiian Pro at Sunset Beach (Nov.25-Dec.6). She is the first woman in history to be given the honour.
If this sounds like an unfair match, don’t worry. Moore won the Quiksilver King of the Groms against an all-male field and scored a 10 in a Men’s WQS in Mexico in 2007. She’s a tough Hawaiian cookie, and has achieved a lot in her young life.
In her second year competing at the elite level, Moore became the first ASP women’s world champion from Hawaii, since Margo Oberg in 1981. She also became the youngest woman ever to win the title at just 18 years old. Yet Carissa remains humble and grounded.
When asked about being given the wildcards, she said “I feel so honoured for even the thought, let alone the opportunity, to compete with the guys on the North Shore,” Moore added. “I think I am definitely going to keep my expectations low and anything better I will be stoked with.”
Moore was gutted to discover there were no rated events to support the women’s Vans Triple Crown series this year. It meant she had nowhere to perform for her home crowd. An economic meltdown and a slow women’s surf market meant sponsors of the Hawaiian events pulled out.
This weekend Carissa Moore is doing it for herself, her home crowd and the girls. I hope Carissa rips, has fun, impresses her fellow Hawaiians and raises the profile of women’s surfing. Good luck Carissa.