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2007 Biarritz Babes

words and photos by Kirsty Webster View Gallery 1 - Click here .. View Gallery 2 - Click here .. View Gallery 3 - Click here ..

JULY 11-16th, 2007 - Cote des Basques, Biarritz , FRANCE

48 of the World's best female Longboarders; a magical setting in South West France; $35,000 (US) prize money; a frenzy of media; and you have arrived at the 2 nd World Women's Longboard Titles in Biarritz. The surfers included Schuyler McFerran (2006 World Champion) and Kassia Meador (USA), Claire Karabatsos (FRA), Joy Maggelson (HAW), and many from other countries such as Brazil , Japan and even England . A team of 5 surfers made the long trek from Australia including Isabelle Braly, Rosie Loche, Selby Riddle, Chelsea Williams and myself.

In Europe (and especially France ) it is evident that there an explosion of surfing is happening, and everyone wants in on it. The marketing manager for Roxy Europe, Anne Mollet commented that each country has its own favoured surfing style, and for France it is definitely ‘Viva Le Longboard'. Female surfing is given the total respect and support of the French with a majority of media coverage of surfing focussed on women.

There was the usual group of surfers with missing or damaged boards and bags (none of Aussies this time). I have to say a huge thank you to Cathay Pacific who helped get me and my boards there at short notice. Further thanks go to Steve and Cate for looking after my precious boy Zac while I was away. And of course, thanks to my sponsor Steve Barber at Full Force Surfboards.

The conditions for the event were varied, with the Final being surfed just in time ahead of the onshore slop and gale force winds that attacked the beach front (well done to the contest director- Philippe Malvaux). The first day of competition (July 11 th ) was unusually cold with onshore winds and 1-2 ft of swell. It was not the idyllic French summer conditions that I had been looking forward to. We were all wrapped in as many warm things that we could beg, borrow or steal. The Brazilians were finding it particularly difficult – they are a bit spoilt heh!

The 1st round was not an elimination round with 3 surfers per heat. The winners went through to round 3 and placegetters faced the challenge of woman on woman heats, with the loser eliminated in Round 2. Isabelle Braly was the only Aussie winner in Round 1 giving her a piggy back in to Round 3. Day 2 saw Round 2 run in clean waves that really needed a little more size and consistency. Use of the priority system was a new experience for most surfers. Unfortunately, Rosie Loche (AUS) bowed out of competition having the only interference call of the whole event go against her.

Day 3 (Friday 13 th July) arrived and we were blessed with some nicer waves rolling through. There were a few lulls in the morning session with Isabelle Braly (AUS) and myself having the frustrating experience of being left waiting for waves that never came. Isabelle got 2 nd to Kassia Meador (US), and Selby Riddle (AUS) surfed well in my heat teaming up with Chelsea Williams (AUS) to be the remaining Aussies through to the next Round.
 
There were some massive wave scores on Day 3. Some big guns were starting to establish themselves as others bowed out of the event. Chelsea stepped up the pace posting a 9.00 and Jenn Smith (US) received 9.50 for one of her waves. Joy Maggelson (HAW) was also outstanding achieving a total heat score of 18.90. The waves at Cote des Basques are significantly affected by the tides and Day 3 was finished early due to the high tide and increasingly difficult conditions. It becomes very risky getting in or out of the water as the water smashes into the rocks. One of the photographers was scraped across them giving her heaps of grazes as evidence that her camera came first, preservation of skin second - talk about commitment.

Day 4 (Saturday) and the waves were grooving. An excellent day of competition was on the plate with clean 3-4 foot waves set on a magical break that really allows for some exciting longboarding. The last few heats from Round 3 were held, along with Round 4 and all Quarter Finals. Wave selection became more important as the best of the best were surfing against each other trying to avoid sudden death. There were many awesome heats with huge scores and great exchanges. I was very thankful for the big screen media that allowed for some free surfing without missing too much action.

Chelsea ripped the waves apart to advance into the Semi Finals. There were a few really outstanding heats especially the quarter final between Jenn Smith (eventual winner) and Joy Maggelson (HAW). Several of the heats on Day 4 came down to the last wave with excellent conditions and outstanding surfing. Unfortunately, Selby had another heat around the change of peaks and tides, where the contestable waves had just disappeared for a bit. Needless to say, she had surfed very well and this meant she was now free to start celebrating a great effort- and she did.

Semi Finals were held on Sunday with the waves not quite co-operating, as evidenced by the low scores. Chelsea did her best to advance for a place in the finals however the lack of wave quality just did not allow her to strut her stuff. The French unknown Justine Dupont (only 15 years old) made her way into the Final of her first ever Open Longboard event. Jenn Smith continued to surf exceptionally to beat Janna Irons in her Semi Final. Live coverage of the event added another rich component as fans around the world could send through emails of support and hope (or contempt when they didn't get what they wanted).

The Final saw Jenn Smith determined and out to get a good start. This proved to be a great strategy as scoring waves became more difficult to find. The girls were often both in the wrong spot when a set eventually come through. It was catch up all the way for Justine and Jenn was able to improve on her 2 nd place from last year becoming the 2007 Women's World Longboard Champion.

The Event coincided with a celebration of 50 years of surfing in France . Roxy put on a range of concerts and events to enhance the atmosphere of this exceptional competition. A unique blend of live music was provided at different venues around the Biarritz and the competition site. The highlight of these was the concert of PRAVDA and CSS at Port Vieux (an exceptional natural beachside amphitheatre).

Bastille Day was Saturday 14 th July on the French Coast and the Expression session hit the Grande Plage at 8pm. There were 2 heats of a dozen girls with the best 2 in each category progressing to the final. Each category had 1,000 Euros up for grabs and they were for Best Wave, Best Manoeuvre and Best Hang Ten. Isabelle, Chelsea and myself made the final but we missed out on the cash. The finals of the expression session started at 9.45pm…Go figure? Well, France does stay light until late but I am sure they were having trouble seeing us by the end. We could hardly see the waves. The commentators were trying to really stir things up telling us there were no rules whatsoever!

This was a real highlight for me as it just seemed so surreal: surfing at 10pm, a beach full of spectators, a fancy Roxy party on the terrace above the Casino, and surfing with the best of the best for some cool prize money. I would be dreaming if I was in Australia . The crowds were cheering at every wave and we were swamped with fans when we came in. The people wanted autographs, photos and a couple of us had men running up to steal a kiss before disappearing back into the crowd.

The final winners of the Expression session were Summer Romero (US- Best Wave), Karina Abros (BRA- Best Manoeuvre) and Kassia Meador (US- Best Hang Ten). Each of them won 1,000 Euros and Kassia also won a Gibson guitar. A significant addition to this session was Angela Madsen (US) who is a 46 year old paraplegic surfer. She put on an inspiring display of the passion and determination that has captured all of the surfers at this event. The night was completed with a very fancy fireworks display, more partying and then facing the daunting task of returning through the streets of Biarritz on Bastille Day with a longboard under arm.

An integral part of the French ambience was all the Artistic activities and displays strung along the Cote des Basques promenade. There were many art forms on display including an interesting range of ‘art on foam'. There was a range of painted boobies that were auctioned off to raise money for the Keep-A-Breast Foundation (with money raised going directly to breast cancer research and prevention). Plaster casts of many of the surfer's busts are created with prominent artists decorating them and then selling them at auction. ‘I love boobies' was the latest catch phrase that was plastered in pink. Over 10,000 Euros was raised and it was an interesting encounter when successful bidders came face to face with the surfer involved who pointed out that they had just ‘bought' their boobs.

The food… Oh my goodness! There was the usual endless supply of baguettes (bread), pastries (more bread), cheese, oil and ridiculously cheap wines. The surfers were also treated with a delightful blend of noodles, nuts, carrots and delectable sauces. Last year I made myself sick on crème brulee (never to be eaten again). This year my love of desserts found a new treat- chocolate crepes filled with chocolate mousse. Ooh la la.

The site… Oops, watch out for the doggy poo! One thing about the French is their love of dogs, and distain for cleaning up after them. I love it that they are all mutts with not a lot of designer dogs to be found. They are allowed in restaurants, hotels and anywhere else they please. Cote des basques is at the bottom of a rather large hillside with 100 steps down and back. I would try to enjoy the countless treks by getting lost in the beautiful winding tracks through flowers and greenery mixed with birds, lizards and the odd person who never made it past the picturesque bench they discovered the night before.

In contrast to the expansive views and historical buildings, the ocean was something else. At different times, the ocean would fill with visible rubbish including whole plastic tubs, nets, general garbage and the occasional shoe. I can't imagine what was in there that I couldn't see!! A local French man explained to me that it was actually the currents that were bring all that rubbish from Spain . Yeh right.

To our major disappointment, the Roxy beachfront spa was missing this year. When we asked where it was we were told that apparently we had caused some damage to it last year. One of the really clever competitors replied by stating ‘well, they have had a whole year to fix it!'. We were assured it would be back next year. The Roxy yacht was again floating through the background at random occasions, the free Fosters flowed again at purely specific times.

I had been caught a bit off guard by the Biarritz lifeguards last year witnessing them confiscating a guy's surfboard for being in the swimming area. They were really over the top I thought and seemed to act as if they were crazed ‘police' on a mission. It turns out that they actually are French police. I am glad now that I warned the other girls about their Gestapo style behaviour.

Luckily the road police are not so strict. Several of the girls made off on black Vespers. They had no idea of how to read road signs and went the wrong way up one way streets often and got stuck on the motorway that prohibits the riding of such vehicles. I had a dangerous ride on the back of Rosie Loche- holding on was much harder than surfing. When they started to debate how to transport a longboard on a Vesper, I knew the worst was yet to come. Somehow, none of them were arrested…

The hotel where most of us stayed was wickedly tolerant. There was never any raised eyebrows when we came through all wet and sandy or when we carried the occasional partier through the foyer up to their room. When the weather turned ridiculously hot, we took over the pool and everyone seemed entertained. Needless to say, a bunch of girl surfers, a diving board, cameras, balls and the crazy French atmosphere led to a wild afternoon in the pool. There were plenty of belly flops, tandem jumps, bum bounces, kids imitating us, and the occasional graceful dive into the pool. Janna Irons was trying to relax in our room when she eventually came down claiming all she could hear were collective cheers and gasps from the pool.

At the contest site, a blend of stand up and tandem surfers, along with an outrigger canoe added to the entertainment. There were some ideal waves smashed and crashed by all three. The outrigger was washed in a long way unmanned after one outstanding wipeout. There was a sand building competition on the Retro Day (Finals Day) and many new hair styles and outfits were on display. A ‘Gibson' party bus was on site and a select few (Yeh me and some friends) got to experience the star treatment offered to those who entered it. Gibson gave a new guitar to the World Champion and also the winner of the Expression session (Kassia Meador).

When it came to prize money, we learnt that Americans did not get taxed due to some agreement with the French. Australians get taxed 15% of their prize money if won in France . Issy was smart enough to jump ship with her American accent in order to collect her prize money in total. A quick tax lesson also taught us that the French get taxed twice as much as we did when they win prize money in Oz.

Justine Dupont also competed in a Junior Pro Shortboard Event that was run amid the last 2 days of competition. Water fights, makeshift trampolines, giggles and screams were non stop as the groms moved in to the surfers' tent. Another significant competitor in the World Longboard Title was 14 year old Kelia Moniz (HAW). It was clear that some awesome talent is coming through from the juniors and Kelia and Justine will both be stars of the future. Final placings for the Aussies were Rosie (33 rd ), Isabelle and Kirsty (17 th ), Selby (9 th ) and Chelsea (3 rd ).

Huge congratulations must go to Jenn Smith for winning, and to Roxy and other sponsors for running the 2007 World Women's Longboard Title. This event is a great platform for Women's Longboarding and Biarritz 2007 was a unique and inspiring event in so many ways. I have loved the opportunity to surf in the most professional event ever that has provided such a motivational boost to the competitors worldwide. It will no doubt continue to attract the most established, up and coming, and total legendary female longboarders in the world. I can't wait for next year!!