Commonwealth Bank WCT

Finally....a women's WCT event is on again!

The last WCT on the women's side of the draw was in April and now after a loooong (much needed?) break the women will return to competition! I think all the women will be fired up and ready to go and some may have even learned a few new tricks that they could wack out during competition. Silvana Lima air reverse anyone?

From September 30th to October 5th the Commonwealth Bank WCT event will be underway. It will take place in Sydney, Australia and will feature Sydney's northern beach, Dee Why as competition central. Although for the past 4 years that this event has been running it has taken place at Manly, this year contest directors have decided to move it to Dee Why.

It should be good to see the women get underway again!

This event has never been won by anyone over the age of 21! Will it happen again this year? Last year it was won by this firing grom, Tyler Wright who has gotten herself a wild card again this year. Can she do it again?


With the large number of rookies on tour this year there is a high chance that an under 21-er will take it out!

I certainly hope so. I'm rooting for a rookie to take a WCT event and feel it would be fitting for Aussie girl Sally Fitzgibbons to take this one!

Though you can't look past World Champ Steph Gilmore!

Check out http://www.beachleyclassic.com/ to see live coverage.

Courtney Conlogue

Courtney Conlogue wins Hurley Us Open of Surfing! She beat defending champ Malia Manuel in the final!
There were massive waves for most of the womens competition but they all surfed the waves brilliantly, especially Courtney! It shows how good women can surf when you give them the right conditions!

She pockets $10,000 for the win!

Congrats!

Huntington Beach Surfing

Right now there is a surf competition on at Huntington Beach in California, US. It has a stacked line up for both the men and womens side of the draw and i cant wait to see who takes it out. The winner of the mens comp gets $100,000!!!! Talk about having an incentive!
Anyway im most excited for the womens comps. The junior girls finalists have already been decided with Malia Manuel, Coco Ho, Sage Erikson and Canelle Bullard competing it out. If Coco wins it that would be the second year in a row!

The womens comeptition should be super exciting as most of the womens top 20 are there, if not all of them. It will be a real showdown! I think the womens final is going to be on Saturday 25th and so will the Junior girls final! Can't wait!

Mr Price Pro Ballito ON NOW!

The Mr Price Pro Ballito in South Africa is on now! The women are currently in the water after a lay day yesterday as the surf was too big and deemed dangerous. You can check out the live webcast at www.mrpricepro.com

Paige Hareb

I know i have featured a few Hawaiian and Australian surfers on my blog but i think that Paige Hareb deserves a wealth of credit. She represents New Zealand in the surfing world (shes the first female New Zealander to make it onto the WCT!) and she represents NZ superbly. She has a such an agressive style but has lots of flair and tries manoeuvres that are most women cant complete. Shes not afraid about who she comes up against in heats but just wants to prove that she has what it takes to compete with the best and she definitely does that. Shes a great example of the surfing ability that is rising up the ranks in NZ as there is a lot of female surfers in NZ that are following in Paige's footsteps. However Paige is doing a wicked job at leading the way.

Keep it up Paige!

You can keep up with what shes doing on her bebo and her myspace. She also regularly features videos that follow her on her travels and gives a great insight into the life of a WCT surfer.

Also Curl Magazine is a fantastic magazine that regularly features her. Curl is a NZ magazine that features female surfers, skaters and snowboarders and has wicked articles and great photos and keeps up with the latest happenings in the board world so check it out!

You can subscribe and take a look at it at http://www.curl.co.nz/

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

This is the most inspiring book i have ever read.

Randy Pausch wrote a book called The Last Lecture when he discovered that he was going to die from cancer. He dedicated his final moments of life to this book and the presentation he called his 'last lecture'. Reading his book i was moved, sometimes to laughter, but more regularly to tears. Not because it was sad but because he was such an inspiration simply through his passion of life that he transfered into words. It saddens me when someone so humble and generous and with so much to offer is given an early end. Randy's knowledge, his love of learning and his positive, warm demeanour was lost before he truly had time to unleash it on the world. I am pleased that his children will be able to relate to and understand their father through the book and his last lecture presentation that can be seen on youtube. His love for life is contagious, and presented through his book and he demonstrated a perspective and a knowledge that i had never experienced before. His words warmed my heart and i learnt so much from him through his passion for life.

I know his kids love and respect him and will learn to understand the father they didnt have long to be with because i truly believe Randy is an example of an admirable man and a testament to the way people should live.

R.I.P. Randy Pausch.

Mr Price Ballito Pro

The Mr Price Ballito Pro is starting on June 27th! Its a WQS event and the womens draw has a record number of girls competing. Its got most of the up and coming girls competing as well as all the women currently on the WCT! I cant wait to see them all competing against each other.

Even better is that the waves are supposed to be totally pumping with 15 - 20ft sets supposed to be breaking at the point. Should make for some awesome competition!

It will be great to see the women competing in some real waves rather than picking up the scraps around the guys competition. It will be a true test of their bravery and commitment and will give them a great chance to hone their big wave ability! Cant' wait!

You can check out the heat draw for it on http://www.aspworldtour.com

You can also check out the seed list for the next WQS event at Huntington Beach, the US Open of Surfing. I'm super excited to see who takes out these events. Hopefully this year Huntington Beach can get some good waves!!

This is last years 14 year old winner, Malia Manuel. Can she defend her title?

New Zealand's Next Top Model

The winner of NZ's next top model was crowned a little while ago but i thought i would post some photos of NZ's first next top model, 16 year old Christobelle Grierson-Ryrie.

She was a clear favourite from the beginning with her true flair and natural talent for modelling obvious from the start. She deserved the win and in my opinion was the correct choice to win. She did an awesome job throughout the show and definitely developed, taking on advice and using it. A well deserved win, nice one Christobelle!

You can check out everything about New Zealand's next top model on the tv3 website www.tv3.co.nz. You can also check out the 6 page spread of Christobelle in Cleo Magazine!

Dream Silver Ferns Team

This is my dream Silver Ferns team with the current available players.

GS- Irene van Dyk. You can't deny she is the best shooter in the world. And she plays with a smile on her face. What a legend.

GA- Maria Tutaia. Although she could do with a bit more agression there is no denying that she has total talent. Her shooting looks effortless but is flawless. She can shoot from anywhere in the circle and that is something crucial for a goal attack. She's my choice just because she is simply beautiful to watch play. A close second would be Jodi Brown.

WA- Maree Bowden. I think Maree Bowden has proven herself during the ANZ championship and has shown she has what it takes to make the Silver Ferns. The wing attack position is a hard one to decide because there are no outright players that would take the spot. Though i beleive Bowden has done what it takes to get the bib.

C-Temepara George. This was a hard decision and i have always liked Laura Langman's style of play in this position. However George will not be playing as long as Langman with the age difference and so i feel George she get the position while shes committing to the Ferns. George is definitely formidable in this position and i think she plays extremely well against the Australians which is what the Ferns need.

WD- Laura Langman. I think Langman is a vital component in the Ferns team as she adds a bit of flair and speed. My preference is for her to play centre but i think her second best position is at wing defence as her defensive marking is excellent.

GD- Katrina Grant. She's not long been in the Ferns but she plays superbly well with Casey Williams and i think that they both complement each other in different ways. When they played together against the Australians it worked really well and i think as she gets older she will develop more and more.

GK- Casey Williams. The best goal keeper in the world. Hands down. Enough said, she dominates against almost all goal shooters, managing to effectively get into their heads and affect the performance of their game. A vital asset to the team. And no Norma Plummer, you can't have her.

Cheerleading

Here in NZ a new show has started on tv and i have developed an addiction for it. Its called Cheerleader Nation and i really like it. It features Dunbar Cheerleading and follows the squad from trials all the way to competing at Nationals.

The shows main leader is Ryan Martin who has a natural talent for cheerleading and seems like a fun, relaxed kid despite her mum being the coach.

Although this show is currently airing on tv in NZ it was actually filmed a couple of years ago and i managed to find a blog that Ryan updates regularly with what she is up to.

Check it out at www.insidecheerleading.com/blog as the link is through inside cheerleading magazine. There is also an interview with Ryan on this website.

You can also check out some of the clips on http://www.youtube.com/ although they are not very good quality.

The cheerleading routines are so amazing and all the girls on the team throw flips and crazy stunts like they could do it all day. I always kind of wished that the school i went to had cheerleading but its not a big sport in NZ like it is in America. Cheerleader Nation is a really good programme to get stuck into though. The girls all seem really nice and sweet but all train extremely hard to be in the Varisty cheerleading team. Its a great show!

Carissa Moore

Carissa Moore is the best female surfer in the world. This may just be my opinion but i truly believe that she is the best. She is a progressive surfer and has numerous tricks up her sleeve but still totally fires on the basics. Every move she makes on a surfboard is done with flair, stlye, power and agression. Every move she makes, she has perfected. Many female surfers these days are sticking to a limited number of surfing manoeuvres and i think this is the difference between female and male surfers today. Male surfers have a bigger variety of tricks that they can do.


But this is where Carissa steps in. Carissa is truly leading a charge of female surfers who are doing what they can to keep up with her. She is throwing moves that no one has ever seen performed by a girl before. And this is starting an uprising within female surfing. Though Carissa is not yet on the WCT, she is causing the girls who are to be checking their backs constantly for what she is doing.

I think Carissa is changing the face of womens surfing and i think her humble exterior and sweet, bubbly personality is a great feature to have. She shows that surfing is all about having fun, she just happens to be really, really good at it. Its a brilliant contrast of her agressive surfing and her delicate demeanour. I cant wait to see the many more tricks that she is going to pull out and the change she brings to the surfing industry. When she enters onto the WCT i think the way we know womens surfing will change......not that she would like to admit it.

Here she is boosting an air before she hit double digits...what will the future hold for this bright, young talent?

Emma Watson

For all Emma Watson fans she is on the cover of Teen Vogue for August!

You can check out photos, an interview and a video of her at: http://www.teenvogue.com

Though i think she still looks far more gorgeous in her Burberry campaign which she is the face of for the season. She looks absolutely stunning.

Not bad for a muggle!

ANZ Championship

I was just on the ANZ championship website and found out that for this round (Round 13) there will be a battle between Australia and New Zealand. Whoever gets the most points (Oz or NZ) will win a Rivalry Round trophy. The points are calculated by the number of goals each team gets. So this round (13) the Australian teams will be pitted against the New Zealand teams. I think its a pretty cool idea except unfortunately i think that Australia will win (not being biased or anything but the Australian teams have proven they have what it takes to get the goals and there are some tough match ups this round.)

Oh well, its a good idea to keep this fierce rivalry going!!

Gossip Girl

One of my favourite television shows is Gossip Girl, its so easy to just lie back and get totally caught up in the over the top scandal, crazy fashion outfits and just all round rich-ness that oodes from these characters.

I think each character offers something to the show that without this show would be missing and thats what has made it such a success.

Little Jenny Humphrey used to be my favourite character as she epitomised the character that people could actually relate to. She was bullied by her classmates and she found it hard to fit into a school that had girls whose shoes probably cost more than her entire apartment in Brooklyn. But she had a sassy confidence that was admirable for her position and this made me like her.

However she underwent a transformation that left her looking like a try hard rocker chick. It worked for a while and theres no doubt that she pulled the whole look off in the best way possible but i think the naiive schoolgirl will be missed from this show. Though i have to say the make out scene between her and Nate was rather brilliant.

Serena is probably the most lovable character though i have read the books and think that she is a little less crazy in the show. I would love to see her get into a bit more trouble, though this has happened (she did kind of kill a guy while taking drugs). She fits the image of Serena from the book series really well as do Blair and Chuck. The only let down would have to be Vanessa who is supposed to have a shaved head. I guess the casting agents went with looks rather than accuracy when choosing Jessica Szohr for the part.

The characters that i love are Chuck and Nate. Nate because he is so unbelievably good looking i almost cant take my eyes off him when he is in a scene. And Chuck because he is so good at playing the sleezy, rich kid that he almost scares me. Hes the perfect Chuck and the budding romance between him and Blair does nothing but reinforce his coniving personality.

The fact that in real life Vanessa and Chuck are together is a little strange but kinda cute at the same time. They match in the whole opposites attract kind of way.

Its a very cool show and i hope it continues for a few more seasons yet though im not a fan of the spin off with Brittany Snow as a young Lily Bass, thats a bit weird for my tastes. However i think Gossip Girl is kind of like my guilty pleasure. I know its all overly exaggerated but the fashion on the show and these lovable characters who lead the most enviable lives are hard to refrain from watching!