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.