Women do indeed get barreled, it’s just not what you typically see in the media. The Surf N’ Sea Pipeline Women’s Pro held on the North Shore of O’ahu this week featured the unthinkable: a testosterone-free Pipeline.
On a typical Pipe swell the crowds are ruthless. The vibe is heavy, localism is next-level, and it could in fact be the most intimidating place for a girl on the planet. Thanks to the WSL and local legend and event director, Betty Depolito, this week’s contest highlighted the ladies that are brave enough to charge Pipeline in search of the ultimate barrel.
Hawaiian Keala Kennelly took top honors, finding a solid Pipe barrel and tearing apart Backdoor with picture-perfect vertical backhand snaps. There was no doubt she carried her own throughout the contest and was unstoppable, but Melanie Bartels and Bianca Valenti put up a fight also scoring some of the longest tube rides of the contest. Top surfers Honolua Bloomfield, Moana Jones, Carissa Moore and Anastasia Ashley also got their share of waves in the all-girls lineup.
Surprisingly enough, the Pipeline contest has remained a 1-star event for nine long years. In my opinion, that is nine years too many. How can the most prestigious wave in the world ever be categorized as a 1-star? Pipeline can bring a circus of crowd and $100,000 check for the men’s Billabong Pipe Pro, but only a mere $2,000 for the women’s champ at the same spot? This is all due to politics. It would be nice to see the difficulty of a break and its conditions having something to due with the prize purse. Maybe that’s too far fetched, but it brings me back to my first point. Pipeline is marketable. Everyone wants to watch it, but the ladies didn’t even have a webcast to show their talents because its only a 1-star event. It’s hard to imagine what could be more marketable than a fit surfer girl in her bikini, stalling inside a majestic tube like Pipeline. From a business and numbers perspective, sounds like a gold mine.
Mahalo to all the supporters of female surfing that are fighting for good conditions and sponsorships. Congrats to Keala Kennelly who took the 2015 crown, and to all the women who surf despite the adversity they may face to score a few waves and live their dreams. Keep inspiring us to charge.
