Courtney Conlogue. Triumphant. Photo: WSL/Cestari
Fallen titans and redemption. You could taste them in the air as Santa Ana’s Courtney Conlogue, doused in Corona, clanged the bell and reclaimed the top spot on the Women’s World Tour with her victory over Sally Fitzgibbons in the final.
“Every time I come up against Sal, I’m like ‘Oh, it’s so on,’” Conlogue said of Fitzgibbons. “She’s such an athlete and so consistent. You just know she’s going to be dropping 8’s like she did in the final and I was just waiting for that 9, thinking ‘I’ve got to go to town on something.’”
Coming back from nearly clinching the 2015 world title, Conlogue had the chance to face Tyler Wright and redeem her second place finish at Snapper Rocks that gave Wright the yellow jersey. Despite a lully South Ocean for much of the heat, Courtney managed to log in three waves that broke the 7-point range out of the four she caught, forcing Tyler to relinquish her top spot to Courtney going into Margaret River.
Flashback to Honolua Bay, December 2015: Conlogue came so close to clinching her first world title. She could taste the champagne. Then came her Round 4 battle with Hawaii’s Coco Ho and the fall heard ‘round the world. It was over, and Courtney watched Carissa Moore take her fourth world title as she returned to square one in pursuit of her first. But on Australia’s first day of April, she would take on another preternaturally talented Hawaiian charger, and there would be no fall, no demotion to the back of the line.
The Southern Californian’s semifinal matchup was intimidating on paper: she was facing Tatiana Weston-Webb, who attained the highest single wave score and only 9-point ride of Round 4 the previous day. The tiny flaxen-haired powerhouse from Kauai ripped apart four waves in the semifinal heat, her two best giving her an impressive 15.67 final heat score. But Courtney only needed three waves — two of which earned nods in the excellent rang from the judges — to knock Weston-Webb out of the competition with a 16.83 two-wave total.
“It kept playing tricks on me with closed out sections…like it was trying to test me. I just tried to be heavy-footed but also set the rain, I think that was key today, to lay into the rail and committing to your turns,” Conlogue said, adding that the larger swell was a benefit she avidly sought throughout the contest. “I think unless it’s Snapper or something I’m always looking for the wave of size just because I like riding bigger waves because it opens up your turns.”
Next came the final hurdle: beat Sally Fitzgibbons in perfect Bells conditions. Both women surfed at the top of their game in the electric final, volleying fair and good range scores for their first couple waves in a neck and neck race. Then Courtney dropped the hammer that would ring her first ever Rip Curl Pro bell: She pulled into an overhead wall of water with a powerful quickness that she used to slice the wave apart with three hacks off the lip and a deep, graceful carve, a nearly perfect display of surfing that earned a 9.03 from the judges. Sally stayed busy, battling back with three more waves while Courtney answered with a solid 4.90 that included some barrel time that elicited a roaring cheer from the packed beach.
When the hooter sounded, she was overwhelmed with emotion at her first ever win at the longest running surf competition in the world. She yo-yoed between crying and beaming from ear to ear as it sunk in: she was number one in the yellow jersey once again, and she was about to ring the famous bell on the massive Rip Curl Pro trophy.
After being chaired up the beach and the famous Bells stairs, after the moving traditional awards ceremony, a couple Corona showers, mountains of thank you’s and many swings of the ringing trophy that were clearly powered by adrenaline, Conlogue looked ahead to the next event and the year ahead with excitement and realism.
“Having a start like this is great, but there are still eight events on the tour and everyone’s going to be coming for me, so I’ve just got to maintain what I’m doing and keep upping my level every comp.”
Photo: WSL/Ed Sloane
Photo: WSL/Ed Sloane
She happy. Courtney Conlogue, 2016 Rip Curl Pro Bell Champion. Photo: WSL/Cestari
