It seems strange to say, but until the last weekend in January, 2022, there had never been a full-length women’s Championship Tour event at Pipeline. That bell has finally rung, though, and can I for one would like to say… “took long enough.”
It was, as you probably know by now, at the Billabong Pro Pipeline. Sally Fitzgibbons, Courtney Conlogue, and Molly Picklum were the first ones in the water for the historic first heat, and the waves were there to greet them. It’s been a long road. Many of the women have been calling for an event at Pipe for years, despite being told, for reasons that can only be described as sexism, that they couldn’t do it. “I was the first woman to ride bigger barrels out at Backdoor, Pipeline, and Sunset Beach,” said Rochelle Ballard in a 2016 interview with women’s sportswear brand Athleta. “Before doing so, I was told by many I couldn’t do it. Going into a challenge of that magnitude with negative energy was difficult for me, but it also gave me strength.”
Way back in 2013, Coco Ho spoke up about it, too. At the time, the WSL was still the ASP. “At the end of the day, the ASP Women’s World Tour needs events in better waves,” she wrote. “The women deserve serious waves. We deserve the challenge and opportunity to show our level of surfing.”
And now, finally, the chapter of surfing that didn’t include a women’s CT event at Pipeline is behind us. It wasn’t long before someone locked in the first excellent score — it came in the second heat, in fact. Malia Manuel paddled into a Backdoor runner and disappeared behind the curtain, emerging triumphantly with her hands in the air. Her efforts were rewarded with an 8.17 from the judges. Although Manuel has put her time in at the North Shore’s finest jewel, she was still nervous.
“To be honest I was super stressed, I wanted to alleviate that by catching a few waves and kind just getting the ball rolling,” she said. “I’ve spent a lot of time out there this winter; it’s my first real winter here at Pipeline and I had such a good crew and great support. It’s really hard to get waves out there to practice so it doesn’t matter how much time you spend out there, sometimes it all comes down to being in the right spot.”
The next heat saw defending World Champ Carissa Moore, HIC Pipe Pro winner Moana Jones Wong, and Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy battling it out. Wong, who has been surfing Pipe since she was just 12 years old, eked out a win over Moore and Hennessy. “Surfing against Carissa pushes me to be better because she’s the best in the world,” Wong said afterwards. “I look up to her and I want to surf as good as she can.”
Tyler Wright and CT new-comer India Robinson walked through their heat against Stephanie Gilmore, as Gilmore wasn’t able to compete yet because of the WSL’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols. She’s expected to be cleared to compete on January 31. “The most exciting thing for me this year is seeing all the rookies,” said Wright. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had such fresh faces on the tour, and it makes me emotional just seeing how they’re coming in and making the most of it. It feels incredible to be a part of this sport and to be a woman in sport right now.”
Watch the Billabong Pro on Worldsurfleague.com
