THE Mothernest Great Lakes Pro surfing contest was off to a flying start on Wednesday with the opening two rounds of women’s action hitting the two-to-four foot waves at Boomerang Beach near Forster.
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Last year's Great Lakes Pro champion Holly Wawn (Newport, NSW) charged hard out of the gate nailing an array of powerful turns and impressive carves. Wawn posted a solid 15.70 for her performance and cemented her position as one of the surfers to beat going into round three.
“I really love it here and I always find that it’s such a good warmup event for the two upcoming QS6000 rated events in Newcastle and Manly,” Wawn said.
“I chose not to have too much of a game plan out there as I knew there were good waves all over the lineup, but I just wanted to be on them. Thankfully I got a few and I was able to get a spot into the next round.”
Sarah Baum (ZAF) bought the same aggressive approach that saw her win the 2018 Vissla Central Coast Pro at Avoca to Boomerang as she attacked a variety of heavy sections with style and gusto.
Baum was able to post a solid 13.90 two-wave heat total in the heat to get a convincing lead over her opposition and seal her position into the third round.
“I rocked up today and the waves looked so fun and I was so excited to get out there and shake the first heat nerves off,” Baum said.
“There were a couple of good waves out there throughout that heat and thankfully I got the first good right-hander that ended up setting me up for a really nice lefthander straight after.”
Kirra Pinkerton (USA) showed no signs of slowing down since winning the 2018 World Junior Championship, linking a chain of mammoth backhand hits in her opening heat. The peak of Pinkerton’s performance came when she was rewarded with an excellent 8.25 wave score for a massive backhand turn that left her closest rivals needing two-wave combinations to take away her lead.
“The waves were really fun out there and I just wanted to catch as many of them as I could,” Pinkerton explained.
“My whole game plan was to make my final turn which worked on some, but not on others, but it still feels nice to take the win. This is my first time in Boomerang at the waves here are really fun and the whole area is beautiful.”
Competition continues today and continues to Sunday February 24.
