Beachley out to surf, have fun
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Layne Beachley wants to make women's surfing history this winter, but she also wants to have fun in the process.
Advertiser library photo • Dec. 3, 2001
As proof, Beachley was on a getaway in Tavarua, Fiji, last week — one week before the start of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
Layne Beachley, of Australia, is after her fifth consecutive World Championship Tour title.
"I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself," said Beachley, who is from Australia, but also resides part-time on O'ahu's North Shore with her boyfriend and big-wave surfing partner Ken Bradshaw. "I feel as ready as I can be, but I don't want to spend every minute thinking about what may or may not happen."
What may happen is this: Beachley could become the first female to win five world surfing championships. She is the four-time defending world champ; no other woman has won five, let alone five in a row.
Beachley will get her chance in the Triple Crown, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow, conditions permitting.
The women's Triple Crown will consist of three events — the Roxy Pro at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach from tomorrow through Nov. 23; the Turtle Bay Resort Women's Pro at Turtle Bay from Nov. 24 through Dec. 7; and the Billabong Pro Maui at Honolua Bay from Dec. 8 through 20.
Women's ratings (through five of six events) 1. Layne Beachley (Australia), 3,200 Also 8. Rochelle Ballard (Hawai'i), 2,160
The women's Triple Crown was not held last year due to a lack of sponsorship.
2002 World Championship Tour
2. Melanie Redman-Carr (Australia), 2,860
3. Lynette MacKenzie (Australia), 2,520
4. Keala Kennelly (Hawai'i), 2,380
5. Chelsea Georgeson (Australia), 2,310
11. Megan Abubo (Hawai'i), 2,050
"Turtle Bay is our new women's event," said Randy Rarick, the executive director of the Triple Crown. "That allowed us to reintroduce the women's Triple Crown, which was one of our goals for this year."
Beachley, 30, is a two-time former Triple Crown champion.
"It's exciting for me because it gives me something to focus on beside the world title," she said.
The Triple Crown championship will go to the best overall performer in the three contests.
For Beachley, the most important event is the Billabong Pro Maui, because that is the only contest that will count toward the World Championship Tour standings.
Through the first five contests of this year's tour, Beachley is ranked No. 1 with 3,200 points. At least four other women have a good shot at the world title — including Kaua'i's Keala Kennelly — but Beachley is holding the pole position.
Advertiser library photo • Dec. 1, 2001
"As long as I keep winning heats, nobody can catch me," she said. "I'm sure I'll still be nervous, but I also know that the pressure is on the other girls to catch me."
"As long as I keep winning heats, nobody can catch me," Layne Beachley said.
Besides, Beachley said, she has already relinquished the pressure from herself for this year. After placing ninth and then fifth in the first two contests of the year, Beachley decided to change her personal outlook on surfing.
"Having so much desire and hunger was almost my demise earlier this year," she said. "I put so much pressure on myself that it hindered my performance. I still have that hunger and desire, but it dawned on me after a while that I was forgetting to have fun."
Since then, she has placed second, third and first in the last three contests leading up to the Triple Crown.
At the same time, she has not forgotten the task at hand. In Tavarua, she surfed every day in what she described as "perfect, uncrowded waves."
"There's no better training for surfing than surfing," she said. "I know what's at stake; everybody else does, too. But I'm not thinking about the consequences of winning or losing. I'm just enjoying myself right now."
