Julie Whitegon relied on her winning experience to win yet another contest in Hawai'i.

Whitegon won the inaugural Roxy Jam Honolulu women's longboard surfing contest yesterday.

The final heat of the three-day contest was run in 1- to 3-foot waves at the Queen's surf break off Kuhio Beach, Waikiki.

Whitegon, who is 42 and from Encinitas, Calif., has won four separate women's longboarding events in Hawai'i since 2003.

"Hawai'i is a good place for me," she said.

The Roxy Jam Honolulu was the first women's longboard surfing contest in Hawai'i to be sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professionals.

Whitegon needed to rely on her surfing knowledge because her body is not at full strength. She underwent knee surgery last November, and yesterday was her first contest since then.

"I wasn't on top of my game in the final," she said. "I guess (the judges) were looking for big turns, hard turns, and that's all I could pretty much do out there, so it was in my favor."

Whitegon received scores of 7.6 and 5.9 for her two best waves in the 30-minute final for a total of 13.5.

She received $2,000 for the victory.

Honolulu's Kelia Moniz — a generation younger than Whitegon — placed second with a two-wave score of 12.2. At 14, Moniz was one of the youngest competitors in the field.

"I could be their mom," Whitegon said of the other finalists.

Moniz, who is a home-schooled freshman, said: "I'm definitely satisfied. I definitely want to pursue pro surfing (in the future), but you never know what's going to happen."

Moniz, who is the daughter of former pro surfer Tony Moniz, said she had been practicing at Queen's for several weeks prior to the contest.

"It was a little inconsistent at times, but there were enough waves for us," she said.

Lindsay Steinriede from California placed third, and Crystal Dzigas of Kalihi was fourth.

Maikalani Martinez from Hanalei, Kaua'i, received $3,000 from sponsor Schick Quattro for the "Best Style" award. Martinez, 21, was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

"I wasn't expecting this at all," she said. "It's a shock."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.