| JettyGirl:
While faltering economies, political turmoil and
energy issues dominated most of the headlines
during the past year, much of 2008's good news
slipped through the cracks. What's the best thing
that happened to you in 2008 and what are you
most hopeful for in 2009?
Anne Beasley Weber:
It's impossible to pinpoint the one best thing
for 2008 unless you are achieving big goals like
winning a world tour, being elected president,
you know stuff that really sticks out in one's
mind. For me the best times were doing things
I love like snowboarding in Washington state,
visiting family in Virginia and North Carolina
and surfing with my girlfriends on the east and
west coast. Having a three year old daughter really
has changed my whole life in regards to surf and
travel, so whenever I can reclaim a part of myself
it always makes me smile. One thing that stands
out for me is learning how to let go. I've been
the event director of the East Coast Wahine Championships
for eleven years now, and I have been trying to
"retire" for two years. After this summer's
event, I feel confident that the ECWC can continue
on in the same fashion- we have some really great
women stepping up to the plate- and I can take
a much needed break. It's funny, but when I read
the press release about Layne retiring and how
emotional it was for her and how she wasn't sure
she could do it until she said it in front of
everyone, I could totally relate. I had very similar
feelings.
Hopes
for 2009. Right now, I'm just counting down 'til
inauguration day and am very excited about Barack
Obama as our next president.
JG: In 2009 we'll see the
best single maneuver ever done by a female surfer.
Who do you think will pull the move and what do
you think it will be?
ABW: That's quite
a question and I don't mean to toot my own horn
but have you seen the fly moves I've been working
on up here in the Pacific Northwest? It's called
the cold water claw and...okay, sorry that was
bad. Anyway, it's an interesting thought and even
now looking at the 2009 WCT tour, so much has
changed in the past several years and the tour
is getting younger and younger. These girls are
surfing better than ever and there is even more
to come, yet at the same time I have to wonder
what will happen when you're just 17, 18, and
19 and suddenly on the elite tour. Do you stick
around for 15 years? Do you get bored after three?
Do you miss out on your teenage years? I just
read that Surfline article about Coco Ho qualifying
for the 'CT. It's like it was no big deal, her
dad convinced her to surf a few contests, and
she slid in there easy as that. Does she really
realize what she accomplished? Or is she just
so friggin good that everyone better get their
game on? But then again Carissa will be on the
tour soon enough and that will likely be a run
that could match Layne. I was stoked to see Carissa
getting a huge non-industry sponsor like Target.
It seems the tour and women's surfing in general
is going through a slump- you have all these young
girls that are killing it, but there's not much
outlet for them in regards to media. I admit I'm
out of the loop in many regards, but I was surprised
to see two gals on the 2009 tour that I had never
really heard of. I had to google Paige Hareb and
Bruna Schmitz- I mean why is that?
I
think Silvana Lima will be one to watch. I saw
her a few years ago at Rocky Point, one Hawaii
season when I was working with Sunshine Makarow
at the now defunct Surf Life for Women magazine.
She was killing it then and she's been getting
great results all year and I've also noticed she's
gotten in really good shape, so I think she could
pull off some stuff.
For those of you who like to
jump around instead of going one by one, here's
the complete list of surfers...
Image
Caption: Through her editorial work with Surfing
Girl Magazine, Surf Life for Women and as Director
of the East Coast Wahine Championships, the first
and longest running all-female surf contest on
the East Coast, Anne Beasley Weber has been a
tireless supporter of women's surfing. ECWC info
available at eastcoastwahines.com Photo: courtesy
of Anne Beasley Weber
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