For Immediate Release

Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International
Billabong Pro Maui
Stop No. 8 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour
Honolua Bay, Maui, Hawaii USA
December 8 – 20, 2008
 
Billabong Pro Maui Quarterfinalists Decided at Honolua Bay
  
HONOLUA BAY, Hawaii (Wednesday, December 10, 2008) – The Billabong Pro Maui commenced this morning in picturesque four-to-five foot (2 metre) surf at Honolua Bay, allowing the ladies of the ASP Top 17 to revel through three rounds of competition, deciding the Quarterfinalists for when competition resumes.
             
The final stop of the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Billabong Pro Maui also serves as the deciding event in the Vans Triple Crown (an ASP Specialty Series), with today’s frontrunners putting on a show.
 
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, newly-crowned two-time ASP Women’s World Champion and defending Billabong Pro Maui winner, put in an incendiary performance in Round 3, scoring a near-perfect 9.75 out of a possible 10 to eliminate Paige Hareb (NZL), 18, from the event.
 
“Paige (Hareb) got off to an aggressive start in that heat by getting the first solid scorer and that fired me up to unleash on my first wave,” Gilmore said. “It was a good set wave and I was able to really push my board out there. It was a lot of fun.”
 
Despite having already securing her historic second ASP Women’s World Title, the competitive fire still burns for Gilmore, who is looking to defend last year’s Billabong Pro Maui win as well as claim her first Vans Triple Crown title.
 
“I’m currently second on the Vans Triple Crown ratings behind Layne (Beachley),” Gilmore said. “It’s pretty close and I think whoever performs better here will claim it. I’ve been pretty relaxed since the ASP Women’s World Title race finished, but I still want to win every heat I’m in. I love surfing well and performing for people and when that happens you win heats. I’d love to leave Hawaii with the Triple Crown in my pocket.”
 
Silvana Lima (BRA), 24, currently sitting in third in the hunt for the Vans Triple Crown, caught a fire in the final heat of the day, posting the day’s highest heat total of an 18.00 out of a possible 20 to eliminate Karina Petroni (USA), 20, from the Billabong Pro Maui.
 
“The ASP Women’s World Title has been decided and I’m relaxed here in Maui,” Lima said. “I really want to win the Vans Triple Crown and to do that, I need a big result here.”
 
Layne Beachley (AUS), 36, former seven-time ASP Women’s World Champion and current frontrunner on the Vans Triple Crown ratings, has announced that 2008 will be her last season as a full-time competitor on the ASP Women’s World Tour and the iconic natural-footer would love nothing more than to cap off her esteemed career with a big result in Hawaii.
 
“Of course I would love to finish up with a win here in Maui or by winning the Vans Triple Crown,” Beachley said. “Anybody would, but for me, I’m just very relaxed and wanting to surf well. I love Hawaii and the waves here and I’m just really focusing on my surfing.”
 
Melanie Bartels (HAW), 26, current No. 10 on the ASP Women’s World Tour, put on a big performance in Round 3 today, dominating the bowling righthanders to post a 16.80 out of a possible 20, and eliminate former event champion and last year’s runner-up Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), 22, from the Billabong Pro Maui.
 
“I had a great time out there,” Bartels said. “The waves are really fun and I’m just happy to be home in Hawaii. I have the Hawaiian “mana” and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the event.”
 
Carissa Moore (HAW), 16, winner of this morning’s trials, caused the upset of the event today, eliminating former ASP Women’s World Champion and current No. 2 Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 25, from the Billabong Pro Maui.
 
“It’s an honor to be surfing with all my heroes,” Moore said. “It’s just a real treat to be able to surf Honolua Bay with just another girl out. I was just having fun and I’m happy to have the opportunity to surf again.”
 
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am for a possible 7:30am start.
 
The waiting period for the Billabong Pro Maui will run through December 20, 2008.
 
The Billabong Pro Maui will be webcast LIVE via www.billabongpro.com
 
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com and www.triplecrownofsurfing.com
 
BILLABONG PRO MAUI ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Samantha Cornish (AUS) 12.50, Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 12.15, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.25
Heat 2: Layne Beachley (AUS) 16.50, Jacqueline Silva (BRA), 9.75, Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) 8.25
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.15, Nicola Atherton (AUS) 8.55, Paige Hareb (NZL) 7.95
Heat 4: Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.25, Megan Abubo (HAW) 10.90, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 7.65
Heat 5: Silvana Lima (BRA) 12.50, Melanie Bartels (HAW) 11.75, Serena Brooke (AUS) 9.65
Heat 6: Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 16.10, Karina Petroni (USA) 14.00, Amee Donohoe (AUS) 8.75
 
BILLABONG PRO MAUI ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 13.25, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 13.00, Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) 11.60
Heat 2: Amee Donohoe (AUS) 12.85, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 12.75, Serena Brooke (AUS) 10.15
 
BILLABONG PRO MAUI ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Layne Beachley (AUS) 15.00 def. Nicola Atherton (AUS) 11.65
Heat 2: Rosanne Hodge (AUS) 13.70 def. Samantha Cornish (AUS) 13.35
Heat 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 12.00 def. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 7.75
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 17.50 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 9.85
Heat 5: Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.50 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 5.75
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 16.80 def. Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 15.50
Heat 7: Megan Abubo (HAW) 12.25 def. Amee Donohoe (AUS) 7.00
Heat 8: Silvana Lima (BRA) 18.00 def. Karina Petroni (USA) 11.75
 
BILLABONG PRO MAUI QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Layne Beachley (AUS) vs. Rosanne Hodge (ZAF)
QF 2: Rebecca Woods (AUS) vs. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
QF 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Melanie Bartels (HAW)
QF 4: Megan Abubo (HAW) vs. Silvana Lima (BRA)