LARGEST WOMEN’S SURF EVENT IN ASP HISTORY COMES TO AN EXCITING CLOSE
Sage Erickson Edges Out Tatiana Weston-Webb with 12.00 Score in the Finals,
Besting a Field of More than 100 of the World’s Top Surfers
OCEANSIDE, Calif. (August 10, 2014) — Record-breaking crowds took to the Oceanside Pier this weekend for the Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro — the largest women’s surf contest in ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) history. The three-day contest, the only ASP 6-Star competition in North America, had fans on their feet Sunday afternoon as Sage Erickson (USA) earned the prestigious Supergirl cape and the title. The original field of 104 was ultimately narrowed to 12 as the world’s best battled for a piece of the $40,000 purse.
After three days of heated competition, Sunday’s contest came down to two head-to-head semifinal rounds between Coco Ho (HAW) and Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW), and Sage Erickson (USA) and Silvana Lima (BRA); with Erickson and Weston-Webb moving on to the finals in pursuit of the $8,000 top prize.
Erickson took an early lead in the final, but Weston-Webb quickly overtook the Californian, holding the lead throughout the majority of the heat. Erickson answered back late in the heat, delivering a big backhand snap of a left set for a 6.83 to earn her second career Supergirl Pro victory.
“I just didn’t lose faith the whole time and I really wanted this victory. Coming back like that at the end, I couldn’t have asked for a better end to this story at the Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro,” said Erickson. “Being down here and seeing all the young girls in the crowd, that’s what really matters to me. Seeing how stoked they are helps me remember why I started surfing, and it motivates and encourages me to keep going. To be up here with a cape that represents so much is an amazing honor.”
Weston-Webb delivered some serious ripping and tearing in the small Oceanside conditions, delivering electric combinations on both her forehand and backhand. The second place finish marks the first QS final of the Hawaiian’s career.
“Supergirl is a great arena to perform for people. I love hearing all the crowd cheers,” said Tatiana Weston-Webb, who placed second. “This event showcases women’s surf perfectly. Having such a big field allows girls that are young pros to surf against their heroes, and you never know what could happen!”
Silvana Lima (BRA), 30, current No. 1 on the ASP QS, started strong on the final day of competition, launching a solid air-reverse for a 9.80 in Round 6 while posting a 17.73 heat total. The Brazilian’s scores marked the highest of the event, but Lima was unable to find any substantial scores in the semifinals, finishing equal third overall.
“I felt good all morning and would have liked to make the final, but conditions were hard with the low tide and I couldn’t find the waves,” Lima said. “A semifinals finish is still a good result for my year though, and hopefully I can continue in Europe.”
Coco Ho (HAW), 23, current No. 10 on the WCT, was a standout throughout the entirety of the Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro, navigating her way through each round with convincing heat wins. Ho battled fellow Hawaiian Weston-Webb in the semifinals, eventually finishing third overall.
PAUL MITCHELL SUPERGIRL PRO FINAL RESULT:
1 – Sage Erickson (USA) 12.00
2 – Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 10.50
PAUL MITCHELL SUPERGIRL PRO SEMIFINALS RESULTS:
SF 1: Sage Erickson (USA) 9.00 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 5.54
SF 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 14.00 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 10.64
PAUL MITCHELL SUPERGIRL PRO QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 17.34 def. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 10.76
QF 2: Sage Erickson (USA) 12.16 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 10.80
QF 3: Coco Ho (HAW) 14.83 def. Keely Andrew (AUS) 10.67
QF 4: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 12.16 def. Brisa Hennessy (HAW) 7.90
PAUL MITCHELL SUPERGIRL PRO ROUND 6 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 17.73, Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.60, Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.60
Heat 2: Sage Erickson (USA) 13.84, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.37, Paige Hareb (NZL) 13.17
Heat 3: Keely Andrew (AUS) 11.13, Brisa Hennessy (HAW) 7.90, Stephanie Single (AUS) 2.57
Heat 4: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 13.17, Coco Ho (HAW) 11.83, Dimity Stoyle (AUS) 5.77
“It’s so inspiring to see the largest field of female surfers ever assembled for an ASP competition battle so fiercely for the coveted Supergirl cape,” said Barry Ziehl, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Public Relations and Marketing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “It was inspiring to witness Sage’s strength and determination as she campaigned to reclaim the Supergirl Pro championship title.”
The Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro is the first event of the 2014 Supergirl Jam Series, the action sports industry’s largest all-female competition and lifestyle series, featuring more than 175 female pros in surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. The event will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net (FSN) Wednesday, Sept. 24. For more detailed information on the Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro, please visit www.SupergirlJam.com or www.asaentertainment.com.
“It’s been amazing to watch this contest become the biggest stage in the world for female surfing,” said Rick Bratman, CEO of ASA Entertainment, the event’s management company and one of the leading producers of action sports event and television programming. “We’re thrilled to have Paul Mitchell and Warner Bros. as partners to continue to support women’s surfing at such a high level.”
The Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro is the first event of the 2014 Supergirl Jam Series, the action sports industry’s largest all-female competition and lifestyle series, featuring more than 175 female pros in surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. The event will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net (FSN) Wednesday, Sept. 24. For more detailed information on the Paul Mitchell Supergirl Pro, please visit www.SupergirlJam.com or www.asaentertainment.com.
About ASA Entertainment:
Founded in 1994, ASA Entertainment Group, LLC is an action sports event, television and content production agency focused on creating and executing customized, turn-key marketing programs that range in scale from grassroots to global. ASA’s events, featuring skateboarding, freestyle BMX, inline skating, freestyle motocross, snowboarding, surfing and music, are broadcast domestically on eight networks (including CBS and Fox Sports Net), and distributed to more than 700 million HH globally via 30 international broadcast partners. ASA’s productions span the spectrum from large, international competitions such as the ASA Action Sports World Tour, the World Championships of Freestyle Motocross, The Supergirl Jam Series and the ASA Big-Air Triples to amateur contests, lifestyle and branded entertainment events, demonstrations, exhibitions, school programs and mobile tours. After 20 years as a leader in action sports, ASA Entertainment regularly connects brands to consumers through its platform of premium action sports and lifestyle content. For more information, visit ASAentertainment.com or ActionSportsTour.com.
About ASP:
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing’s undisputed world champions since 1976, the ASP sanctions the following tours: the ASP World Tour, the ASP Women’s World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America.
About Warner Bros. Consumer Products:
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.
About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.
SUPERGIRL and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.
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Media Contacts:
Jennifer Chidester
Modern PR for ASA Entertainment
(858) 472-1952
Jennifer@modernpublicrelations.com
Bobby Shadley
Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)
(949) 290-9135 Mobile
(714) 536-3500 Main
rshadley@aspworldtour.com