WAHINE RIP QUEENS

Event: 11th annual Rip Curl/China Uemura Wahine Surfing Classic
Date: June 1-3, 2007
Location: Queens, Waikiki
Conditions: 3- to 5-foot faces

The surf was small but the vibe was pure stoke at the 11th annual Rip Curl China Uemura Surfing Classic on O‘ahu’s South Shore at the iconic Queen’s Beach in Waikiki.
Females of all ages showed up to gracefully glide across the Queen’s waves at the all-wahine surf event that benefits the Sex Abuse Treatment Center of Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children.

The contest includes shortboard, longboard and stand-up divisions, along with a Pro-Am and celebrity specialty event division in which surfers like Japanese TV star Maki Vernon competed.
“The China contest is a family and friends contest,” explains 14-year-old Roxy rider and triple division finalist, Kelia Moniz. “It can get competitive but overall it’s just a really fun contest to enter.”
Besides being a great scene with hundreds of women competitors, live music by local bands made the comp feel more like a pa‘ina, and an ongoing raffle had participants walking home with prizes.
“I told my friends I felt lucky and then I heard my number, and I won a longboard blank,” remarks Maui’s Helena Suehiro, who won the Girls Shortboard division and recently turned 22. “And I wanted a longboard for my birthday!”

Along with giveaways, the China contest is also one of several stops on the SurfTech Hawai‘i Demo Tour, borrow-a-board system, where surfers and competitors are able to try out a variety of SurfTech boards for free right from the beach.

With a tight-knit group of female competitors, free boards to surf, great giveaways, and even better finalist prizes, it’s safe to say that all competitors had a memorable day while raising money for an honorable cause.—CJ

11th annual Rip Curl China Uemura Surfing Classic Results:
Shortboard
PeeWee: 1) Kelly Graf, 2) Cayla Moore, 3) Malia Mizuno, 4) Kealohi Sabate, 5) Tiara Rios, 6) Gabriela Yester Junior: 1) Alessa Cuizon, 2) Alyssa Wooten, 3) Kawehi Whitford, 4) Tatiana Weston Webb, 5) Maili Enos Branigan, 6) Lauwan Stewart Girls: 1) Helena Suehiro, 2) Alana Mock, 3) Virginia Fajardo, 4) Geodee Clark 5) Yukiko Whiteside, 6) Katharine Van Dyke Women: 1) Darcie Ernce, 2) Mimi Horiuchi, 3) Lynn Blomfield, 4) Chie Matsuoka, 5) Lindsay McGill, 6) Jodi Cole. Longboard Pee Wee: 1) Cayla Moore, 2) Honolua Blomfield, 3) Dax McGill, 4) Kelly Graf, 5) Gabriella Yester, 6) Nanea Alden Menehune:1) Tatiana Weston-Webb, 2) Kimi Sharpnack, 3) Jennifer Leo, 4) Mia Masuda Junior: 1) Megan Godinez, 2) Kelia Moniz, 3) Kawehi Whitford, 4) Alyssa Wooten, 5) Alana Mock, 6) Marissa Graham Girls: 1) Geodee Clark, 2) Ashley Quintal, 3) Candice Appleby, 4) Jennifer Koki, 5) Akoi Pada, 6) Stacie Ahina Women: 1)Renee Harada, 2) Doreen Teramae, 3)Lynn Blomfield, 4)Mimi Horiuchi, 5) Chie Matsuoka, 6) Makiko Sakita SR Women: 1) Pinoi Makalena, 2) Darleen Mamiya Oshea, 3) Midori Katayama, 4) Magumi Kimura, 5) Gail Murakami, 6) Christian Budroe Grandmaster: 1) Maka Puaa, 2) Elizabeth Bray, 3) Suzanne Walker, 4) Sweetie Mossman, 5) Gwen Mole, 6)Yolanda Vilenti Pro-Am: 1) Crystal Dzigas, 2) Megan Godinez, 3) Mimi Horiuchi, 4) Kelia Moniz, 5) Maka Puaa, 6) Pinoi Makalena Stand-up Paddle: 1) Geodee Clark, 2) Kelia Moniz, 3) Candide Krieger, 4) Talia Nicolai. Celebrities/Entertainers: 1) Maki Vernon, 2) Tammi Moniz, 3) Doreen Teramae, 4) Kanoe Uemura, 5) Ginai Chiti, 6) Susan Nishida.