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SUNSET BEACH, Hawaii (Friday,
Dec. 1, 2006) – Westside Oahu local and chance wildcard Melanie Bartels (HAW)
has won the Roxy Pro Hawaii at Sunset Beach today. Surfing from the trials, Bartels’
caught a wave with just 14 seconds on the clock to steal the lead from co-wildcard
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and win her first-ever ASP Women’s World Tour event. 
“I
am so stoked, this is a dream come true for me,” Bartels, who surfed on the
ASP Women’s World Tour in 2004 and 2005, said. “I was on tour for two
years and never made it past the third round – not once, so to make the final
and win here in Hawaii in front of my friends and family, well, it just seems
like everything is coming together. I’m so happy.” 
Bartels,
who has qualified for the 2007 ASP Women’s World Tour via the World Qualifying
Series (WQS), earned a last minute invite to compete in the trials when a previous
invitee declined her spot. Finishing second in the trials, Bartels earned a main
event berth when world No. 7 Silvana Lima (PER) withdrew from the event due to
injury. 
“I
wasn’t even in the event in the beginning,” Bartels said. “Fortunately
for me I got a call on Thanksgiving Day from Randy [Rarick] and he said that I
had gotten a spot in the trials. I was really, really stoked, because I kept bugging
him and bugging him, telling him how much I needed to be in this event because
I think I’m one of the best Hawaiian’s out there. It’s like it
was all meant to happen.” Until today, the Hawaiian was
notorious for failing to translate her immense talent into competitive results,
but beating Gilmore, Rochelle Ballard (HAW) and Chelsea Georgeson (AUS) respectively
in the 30-minute heat, she’s silenced the critics and any inner-doubt she
may have had. “I think something has clicked because
even in the trials there were heats where I wanted to give up,” Bartels said.
“But as soon as that negativity came into my head, I went ‘Think positive,’
and that made me think that I still had a chance. I stuck to my game plan and
turned that negative into a positive; it worked in every heat and I came out winning.” Bartels
is anxious to apply her newfound momentum to the ASP Women’s World Tour next
year. “For the first time I really believed in myself;
I believed in my surfing,” Bartels said. “I went, ‘This might be
my time,' you know, because everyone has their time. It was definitely my time
today – hopefully it will still be my time next year.” Narrowly
losing the final to Bartels, Gilmore’s second-place finish meant that wildcards
went one and two in the Roxy Pro Hawaii today. Gilmore won the ASP Women’s
World Tour event previous to Sunset, the Havaianas Beachley Classic in Sydney,
as a wildcard in October. “Mel and I were paddling out
and we gave ourselves a little high-five,” Gilmore said. ‘We went, ‘Wow,
it’s pretty cool we both made it all the way from the trials so let’s
take it to the top and that’s what we did. It’s been a pretty incredible
past couple of days.” Gilmore’s second-place finish
has seen her jump into the Van’s Triple Crown of Surfing series lead as well
as earn the Triple Crown Nose Guard Rookie of the year award. Had she paddled
for the wave that Bartels caught to win the contest, she may have added Roxy Pro
Hawaii champion to that list as well. “I saw that wave
coming and I could have caught it but I didn’t think it was going to be any
good,” Gilmore said. “I didn’t even see Mel paddle for it, so I
just let it go and hoped there’d be a better one there behind it for me,
but there wasn’t. It’s cool though, I’m just super happy for Mel
because this will be a very good confidence booster for her and hopefully next
year she’ll be doing the same thing on tour – it’s going to be
pretty exciting.” Sunset Beach local, Rochelle Ballard,
finished third in the Roxy Pro Hawaii event final, but was beyond happy for her
Hawaiian counterpart Bartels. “I was just super stoked
to see Melanie do so well out there,” Ballard said. “I’ve been
in her ear for I don’t know how many years, giving her little pep talks here
and there. I just know she has so much talent, it’s just a matter of her
unleashing it, and she did today. It’s just so great to see that.” Finishing
fourth was last year’s Roxy Pro Hawaii champion Chelsea Georgeson. Georgeson’s
final berth, combined with the semifinal exit of world No. 1 Layne Beachley and
world No. 2 Melanie Redman-Carr, leaves her in contention to defend her world
title in Maui next week. Georgeson was quick to credit the
Roxy Pro Hawaii wildcards who dethroned her today. “It’s
awesome that the wildcards have taken over this year,” Georgeson said. “I
think Steph has won more money than anyone on tour this year and Mel has actually
started trying and it shows. She’s an amazing surfer and if she would have
surfed like she did today last year she would have never fallen off tour. If she
surfs like this when she gives it another crack next year she’ll be winning
a few more events for sure.” The Billabong Pro Maui, the
final stop on the ASP Women’s World Tour and the final jewel in the Van’s
Triple Crown of Surfing heads to Maui on Dec. 8, 2006. Georgeson, Beachley and
Redman-Carr will headline the World Title battle at Honolua Bay. Final
Roxy Pro Hawaii Results:
Final: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 14.16, Stephanie Gilmore
(AUS) 13.50, Rochelle Ballard (HAW) 4.20, Chelsea Georgeson (AUS) 3.74 Semifinal
Roxy Pro Hawaii Results: (1st and 2nd advance to Final; 3rd and 4th Eliminated)
Heat 1: Melanie Bartels, (HAW) 12.33, Chelsea Georgeson, (AUS) 9.07, Megan
Abubo, (HAW) 9.07, Sofia Mulanovich, (PER) 4.33
Heat 2: Stephanie Gilmore,
(AUS) 13.60, Rochelle Ballard, (HAW) 12.73, Layne Beachley, (AUS) 9.90, Melanie
Redman-Carr, (AUS) 6.77 Quarterfinal Roxy Pro Hawaii Results:
(1st and 2nd advance to Semifinals; 3rd and 4th Eliminated)
Heat 1: Sofia
Mulanovich, (PER) 12.50, Megan Abubo, (HAW) 8.43, Keala Kennelly, (HAW) 6.27 Jacqueline
Silva, (BRA) 3.90
Heat 2: Melanie Bartels, (HAW) 11.83, Chelsea Georgeson,
(AUS) 10.73, Claire Bevilacqua, (AUS) 8.04, Samantha Cornish, (AUS) 5.26 Heat
3: Layne Beachley, (AUS) 11.67, Stephanie Gilmore, (AUS) 10.40, Jessi Miley-Dyer,
(AUS) 8.74, Heather Clark, (ZAF) 4.37 Heat 4: Melanie Redman-Carr, (AUS) 9.27,
Rochelle Ballard, (HAW) 7.63, Serena Brooke, (AUS) 7.04, Rebecca Woods, (AUS)
5.16 Top 10 ASP Women’s World Tour surfers after the Roxy
Pro Hawaii: 1. Layne Beachley (AUS) 2. Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) 3. Chelsea Georgeson
(AUS) 4. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 5. Jessi Miley-Dyer 6. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 7.
Silvana Lima (BRA) 8. Megan Abubo (HAW) 9. Rochelle Ballard (HAW) 9.Claire Bevilacqua
(AUS) | 
