REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Wednesday, February 28, 2007

LAYNE Beachley had been surfing on the world tour longer than 14-year-old Hawaiian wildcard Carissa Moore had been alive.

But that didn’t stop the pint-sized child prodigy dominating the seven-times world champion on the opening day of the Roxy Pro at Snapper Rocks.

Showing style and skill beyond her years, Moore clocked a combined two-wave score of 15, to topple the greatest female surfer in history (12.37) and former event winner Jacqueline Silva (10.16).

“Layne is definitely one of my heroes, she is seven time world champ,” said Moore, who hails from Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

“She is a really nice person too. I didn’t think about it too much. I was just stoked to be in the heat with her and Jacqueline.’’

The first women’s World Championship Tour contest of the year, the Gold Coast event had developed a tradition of discovering stars of the future since Gold Coast sensation Stephanie Gilmore won the Roxy Pro as a 17-year-old wildcard in 2005.

Just one day after predicting the next generation of female surfers would push the limits of women’s surfing, Beachley experienced it first hand.

“Carissa surfed magnificently and her wave selection was unbelievable,’’ said Beachley, who was in her 17th consecutive season on the WCT.

“Her heat strategies for such a young girl were just so mature. I am going to have to step up my game if I am going to get through another heat,” Beachley said.