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Women continue to make a splash

Women surfing joins the X Games, marking increased acceptance.

By BOB PUTNAM
Published July 3, 2007

Before, women's surfing was just a filler for the eyes, an event fans would watch occasionally.

Then came Lisa Andersen.

She rode waves with a fluid, fearless style and had moves that were so breathtaking, people didn't stare for a second or two. They stayed for the entire heat, some camping out early to get a better view.

Andersen won four consecutive women's world titles 1994-97 and became an icon in a subculture dominated by males. Her success helped raise the profile of women surfers. The sport is now the second-fastest growing among women, trailing golf, according to Borad-Trac, a California research company in devoted to action sports.

Now, women's surfing is about to reach the zenith of establishment acceptance with its inclusion in this year's X Games.

The competition of men and women is today through Friday at Puerto Escondido in Mexico.

Andersen, who grew up in Ormond Beach, is at the forefront again. She is coaching the U.S. team in the women's debut.

"The X Games are certainly one of the coolest competitions in action sports, " Andersen said via e-mail. "I'm pretty stoked and excited to be coaching the girls."

The U.S. team was hand-picked by Andersen. She recruited Hawaii's Melanie Bartels, Megan Abubo, Rochelle Ballard, Carissa Moore and Keala Kennelley as well as California's Courtney Conlogue.

Andersen will be coaching against one of her rivals, Layne Beachley, a seven-time world champion who will be coaching the World Team.

"The talent of women's surfing coming through the ranks from all over the world is definitely justified now that is included into the X Games, " Beachley said. "I am excited that finally the world of action sports acknowledges the existence of women's professional surfing, and I think it is going to be a great environment for our sport to be exposed to."

In the past decade, women have adroitly ridden a pop-culture wave not seen since Gidget. The 2002 film Blue Crush and MTV's 2003 reality series Surf Girls brought the sport into the mainstream.

That attention led to a charge to the beach. From 1999 to 2002, the number of women who surfed every day increased by 280 percent, according to Board-Trac.

Despite being a popular commodity in Hollywood, women surfers have watched interest in contests dwindle and contest venues move to less desirable spots.

On the men's tour, 45 surfers compete in 10 events, with the Quiksilver Pro offering $300, 000 in prize money. The women's tour consists of 17 surfers in seven events, with the Roxy Pro paying a total of $80, 000 in winnings.

"There is always room for improvement, both at the elite level and the grass roots, " Beachley said in the New York Times. "And considering the industry has made an enormous amount of money through its representation of this lifestyle, I feel the disparity between the incomes of the men and women still have a long way to go to become equal."

But there are positive developments, starting with the addition of women's surfing at the X Games, which comes the same year the book Gidget celebrates its golden anniversary.

"Women's surfing has been on the rise and has been for the past number of years, " Andersen said. "To have it included in the X Games kind of legitimizes and showcases how far we've come."

Bob Putnam can be reached at putnam@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4169.

X Games 13

What: Surfing

Where: Puerto Escondido, Mexico.

When: Today-Friday

Outlook: The competitions will be streamed live on expn.com. The surfing men's final will air on ABC on Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. and the women's final will be broadcast at 9:30 p.m. the same day.

[Last modified July 2, 2007, 23:18:27]