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MEET TEAM RIP CURL!
Author: SurfGirl
From left to tight: Pauline Ado, Alana Blanchard, Bethany Hamilton, Tyler Wright
Australia?s Tyler Wright?s 5-year contract extension with Rip Curl
The young and talented 16-year-old Australian surfer, Tyler Wright, has extended her 5-year contract with Rip Curl. Tyler had an excellent season in 2010, finishing 3rd on the WQS circuit of the ASP and qualifying for the 2011 Women?s World Tour. She is the youngest woman in the history of the sport to qualify for the elite competition.
The ?natural footed? Tyler scored her second victory on the Tour, the O?Neill World Cup of Surfing, in December 2010 at Sunset Beach (Hawaii). At the tender age of 16, Tyler Wright has not only won 2 ASP competitions but also stacked up comfortable victories against the world?s most prestigious women?s surfers like Gilmore, Ho, Fitzgibbons, Lima or Mulanovich ? the 2004 World Champ. For Rip Curl, these auspicious beginnings leave no doubt as to the teenager?s huge potential and the significant progression she is set to make.
The young Tyler Wright will represent the brand?s surfwear, wetsuit, and watches, bags and accessories sectors throughout the year and throughout the world!
The Hawaiian Alana Blanchard, a great start on the 2011 ASP WT
Born in Kauai 20 years ago, Alana Blanchard is as comfortable before a camera lens as she is surfing a 12-foot pipeline. Alana has been Rip Curl?s figurehead ambassador for several years, and her feminine charms and raw talent make her as skilled on a board as she is before the cameras. Her angel-face and mermaid?s allure contrast starkly with her wicked cutting-edge, no-holds-barred surf style.
Her entry on the WT circuit has been no surprise and Rip Curl will endeavour to make the most of her free-time to set up fresh photo-shoots and Search events so eagerly awaited by her many admirers.On the silver screen, she will also be playing herself alongside Bethany Hamilton in the Hollywood blockbuster, Soul Surfer, telling Bethany?s incredible story, set for release in the US in April 2011.
France?s Pauline Ado: a dangerous outsider with a cool-head
Pauline does not come from a surfing family. It was by sheer chance that she started surfing at the age of eight when she signed up for a free learner?s course in her hometown Hendaye on the south-west coast of France. Pauline instantly fell in love with the sport and the ease with which she took to it and her love of competition did not escape Rip Curl?s attention and we?ve been sponsoring her since the age of 10.
Ever since, success has never stopped coming and she has scored major victories at the European and world levels. A 2006 ISA World Championship at the age of 15 sent her soaring into the big-time. Cool-natured Pauline is a modest soul with a great strategic vision and she has proved more than once that still waters run deep. Today her ASP Pro Tour rivals are only too alive to the very huge threat she poses.
Bethany Hamilton: A true story
When Bethany Hamilton lost her arm in a shark attack in 2003 while surfing with her talented neighbour Alana Blanchard, she shot to world stardom. The courage and determination that not only put her back on the board but also sent her battling for her place among the world elite have been extensively documented in print and on the screen. The Hollywood blockbuster recounting this incredible story, Soul Surfer, is set for release in the USA in April and stars Anna Sophia Robb in the role of Bethany, in a cast that includes Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood. All surf scenes, meanwhile, will be played by Bethany Hamilton and Alana Blanchard themselves.
The European release dates have not yet been confirmed.
For more info on the team go to www.ripcurl.com