Live 2 Surf

Surfing Queensland
Gold Coast Queensland
15 - 16 November 2008

Sunshine Coast Surfer Naomi Stevic Up For Challenge At Lizzy Surf Series!

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 10 November, 2008 : - - Sunshine Coast surfer Naomi Stevic (Castaways Beach) is planning to repel Queensland’s top female surfers to win her first open women’s state crown this weekend. The talented teen packs the big moves to wrap up the third and final round of the Lizzy Surf Series, which will start on Saturday November 15 on the Gold Coast.

After a runner-up finish in the second round of the series on the Sunshine Coast in June, Stevic is preparing to pull out all stops to fend off some tough rivals in her quest for the title. “I want to end the year with a win,” said Stevic.

“I’ve had a lot of runner-up finishes this year across both the Lizzy Series and Queensland Junior Titles, so I’m hungry for victory. I’m feeling fit, my boards are going well so hopefully the waves will cooperate and give us some great waves for the last event.”

Apart from the prestige of winning a state title, the winner of the open women’s division will score the opportunity to tackle the world’s best surfers in the trials of the Roxy Pro, the season-opener on the ASP Women's World Tour at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast in February, 2009.

"The prospect of taking on the world's best would be a dream come true," said Stevic. "I would love to surf Snapper with only three other surfers and mix it with the best.” The high-stakes, $2,000 tournament is stacked with a new breed of champions including Dimity Stoyle (Buderim), Brittani Nicholl (Cabarita), Ellie-Jean Coffey (Suffolk Park), Wini Paul (Tugun) and Amy Hubbard (Currumbin).

The talents of fellow Sunshine Coast ace Stoyle are not to be underestimated either. The reigning state junior champion has already earned a long awaited shot at the Gold Coast based world tour event after scoring a decisive victory in the Roxy Pro Trials for Trials on the Gold Coast in late September.

Stoyle, 17, heads the open women’s series ratings leading into this weekend’s event. There she sits on top with 1860 points, 250 clear of Coffey, with Stevic in third on 1590.

Other surfers in contention for Lizzy titles include Alex Headlands surfer Sharon Jackson in both the senior (over 28) and master’s divisions (over 35) along with Cabarita’s Brittani Nicholl in the U/20’s and Stoyle in the U/18’s. Currumbin’s Eden Putland and Moffat Beach’s Renee Heazlewood are in the box seat to claim the respective U/16 and U/14 girls’ division titles.

However, the all-female series is not all about fierce competition. The Lizzy Surf Series is designed to be a really social affair and is a perfect event for women and girls to have their first crack at competition surfing. Acting as a fantastic introductory series, the open women’s division will incorporate a repercharge division for surfers defeated in round one of competition and guarantees all surfers at least two surfs.

The series also features U/21, U/18, U/16, U/14, seniors (O/28) and masters (O/35) divisions with overall champions rated on their best two of three results. For all event updates please check out surfingqueensland or call the Surfing Queensland Office on (07) 5520 1165.