In a hotly contested battle that was decided in the final seconds by only a half point, Courtney Conlogue ripped through the waves in Oceanside, California, this afternoon and bested her competitors to claim the honor of being the 2009 Supergirl Pro Junior Champion and take home the $5,000 top prize.
Boasting a $15,000 total prize purse, the 2nd Annual Supergirl Pro Junior is the first event in this year’s Supergirl Jam, the action sports industry’s only large-scale, all-female competition and lifestyle events designed to promote female empowerment, strength and independence.
Conlogue, who recently won this year’s U.S. Open of Surfing women’s event and a USA team and individual gold medal in the International Surfing Association’s World Surfing Games, battled Malia Manuel (Kauai, HI), Sage Erickson (Ojai, CA) and Nikita Robb (East London, South Africa) for the Supergirl title. Manuel, Erickson and Robb placed second, third and fourth, respectively.
“Last year I took fourth in this event and saw Coco Ho take home the Supergirl cape when she won it,” said Conlogue. “I really wanted the win—and to take home the cape to be this year’s Supergirl champion. It’s an honor to win an event like this that focuses on, and supports, the girls.”
Competing in smaller surf conditions than day one of the event weekend, the finals got started with a bang. Conlogue grabbed the highest score of the final out of the gate, when she posted a 7.50 on her opening wave. Manuel answered with her second and third waves, posting a 5.75 and 6.65 to take the lead. With Manuel in the lead, Conlogue hunted the horizon for an answer, but fell short until her fifth wave, when she posted a 5.40. With only minutes remaining in the final, Conlogue continued to catch waves while employing a defensive strategy to Manuel by shadowing her in the line-up. As the clock ticked down, Conlogue hung on to win by a nail-biting half point.
“I knew it was going to be a battle with Courtney right to the end—and it was. We were both fighting hard for the win,” said Manuel. “This is my first time competing in the Supergirl Pro Junior and I’m happy with the result.”
Final Results—Supergirl Pro Junior 2009
1) Courtney Conlogue 12.90 points
2) Malia Manuel 12.40 points
3) Sage Erickson 8.15 points
4) Nikita Robb 6.45 points
The Supergirl Pro Junior, an ASP sanctioned Grade-4 surfing contest, recognizes the sport’s top female athletes who are 20-and-under. This year’s competition featured 16 of the world’s top female junior pro surfers who competed in yesterday’s quarterfinal and semi-final heats.
