The Gidget Pro Sunset Beach
November 24-December 6, 2009

Thirty-five years ago, Hawaii's Laura Blears single-handedly took on an all-male field at Sunset Beach in the Smirnoff Pro, firmly planting the flag for women's professional surfing. Today, another page is added to the colorful history of women's surfing with the announcement by Gidget Worldwide of their sponsorship of the Gidget Pro Sunset Beach - the second of three stops on the ladies Vans Triple Crown of Surfing presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, and the penultimate event of the 2009 ASP Women's World Tour.

After Blears' professional debut at Sunset Beach in 1974, women became a regular feature of pro surfing on the North Shore of Oahu when the first organized world tour culminated here in 1977. With stops in Australia, South Africa, and Brazil en-route to Hawaii, the women's tour was collectively worth $28,000. The Hawaiian leg of events - a precursor to what would later become the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing - offered the lion's share: $18,000.


Fast forward to 2009, and the women's Vans Triple Crown series now offers the ASP's Top 17 $205,000, and is the grand finale of the $640,000 ASP Women's World Tour.


"Women have a story all their own in surfing," said Randy Rarick, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Executive Director. "It has been that way since 'Gidget' debuted in the late '50s.


"From the beginning, the women's story has in many ways been more interesting than that of the men, always underwritten by a healthy, free-spirited pursuit of the surfer's lifestyle and athleticism. That is precisely the image that Gidget Worldwide is looking to further.


"With every generation we see the positive message of women's surfing reach a new audience of devotees who put their own touches on a lifestyle that is known and coveted the world over. In essence, the girls we see take to the waves at Sunset Beach this year are the modern version of Gidget. I think she'd be proud of where they have taken surfing and the prominent role they play in the lifestyle today."