Let equality ring!
Yesterday, the sun set on a different Australia than the one it rose over hours earlier. A better Australia. A brighter Australia. An Australia where gender-based assumptions lay on red ground in a smoldering heap. Where equality, true equality, rang.
For yesterday a woman, Sierra Lerback from Maui, beat all-comers in the most prestigious Old Mal division of the Noosa Festival of Surfing to hoist the cup and change history.
All-comers” referring to a who’s who of ridiculously talented males including Jared Mell, Jack Norton, Byron Chadwick and Harrison Roach.
The aforementioned Roach took to Instagram immediately, penning, “@sierralerback is the first woman in history to win the most prestigious division of the @noosa_festival_of_surfing, the Old Mal, and she’s my mate.”
Praise was universal from luminaries such as Alex Knost, Joel Tudor, Devon Howard, Robert “Wingnut” Weaver etc.
Now, students of surf journalism will be aware that I have been calling for mixed longboarding for years or maybe months. Women dance the plank as beautifully as men, even more beautifully, and so why not cast them into the same field and allow them to Battle of the Sexes regularly? I pepper World Surf League Longboard Commissioner Devon Howard with such thoughts as well anyone else who will listen.
That same World Surf League has set itself up as the most equal of governing bodies, what with equal prize money and equal-ish venues, but true equality is singular. It is one. The World Surf League Shortboard Commissioner, Jessi Miley-Dyer, has been a rumored hater of longboarders and longboarding, recently threatening to cut that tour down to one event and casting its champion into outer darkness. Will the Noosa Festival of Surfing change her mind? Help her to see the light? Miley-Dyer’s congratulatory missives were notably missing from Lerback’s accomplishment.
More as that story develops but, in the meantime, great congratulations to Sierra Lerback. May it be the first of many.
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Having watched the CT mens and womens log heats, there’s still a pretty big skills & style gap between them.
But like billards and darts, logging isn’t much about muscles so not really a reason there should be. Maybe less women surfers = less competition at lower levels = less skills needed to win at the top level.
That said, you catch the best waves in a heat and you’ll often win, congrats Sierra. The comps are better for having the best surfers than can in them, regardless of gender.
PS – lost my first heat/comp to a girl.
Ask Bex, sounds like he’ll find it quicker than I could.
History has changed . Oh goody, now there’s no reason to kèep trans women out of women’s sports.
Great news. Good on Sierra.
I’m too busy to google it. Any footage of her winning heats?
Does she get a auto wildcard into both the mens and bitches events at Bells ?
Congrats. That’s awesome.
Jessi Miley-Dyer…Sorta sounds like a serial killer’s name.
I am not in the slightest trying to suggest women could compete against men in either of the rugby sports…but as a spectator I have genuinely become a big fan
AFL and cricket not so much
mate some of the hits would snap many here in half!!
Brutal
FFS , I saw the final , she had better wave choice and surfed incredibly well, she beat the beat the boys fair and square……so what if it’s small waves and logging, it’s actually amazing to see what can be done in small waves on a log….I am leaving Noosa today , going home next week and make myself a modern day log, so I can surf the shitty days and stay fit!
Still planning to come out to Hawaii?
What its taken you how many years to work that one out.
Congrats Sierra and apologies for what will be mostly lazy, outdated commentary below.
Sierra Lerback has a serious layback
how right you were..
Romney IS the enemy!
Know your enemies!
Isn’t it amazing how Romney has gone from being the ultra-rightwing looney of the party to someone appearing almost rational and centrist? By amazing, I mean fucking sad for humanity.
He was never ultra-right, was just cast that way by the media and PS he hates dogs.
You can check out, but you never leave
All those posh Eton boys get the good roles!
Is she a she?
Or a she that identifies as a Nokia 3310
Fuck! Beachgrit will sure hit top 5 most visited surf website this month. With this new feature Chas and Dez introduced to the site, where we have to load the page 20 times to get to the proper comments section.
It’s not new by any means. Try waiting for the page to load before scrolling down or doing anything. Seems to help.
Will no-one remember the days of the mini-player ?
Pavlov reaction , this came straight to me :
https://youtu.be/zL3rt6RTqps
As soon as I saw the title I knew it was a longboard contest.
And the next and obvious question one must ask in the mixed up, messed up world is could she be a he and will Lou Reed write about he/her from the grave? Lola and Sweet Jane are clapping!
Because a woman could never possibly beat a man? Come on Grandad it’s past your bed-time.
Humor obviously blows right over your head and of course deficiencies tied to a lack of knowledge of classic rock lyrics combine to tell me you need to loosen up. Try not to take yourself so serious, this is BG!
Guess I like my comedy original. Not tired, old and predictable.
Classic rock! yeah Grandad still rocking the free-world!
Such a punk but legendary at punching up! Sounds like you need a hug, ideally from a woman.
It’s true
Hes in a long distance probly disfunctional relationship
You need to find better things to do with your time than stalking me on FB Bex.
Don’t encourage me
I bet you got excited over that photo of me sailing with my shirt off.
Reminded me of Simon le bon
You reveal more about your problem every day. I’m sorry you were beaten by Women. It’s never happened to me, but I’m sure you can take out your angst as a mod online.
BE CAREFUL we might earn new badges from badge boy
Well obviously its never happened to you, as you’d have to be near Women to be beaten by them.
You’re slippin.
I’m already at the bottom.
At longboarding, of course.
At boxing? Tennis? Lol.
No longboard tour required
“The most fun you’ll ever have in surfing is the first time you catch a wave, and then you start wondering who’s best–and it’s all downhill from there.”
Phil Edwards
I hope she quoted Jane Campion (director of the tedious and overrated The Power of the Dog) when she was collecting her award “Venus and Serena, you’re such marvels, However, you don’t play against the guys, like I have to”!
Power of the Bitch was her first choice for the title, but the studio pussied out.
I loved everything about the movie.
Fair enough, I thought it was too drawn out. I could have edited an hour out of it!
Such a slowburner!
Don’t forget Serena and Venus got smoked back to back by a dude ranked 203rd after he “had finished a round of golf and two shandies.” He claimed he had played down to a 600 level player to make it more interesting.