ASP Swatch Girls Pro 2012- France/Hossegor - Highlight Day 1 - English

The SWATCH GIRLS PRO FRANCE got underway on the very first day of the waiting period at Les Bourdaines, Seignosse. A 2ft (chest high) mix of overnight windswell and a distance pulse of Atlantic groundswell offered select scoring opportunities for surfers in the early rounds, but despite the technically challenging conditions, high scores were laid down by a stand-out trio of Hawaiian surfers. Leila Hurst, 18, earned an excellent 9.0 point ride on her way to a heat total of 17.25 (out of 20) in a commanding display. Modest about her strong start, Hurst said "I think I just got lucky because I was watching before and I really didn't know what I was going to do... I just sat deep and waited for a wave, and two good ones came to me." Fellow Hawaiian teenager Alessa Quizon also served notice to the competition's top seeds, posting two heat totals in excess of 15 points (out of 20), impressing spectators and judges alike with impressive speed and sharpness in the at times minimal conditions. Meanwhile a third Hawaiian wahine, Bethany Hamilton, 22, put on an impressive display on her backhand in the small clean rights of the afternoon, also earning a 9.0 point ride.