Finally Some Girls Wave Competition – The GKA Wave & Strapless Freestyle Tour

Kathrin Ernest, Larissa Fadeeva, Laila Puehringer, Lyde Heckroodt, Milla Ferreira, Moona Whyte, Tatiana Mukhina, Ninja Bichler and Uli Holzi. Whilst these may not all be household names to you, this stands as testament to the commitment of these riders. In the absence of a credible tour to compete in, they have been pushing themselves and charging hard at various breaks around the world.

The Competition

The girls had to wait for the guys to finish before taking to the famous break, but once in the water did not disappoint with Kathryn Ernest, Moona Whyte and local rider Ninja Bichler taking the first round victories and directly advancing into round three.

Two more rounds of heats saw a final lined up between Ninja Bichler, Moona Whyte and Milla Ferreira who fought back through the rounds after coming 2nd in her first heat.

In the end it was local rider Ninja Bichler who took the win and really pushing hard and taking risks in her home spot that she knows so well.

What makes this even more of an achievement for her is that she gave birth in December and has not had the time on the water to train that should would have liked…

“I actually haven’t been kiting that much recently because I had a baby in December, it was only really last week that I kited a lot. But of course before having the baby I used to ride this wave almost every day… and being able to read it properly is an advantage for sure. You learn to know when the waves are coming and how they will develop. That’s one advantage, but I also like the risk! I try to push myself more and more!” – NINJA BICHLER

Milla Ferreira managed to pick up second place and Moona Whyte from Hawaii came in third in tough conditions that were not exactly what she was used to riding in…

“I was riding my five metre mostly. The wind’s lighter at home in Hawaii and I’m not used to going left, but I had I had a couple of days practicing here before the competition and think I got a lot better in that time, but yeah it’s really different from home. I always get nervous before competitions, but I just tried to relax and know that I get my best results when I have fun, which I did.”

A huge congratulations to all of the female riders and thanks to the GKA for managing to put this together. As wave riding continues to grow in popularity it is the efforts of these inspirational girls that show the world what is possible in a side of the sport which openly accessible to all and there to be enjoyed whether you are a younger rider or happening to have kids cheering you on from the beach.

All photos: Toby Bromwich / GKA

For more information on The GKA Wave & Strapless Freestyle Tour please follow the GKA Facebook page.

Published on: 12th September 2016