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Photo: Ryan Miller

BELLS BEACH, Victoria/Australia (April 3rd & 4th, 2012) – The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Fiesta is the second stop on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour. The opening rounds offered up clean three-to-four foot waves where O’Neill Girls team riders Malia Manuel and Sage Erickson scored well.

Malia started the second round strong with a powerful 6.17 and followed it through with executed snaps and carves. Malia got the second-highest heat total of Round two with a 14.87. Yea girl! Here’s what Malia had to say:

“There are so many faces to Bells,” Manuel said. “The Bowl is an interesting wave to figure out, but I’m happy there were enough waves for the two of us. I think [round three] will be a good round. No one loses out completely, so it’s kind of like a go-for-it round.”

Malia Manuel, Round 1. Photo: Ryan Miller

Malia Manuel, Round 1. Photo: Ryan Miller

Sage Erickson. Photo: Ryan Miller

Sage fell short in her round 2 heat but put on a solid performance. She will be headed straight to New Zealand for the next world tour event and look to better her performance at Bells.

Sage Erickson, Round 2. Photo: Ryan Miller

Sage Erickson, Round 1. Photo: Ryan Miller

Sage Ericson, Round 1. Photo: Ryan Miller

Sage Erickson. Photo: Ryan Miller

Malia Manuel. Photo: Ryan Miller

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Coco Ho (HAW) 14.66 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.74
Heat 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.87 def. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 6.67
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 13.33 def. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 11.23
Heat 4: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 13.27 def. Justine Dupont (FRA) 11.64
Heat 5: Paige Hareb (NZL) 14.00 def. Sage Erickson (USA) 12.17
Heat 6: Sarah Mason (NZL) 17.34 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 12.20

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS), Laura Enever (AUS), Sarah Mason (NZL)
Heat 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Paige Hareb (NZL), Malia Manuel (HAW)
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW), Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Courtney Conlogue (USA), Lakey Peterson (USA)

Steve Robertson ASP/Contributed photo

Last Friday afternoon O’Neill Girls team riders Malia Manuel and Sage Erickson competed in the Hunter Ports Women’s classic in Australia. Malia walked away with a powerful second place for the event beating out reigning ASP Women’s World Champion, Carissa Moore in the Quarterfinals.

“I’m really happy to make the final and rack up some points,” Manuel said in the release.

“I’d really like to stay in the Top 5. I’m really happy right now. I wish I could have caught a couple more waves, but either way, first or second is great for me. I’m enjoying Australia and looking forward to the rest of my time here.”

The ASP stated that O’Neill Girls team rider Sage Erickson (USA), 2012 elite ASP Women’s World Championship Tour rookie finished equal third place after bowing out in her Semifinal against Manuel. Erickson eliminated Paige Hareb (NZL) earlier in the day in the Quarterfinals but couldn’t match Manuel’s smooth style in today’s shifty conditions.

“The conditions are much more tricky with the southerly winds,” Erickson said. “There were some good little lefts, but I couldn’t find a good back-up score. Malia (Manuel) got those two good waves and surfed really consistent in that heat.”.

HUNTER PORTS WOMEN’S CLASSIC

FINAL:
1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 16.70
2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00

SEMI-FINAL:
SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.20 def. Sage Erickson (USA) 12.17
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.04 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.00

QUARTER-FINAL:
QF 1: Sage Erickson (USA) 14.93, def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 12.93
QF 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.66 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 11.17

O’Neill Girls team rider Sage Erickson dominated at the Hunter Ports Womens Classic in New Castle Australia today with a massive two-wave heat total of 17.30 (out of a possible 20) in her Round of 48 Heat 3. Currently Sage is in her rookie year on the Elite ASP Top 17 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour.

Catch up with Sage as the ASP interviews her about her heat: AspWorldTour.com

O’Neill Girls surf team rider Sage Erickson stopped by our office a couple weeks ago to see if we could help her customize a vintage dress that she wanted to wear to the 2012 ASP World Tour Banquet. We loved the idea and were stoked to help her out… We grabbed a couple of our designers and a couple girls from our cut and sow team and voilà we were ready to customize!

Sage loved the idea of changing the dress to have a high-low skirt as well as adding some small shoulder pads in, shortening the sleeves and adding a slight v-neck. Check out the final O’Neill Girls customized vintage dress seen below on Sage at the ASP Banquet a couple days ago.

O’Neill Girls surf team riders Sage Erickson & Malia Manuel with friend.

Just wanted to give a huge Happy Birthday shout out to O’Neill Girls team rider Sage Erickson who turns 21 years old today! Here are some of our favorite blogs with Sage from the past year, check em out:

Sage’s Hawaii 2011 recap: Splendid Days In Paradise

Follow Sage on Insstagram blog

Sage Talks about the ASP

Sage at the Margaret River Drug Aware Pro

Follow Sage on Facebook.com/SageErickson
And Instagram: @SageErickson

O'Neill Girls Surf Team: Kiana, Sage & Malia

O’Neill Girls team rider Sage Erickson just got back from spending some time in Hawaii. Hear about her trip first hand in this blog:

“Outside is chilly, the clouds roll in and seem to have no mercy on this California coastline. The California winter is at its finest and I can’t help but sip my morning coffee and wish I could go back to that tropical oasis called Hawaii. The destination where the ocean water resembles fine topaz… and sea turtles flounder as they watch the surfers from around the world brace their shores for a few months. Hawaii took me captive for the month of November and part of December.

I chose to really embrace working on my surfing in conditions that are different from California’s selections. A seven-mile miracle landed me on the North Shore of Oahu and I spent my days surfing, training and enjoying the off season before my rookie year on the World Championship Tour starts in February. The pressures of being a competitive surfer are all on the individual’s shoulders and finding the balance amongst pleasing sponsors, the eye of others and myself can be overwhelming at times. By focusing my perspective on the beautiful life surfing has to offer, all those pressures quickly disappear. The happiness of early morning surfs while the sun rises in Hawaii, erases any negative thoughts that try to surface in my subconscious mind.

Throughout the winter, I experienced some amazing surf sessions. O’Neill took over two houses this year, a boys house at Pipe and a Girls house at Log Cabins. Pipe saw the pecking order, boys and men trying to prove their abilities. Although on edge and ready to attack the massive mountains of water rolling in, the boys were so welcoming. They encouraged me to surf better and push the limits I’ve set for myself. The wisdom behind my O’Neill family influenced me to take risks and conquer daily goals out in the water.

On a softer side, Log Cabins flourished with locals trying to avoid the invasion of the world’s best surfers. The girls house exerted a true Hawaiian vacation lifestyle: O’Neill bikinis, surfboards, sun tans and a king size jacuzzi ready for us after we finished surfing in the rain. We had our yearly O’Neill girls’ photo shoot where our team was able to get a first peek at the Spring 2012 swim line. This is such an exciting time of the year for us, seeing as how we are pretty much in bikinis year round. Representing my favorite clothing brand, O’Neill Girls, is rewarding in so many ways, and it’s times like these, that I am able to spend with the team, that I truly appreciate it the most. During our stay, one of the North Shore’s largest events took place this winter…the infamous Surfer Poll. The thought of dressing up with all my friends, supporting their nominations and making memories was an awesome experience I look forward to every year. I rocked my new Jeffery Campbells (beautiful 5 inch black leather combat lace up high heels) and before I knew it I caught myself fantasizing about being a 5’11 super model who rocked the runway at one of the years biggest fashion shows (the Victoria Secret Fashion Show).

My experience in Hawaii was superb, the hospitality of my sponsors, fresh Hawaiian fruit for breakfast and endless waves seemed so surreal, wait was it? Did it really happen only a few weeks back?

When reality sets back in, my vision becomes fixated out the window of my toasty Tahoe at the cold winter waves, trying to avoid looking at my car’s temperature gauge. I take a deep breath, hop out, throw on my favorite blue O’Neill wetsuit and run into the arctic currents of Ventura.”

Sage
xx

Follow Sage on Facebook.com/SageErickson
And Instagram: @SageErickson

Are you a huge fan of Instagram?! We are! Check out O’Neill Girls team rider Sage Erickson‘s Instagram account for some awesome daily pics. Here are a few of our most recent favs.

Follow Sage at @SageErickson & peep us on there too @ONeillGirls

With the completion of the final stop on the 2011 ASP Women’s Star Series, the Azores, the elite ASP Top 17 have just been announced! Congratulations to O’Neill Girls team riders Malia Manuel and Sage Erickson for qualifying for the 2012 World Tour!

We couldn’t be more proud of both girls and just wanted to give a huge shout out and say good luck on the upcoming 2012 World Tour!

Photo credit: ASP

Malia just won big at the ASP 6-Star Billabong Girls Azores Islands Pro in Sao Miguel and. The conditions were great with 3-4ft peaks. And just last week she had another star victory in Pantin, Spain.

“It feels surreal right now. I had struggled at the beginning of the year and then come to Europe and wind two events in-a-row is just extraordinary. I don’t know what to say. I am so happy we had waves and it was a great final. To win back-to-back feels really good. (laughs)”



Photo credit: ASP

Sage Erickson’s most recent win came with a second place at the Swatch Girls Pro Junior France where she competed neck and neck in solid 4ft peaks at Les Bourdaines. This competition really helped secure her a spot on the elite 2012 ASP Women’s World Tour.

“In each contest I am striving to get on the Women’s World Tour and I think it is a dream like every other surfer has to get on that tour. I have definitely been trying a lot harder to improve my surfing and it seems to be falling into place. I am really excited and I am taking it contest by contest and heat by heat.”

You go girls!

This morning KTLA Morning News reporter Allie McKay stopped by our new O’Neill Santa Monica store to talk about Fall and Back to School fashion. O’Neill Girls team rider Sage Erickson was there to give Allie the 411 on what’s hot and what’s not this season plus talk about her career as a professional surfer and her current surf season.

Check out KTLA’s website to see the video from this mornings show: click here for video

Follow Sage here: Facebook.com/sageerickson

Stay Up To Date with the Shop: Facebook.com/ONeillSantaMonica

Wow! What a week!!!! First we would like to thank all the O’Neill Girls fans who came down and supported Malia this week at the US Open. The O’Neill Girls fans are unbelievable and we can’t thank you enough for all the love and support. Saturday Malia Manuel competed in the Junior Pro Finals, where she placed second! We are so proud of you Malia, you surfed great! She was a crowd pleaser when she surfed through the pier and ripped for her fans on the other side of the beach! The entire O’Neill family was hard at work this weekend signing for their fans outside of Jack’s, Jack’s girls, and HSS. Crowds gathered and patiently waited for an autograph/picture with Sage and Malia! Thank you again to everyone who came out this weekend! Check out the pics from the event. Happy Monday!!