By Abbey Cannan
The Women’s Surf Festival will host a special event to celebrate International Womens Day, right on the shores of Noosa’s world surf reserve, during the Noosa Festival of Surfing.
This one day event will bring the growing female surfing community together for surfing inspiration, workshops, speaker sessions with surf legends and specialists.
Noosa Today had the chance to speak with three of these surf legends ahead of the celebration on Wednesday 8 March. Here’s what they had to say…
Belen Alvarez Kimble, Performance coach and director of Salty Girls Surf School (Australia’s first all female surf school)
1. What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It’s a day that all women are seen, heard and valued for contribution in life, work, family, community and acknowledging the struggles that we have endured to be where we are now. It’s a special day that brings all the differences between us together to celebrate one thing: women and all the magnificent things we bring to the world.
2. Who is your all-time favourite female surfer?
That’s a hard question as I grew up around some of the most influential women in surfing from the ’60s-’90s. I would have to say Jerico Poppler, she was a torch bearer with the transition from longboard to shortboards, travelled the world representing women in such a positive way, always gathering the women together from all the countries and building a community within the world of women’s surfing. She was a driving force for women getting published in magazines and sponsorships. She showed that female surfing was graceful and it was OKto surf like a woman with style and grace, but still hang with the boys and surf waves of consequence. Her infectious smile still to this day brings women who love the art of surf riding together in community. She is my ‘shero’.
3. Who is an up and coming female surfer that everyone should keep an eye on?
For short boarding I would say a 10-year-old named Leihani Kaloha Zoric, she absolutely rips and is so humble and kind, definitely one to watch out for. And in longboarding there are way too many young girls ripping at the points right now to keep an eye out for.
4. What are you most looking forward to at the Women’s Surf Festival special event in Noosa on Wednesday 8 March?
The gathering of the tribes, the women from all areas around the coastline. Because that’s what we are, tribes. Seeing and catching up with old friends from when I was competing in Noosa as a professional longboarder, and all of us coming together to celebrate the journey of women in surfing. I’m excited to help educate the younger generations about the women who paved the road for us and them, and give insight to amazing upskilling and training that will be running during the event, that has been created for women by women. It’s going to be so much fun being around all the women, teens and girls, I can not wait.
Kirra Molar, professional surfer, surf coach and Noosa World Surf Reserve president
1. What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
That women should be appreciated and equal as all humans should be every day of the year, not just for one. The day is a reminder of how far we’ve come and how far there is still to go to achieve this.
2 Who is your all-time favourite female surfer?
I don’t have a favourite surfer of all time but I do appreciate the women who first began to pave the way for equality in our sport, such as Margo Oberg, Wendy Botha and Keala Kennelly.
3. Who is an up and coming female surfer that everyone should keep an eye on?
I think someone like Sierra Kerr is a perfect example of the generations of surfing that will follow and lead women’s surfing into the future.
4. What are you most looking forward to at the Women’s Surf Festival special event in Noosa on Wednesday 8 March?
I’m looking forward to seeing a showcase of female surfing and community at the event in Noosa.
Sarra Robertson, former professional surfer and owner of Land and Sea Therapy
1. What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Such a big question! IWD is a chance to take stock of our journeys as women in all aspects of our life, both personally and collectively. It’s a day to both celebrate and ponder our ability to create positive change for ourselves and for each other. As surfers, we have a responsibility to the waters we enjoy, the people we share it with, and the future we are paving. Surfing is a lifestyle and a life choice, being a woman is our birthright. IWD is a time to understand what that means to us and how we can express those insights to help us grow together. Women surfers are of the earth and we understand our place in it through our love of surfing. This year I fully intend to celebrate that with my tribe, what an honour!
2. Who is your all-time favourite female surfer?
Growing up under the wing of my father as a person, female and a surfer, I always noticed and tried to emulate his kindness, stoicism, respect, and connection in and to the water through both modern and ancient ways. Surfing was always more than simply gender to me then and still is now. In terms of fellow female surfers that I have felt a kindredness with, that would have to be Pam Burridge. I always feel relieved that there has been another ratbag goofy in the world of professional surfing like me, except I was the longboarding variety! I also absolutely love surfing with my longtime friend, fellow tour competitor, and colleague Belen Alvarez Kimble. That lady’s infectious passion and stoke always draws me out of my solo surfer mindset and brings me into the tribe of female surfers that she continues to grow and support. She’s quite incredible in her passion for sisterhood and I’m eternally grateful for it.
3. Who is an up and coming female surfer that everyone should keep an eye on?
It’s too hard to choose! The talent in female longboarding these days is so exciting and it’s been so good to see a celebration of grace and style. No hot tips from me sorry other than some of the sponsored female free surfers are a great bunch to follow too. Not all of the best surfers compete!
4. What are you most looking forward to at the Women’s Surf Festival special event in Noosa on Wednesday 8 March?
Returning to Noosa and being part of the Festival! I competed in the Noosa Festival of Surfing in the Open Women’s division for the first time in 2004 after petitioning Surfing Australia to change the rules to allow girls of any age to surf in the Open Women’s event. I was only just 14 and prior to that girls had to compete in the junior division until they were 18 before they could enter an open division. Every woman in that event was well over 40 and didn’t compete like the men, opting instead to surf too far on the inside, except for women like Sandy Day and Sally Paxton, both incredible champions and trailblazers for my generation. Bringing the Women’s Surf Festival Event to The Noosa Surfing Festival is so surreal for me when thinking back to how far we’ve come… I can’t wait to bring the whole journey full circle with the Rise of Women’s Longboarding Q and A featuring Pacific Longboarder Magazine’s John Brasen, whose support of women’s longboarding has spanned over 30 years. Any female surfers wanting to find their tribe and sense of belonging in our shared history really need to come and join us!
Women’s Surf Festival event details:
WHEN: Wednesday 8 March 2023, starts 7am AEST
WHERE: NFOS Beach Bar, Main Beach, Noosa Heads
TICKETS: Tickets on sale now. WSF x IWD Celebration tickets include a delicious grazing brekkie served with chilled bevvies, speaker and workshop sessions and goodie bag. For more information, visit womenssurffestival.com
