In barrier shattering news, Carissa Moore has been awarded wildcards into the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa and the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach. The 2011 ASP Women's World Champion will be competing alongside 200 of the world's most talented men. Both events are jewels in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series that takes place on the North Shore of Oahu every year.
"We were trying to keep it quiet," said Moore today while down at the Hurley Pro. "But seems like the cat's out of the bag now. I'm really excited about it. I'm feeling no pressure -- there are not points involved for me, and everybody's probably be expecting me to lose, so I'm just going to have fun out there."
Don't kid yourself, when Moore paddles out she means business. In 2010 Moore won the women's events at both Haleiwa and Sunset Beach and has built a career around solid North Shore fundamentals. She will be the first female in the modern era to attempt to capture a men's Triple Crown title.
"The heritage of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is unsurpassed," said Event Director Randy Rarick in a statement to the press. "For close to three decades Hawaii has been the one destination on the ASP World Tour that reliably produces incredible surf and exceptional surfing. When you look through the annals of the Vans Triple Crown, you will find every surfing great and many of the most memorable moments of the sport recorded. The excitement is already building for 2011."
This announcement comes on the heels of the Sunset event being upgraded to Prime status, which means there are some very valuable end-of-the-year ratings points on the table ... making Moore's task all the more daunting.