Four Of The World's Best Flygirls Will Spread Their Wings At Stab High
How high can a little girl fly???
Ladybirds is a celebration of female performance and youth—come fly with us!
Stab High 2.0 will include a subdivision for under-15 females called the Stab High Ladybirds. In this event, four tiny heroines will use their half-formed wings to soar off the Waco ramp and (hopefully) into the stratosphere.
You might recognize some of the competitors from social media, their famous daddies, or from your local lineup (looking at you Southern California).
They include: Bella Kenworthy (daughter of surf photo don Jason Kenworthy), Sierra Kerr (daughter of two-time Airshow World Champion Josh Kerr), Sky Brown (of surf-skate Instagram fame), and Caitlin Simmers (who Jordy Smith picked as his top female performer in the 2018 Stab Surfer of the Year poll).
So why have a 15-and-under air comp starring all girls, in a pool?
Because it's fun, and we have the platform, so why not?
Plus, if we're being honest, female aerial surfing is not where it could be, and that's a shame.
Let's not ignore the impressive lofting abilities of Lakey Peterson, Silvana Lima, Justine Dupont, and Carissa Moore. Actually, a lot of the gals can do them but don't in competition due to an inconsistent make ratio and the fact that an air is, at this time, not a necessary maneuver to win heats or World Titles.
Take Steph for example—she's a fabulous accoutrement to a wave's face and, yes, she doesn't mind letting her fins free; but in competition, she strays from that coveted space above the lip because like Mick Fanning, she doesn't have to soar to get scores.
One Stab staffer did, however, watch her launch off multiple end sections at Rocky Rights one year in Hawaii.
Carissa is one of few women on Tour who has made a conscious effort to fly and do it in a singlet.
Simply put, there are no physiological barriers stopping women from doing airs just as, or almost as, big as the men. Is it a lack of incentive at an early age that stifles women's progression? We think so.
Like a foreign language, airs must be learned during a surfer's formative years if he or she wants to become truly fluent. That's why we've invited under-15 females (and ones who have already shown a willingness to soar) to compete in our Ladybirds event. It's the aerial antics of Miss Moore, Miss Lima, Miss Peterson, Miss Dupont and before them, Miss Lisa Andersen that have proven women's ability in the air, but it will be Gen Z that grabs the oncoming section and heads for orbit!
The more opportunities these gals get early on, and the more they're pushed to fly, the better they'll become—which, in turn, will inspire their peers to "keep up", leading to a reverse-domino effect in female aerial performance. Everybody gets lifted!
And...we're flippin' psyched to host the Ladybirds!
Speaking of, did we mention that Vans is offering a year-long sponsorship to the winning female of Stab High this year? Well, stay with us for the detail: the winner and runner-up will be invited to a second Stab High event this year (announced soon!) and they'll go head-to-head with two new invitees. The winner of this final event will win the sponsorship.
It's all happening!
Stab High is our pool party with a surf contest attached. Join us in Waco, Texas on June 29th. Get your tickets here.
