Veterns find their feet in Newcastle Womans Pro WQS

Lynette McKenzie : photo Steve Robertson/SurfingAustralia

DISILLUSIONED surfing stalwart Lynette MacKenzie felt like a “grommet all over again” in winning both her heats in the Newcastle Women’s Pro at Newcastle Beach today.

MacKenzie, a former world No.3 serving a championship tour suspension, said Newcastle would be her sole appearance on the 2005 international tour as she was sick and tired of the politics in professional surfing.

The 30-year-old from Maroubra (12.16 points) dominated the choppy conditions to almost double the score of her closest rival, Japan’s Mizuki Hagiwara (6.50), in today’s second round of the world qualifying series event.

“The politics of the tour does your head in after a while,” said MacKenzie, who late last year was suspended from the top-line tour after breaching the Association of Surfing Professional’s rules and discipline policy.

“I’m not officially retired – I’m just over it. I’ve found out that there’s more to life than contests.”

MacKenzie, now working as a swimming pool lifeguard at Botany, said she had attempted to sever all ties with surfing’s hierarchy but her competitive spirit runs deep.

“I no longer have an email address because I want to cut that connection,” she explained. “But I came to Newcastle because it gives me an opportunity to catch up with a few old friends and also my dad, who lives on the Central Coast.

“Another reason is that I’ve never won up here but I’ve finished second quite a few times.”

Fellow veteran and former world titleholder Pauline Menczer, despite having missed out on the championship tour for the first time in 18 years, painted a rosier picture of a long life on the professional circuit. The 34-year-old from Byron Bay joined MacKenzie in tomorrow’s semifinals of the Newcastle event.

“I’ll keep surfing until I need walking stick,” said Menczer, who won in Newcastle in 1993.

Menczer has amassed more surfing victories than any other woman, six-time world champion Layne Beachley included, but has struggled to attract sponsorship. “I’m not going to let that get me down because I enjoy what I do too much,” she said.

Other women to qualify for the semis include the Gold Coast’s Trudy Todd, who found fame on reality TV show The Hothouse, Wollongong’s Yvonne Byron, making a comeback after having two children, and Bronte’s Nicola Atherton, who won the Newcastle pro teen event last week.

Source: Global Surf News

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