As the sun rose Sunday morning over the Lane, the girls gathered on the cliff with questionable looks on their faces, staring out over Lake Pacific. Four girls were on the cusp of re-qualifying for the WCT: Sam Cornish, Heather Clark, Serena Brooke, and Amy Donohoe. This being the last WQS contest of the year, everything was on the line. O’Neill came through, making the call again to run the women’s heats at Wadell and cancel the men’s competition. With a few contests still remaining this season, the guys would still be able to qualify for the Tour without the benefit of the Classic.

Heading up the coast, the sky threatened rain. After a 20 -- minute drive, the girls arrived, relieved, to sheet -- glass conditions and two -- to four -- foot waves. The wind stayed off the water almost the entire afternoon, and a teasing of sun and clouds kept it interesting.

The shark -- infested waters spooked many of the visiting competitors. A local kite surfer, residing just up the road, made Australia’s Kim Wooldridge a bit uneasy with his shark tales. He claimed the nearby island was a “shark research center where 75 sharks had been tagged.” He estimated that possibly 200 existed in the area. Clumps of kelp and shadows had Wooldridge on the lookout the rest of the day.

Young Lauren Sweeney (Sweenus) had a very strong showing. Powering into the quarters, she was overtaken by WQS veteran Sam Cornish in the last 10 seconds of the heat. This newcomer has made a very noteworthy appearance on the circuit this year, having also advanced to the quarters during July’s U.S. Open at Huntington Beach.

Heather Clark’s chances at the 2005 WCT faded in the quarters with Pauline Menczer and Serena Brooke advancing. Clark, Brooke, and Amee Donohoe are now neck -- and -- neck going into the final two WCT events of the year.

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A diligent, tiny but mighty Solvina Lima had a standout performance with very fast and clean surfing all the way to the final. Prior to the competition, Lima was seen pulling rodeo and double -- grab airs, awing the beachgoers at 26th street in Santa Cruz.

The Aussies also were out in full force. Jesse Miley -- Dyer consistently threw power snaps with buckets of spray. And a trio of Australians made the final: Sam Cornish, Rebecca Woods, and Donohoe. In that last heat, the wind had picked up and the girls were given the choice to move the contest back to the Lane. Though windy, Wadell offered more size and, most of all, consistency. The ladies remained.

The scores bounced back and forth between the four, but it was obvious that Cornish was hungry and needed this win more than anyone. Excellent wave choice and aggressive surfing gave her the victory and a ticket to re -- qualify for the Tour.

“Happy happy, joy joy,” were the words that came out of her mouth when asked about her win. "(There was) a lot of pressure going into the event," she said, "(but) it’s good to know I can go to Hawaii relaxed." Cornish heads next to the WCT Billabong Pro at Honolua Bay on Maui in December.

Special thanks to Christian Surfers for supplying food for competitors and contest staff, as well as to the California Park System for their continued support in helping us hold the event on their remote locations.

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