Inspirational stoke cascaded over Cox Bay as Tofino capped off September riding the momentous wave of its annual all-female surf competition.
Queen of the Peak carved out a sensational 13th appearance on Sept 28-29. The event was launched in 2010 by Krissy Montgomery of Surf Sister and Jay Gildenhuys of Shelter Restaurant to showcase and celebrate the female surf scene.
“Thank you all so much for coming down and cheering on all these beautiful athletes,” Montgomery said after the event wrapped up on Sunday.
She also dished out praise to the event’s long list of dedicated sponsors, including Billabong which she touted as “such a huge pillar in the surf community out here.”
“It takes a community to run a surf event,” she said.
Mele Saili of San Diego, Calif., took the longboard division’s top honours scoring 13.13 in Sunday’s final heat to beat Mathea Dempfle-Olin, 11.66, Nique Miller, 11.5, and Rosie Jaffurs 11.4.
“It’s still sinking in,” Saili told the Westerly News after being carried from the surf in celebration. “The waves finally got beautiful, perfect for longboarding. That was a real treat. I got a few rights and lefts but, at this time of the day, it finally got smaller and glassy and the waves were just lining up. I’m so stoked.”
Saili was beaming as she declared Queen of the Peak her favourite surf contest.
“I compare this event to all the events I do around the world, this one is the best. As far as the whole town coming out to support all these ladies, there should be more contests like this,” she said. “We need more events like this because of all these young ladies. In the years that I’ve come here, the progression of this town and women’s surfing is amazing to see and it’s getting better and better. That’s why this event is important. It’s bringing those young girls in.”
Tofino’s Mathea Dempfle-Olin defended her shortboard crown with a 14.50 score in the final heat besting Ocea Green, 11.5, Catherine Bruhwiler 9.77 and Jasmine Porter 8.14.
“It’s always such a fun final. I saw Cath, Ocea and everyone get a bunch of really good ones,” Dempfle-Olin told the Westerly. “The waves have been changing a lot all day, but the tide dropped and the wind still hasn’t picked up, so there’s still really good ones to be had out there…I surfed a lot of heats today, so I was definitely pretty tired. I just wanted to pick a few good ones and just surf how I always surf and not really put any pressure or have to oversurf or anything. I just went out there, got a couple and did what I do everyday.”
Dempfle-Olin, 21, first competed in the event’s Princess of the Peak division at 9 years old and won it the following year at 10.
“It’s definitely a lot of years and it’s so amazing to see how many people do it and how many people from out-of-country are coming and how good all the groms are coming up here. All the women I watched compete in the open when I was in Princess of the Peak are still out here absolutely ripping and charging. It’s really awesome to see everyone come together,” she said. “Definitely, every year it gets harder and harder (to win) because the level gets better and better. For me personally, each year I feel like I’m surfing better too and so is everybody else, so we all get to push each other and have a lot of fun.”
She added she competes in her hometown’s Queen of the Peak every year because of the stoke it evokes.
“Getting to do this one with all my friends and family and being able to sleep in my own bed is always a really nice treat,” she said. “The whole community comes down to cheer you on and support everyone. That’s what makes it so amazing. That’s the reason I always do it every year, the whole community vibe and all the love for surfing that it brings…It’s crazy how many girls get excited to do this event compared to any other event.”
She noted her sister Sanoa Dempfle-Olin, who recently became Canada’s first Olympic surfer, couldn’t make it to the event as she was surfing in a competition in Portugal.
“It’s definitely a bummer not having my sister here for this event. I always love having her out there and competing against her, but overall I’m feeling really good and stoked to get a couple out there,” she said, adding she was excited to watch her sister compete that night around 12:30 a.m.
“I’ll definitely pat myself on the back. Surfing heats is so challenging and it can always go anyone’s way out there, especially in 20-25 minutes. Getting the opportunity to practice surfing heats and figuring out different strategies and having a plan come together always feels good. It’s always nice when you go out there and can actually find a couple and get a few good scores.”
She said she has some filming trips and surf competitions on the horizon and is feeling good about her progression in the sport she loves.
“I’m mainly just working on my surfing and trying to get to the highest level I can and just enjoying life and having fun along the way,” she said, adding surfing is where she feels “at home.”
“It’s something I’ve done everyday for my whole life and, no matter what, if I go out there it just puts a smile on my face and I feel amazing. It’s something I’m going to do for the rest of my life. There’s no other thing that I’ve found that gives me as much purpose in life. I’m happy living anywhere, doing whatever as long as I can surf everyday.”
Tofino’s Catherine Bruhwiler took home the shortboard crown in the masters division and Kristy Murphy earned the longboard masters title. Jasmine Porter took Saturday’s wave of the day after catching a perfect 10, which Montgomery suggested might be a first in the event’s history, and Mele Saili took Sunday’s top wave.
Dominga Takarek was crowned People’s Champion.
“We give it out to the person who’s usually doing double duty, who hustles the most in this contest either with results or just impressing the judges with their overall performance,” Montgomery explained, adding Takarek had also been the Queen of the Peak’s original People’s Champion.
Ucluelet’s Jade Rosene, 13, captured her first-ever Princess of the Peak crown after nailing a 11.87 score in the final heat, edging out Westerly Wyton, 11.33, Snow Lovelle Parisi, 4.23, and Sage Booth, 3.34.
“I was so happy. I really wanted to win. I worked a lot to win this contest and I’m so happy that I did.” an elated Rosene told the Westerly after being cheered out of the surf. “I knew coming up to it that I wanted to win the contest so I practiced as much as I could.”
Rosene comes from Uclueletian surf royalty and said she surfed everyday with her mom Kat Rosene, adding her dad Jay Rosene was a constant source of encouragement.
“They both support me so much with surfing. It’s great,” she said, adding surfing is her favourite sport. “It’s so calming, but you’re also so active. It’s the best sport.”
Jay Rosene was emotional as he celebrated his daughter’s win.
“I could not be more proud. The emotions are overflowing right now…It’s like nothing else. It’s mind-blowing, just mind-blowing. There’s nothing I can say. The emotions are overwhelming right now,” he told the Westerly. “It also goes to show that any girl with a dream can conquer that dream if they put the effort in. You have to commit to putting the effort in and you will get the results.”
He said Jade was determined to win and practiced non-stop to reach her goal.
“She was visualizing this for months and we had to talk about the option of it not happening. She just said, ‘That’s not an option anymore dad, I’m here to win. I’m going to do my best.’ It was just hard work that paid off to get her where she is. We’re so thankful for everybody involved,” he said. “It’s going to be a very big day in Ucluelet today. The local kid won.”
He encourages all local families to point their kids towards the sport.
“Surfing as a sport by itself, whether it’s competitive or free surfing, is such a great sport to be in because you’re active, you’re outside, you’re in the weather, you’re spending time with your friends and you’re seeing things other than waves. You might see a whale, a sea lion, or a bear walk down the beach,” he said. “These are moments that these kids will cherish the rest of their lives and I feel like the more people that get involved, the more people will have the opportunities to feel and see these opportunities.”
