Laura wants locals to let good vibrations rip

By Joel Ford
Local surfer Laura Rishworth is hoping a home crowd will help her snare victory at the Rip Curl Women's Clean & Clear Pro surf competition this weekend.
The 17-year-old is full of confidence after finishing second at the New Zealand pro surfing contest held at Tay St on February 10. Now she is hoping familiar faces in the gallery will once again spur her to success.
"That was one of my best results in a while. It's just heaps better when all the locals are there to support you," she said.
The Mount Maunganui College student has been surfing for eight years and eventually hopes to end up competing on the World Championship Tour - the top contest circuit in the world. She is currently fourth in the NZ Surfing Corona Crown Surf Series which is five spots up the ladder from her ninth-place finish in last year's competition.
Once she finishes school, the 17-year-old said she would like to do some travelling and test the world famous waves of Australia and Hawaii to improve her surfing.
Laura said she likes to relax a couple of hours before a contest and get herself focussed on what she wants to do when she hits the waves.
She is training with Piha-based surf coach Phil Wallis who she talks with regularly by phone to get advice.
She gets up to Piha to train when she can but otherwise can usually be found honing her skills at her home break of Omanu.
"Even when I go out and just free surf I try and surf like I would in a comp just so I get used to being in the right mindset."
She is expecting some tough competition at this weekend's Tay St event and thinks Wini Paul from Sandy Bay and Taranaki's Paige Hareb will give her a good run for her money. She knows she will have be at her best to score top place but is confident about her chances and has her sights set firmly on a podium finish.
"I need to surf well enough to get into the final heats and then take it away. If you don't aim for first what's the point?"