Tuach ‘over the moon’

Barbados’ top female surfer Chelsea Tuach is back home and still basking in the glory of winning the Association of Surfing Professional (ASP) 3 Star Ron Jon Roxy Junior Pro at Sheppard Beach Park, Cocoa Beach, in Florida last weekend.
An elated Tuach said she was over the moon after her historic win which was also her first junior pro success.
“The weather was quite nice there and the atmosphere was great,” Tuach said on her return to the island Monday.
“The water was a little cold but I have been in California a lot so I got used to the cold water.”
Tuach, who was recently named both the 2012 Senior Female Sportsperson Of the Year and the Junior Female Sportsperson Of The Year by the National Sports Council, conquered a field of 32 of the world’s best under-21 junior female surfers to walk away with the top prize.
This win also made her the first Barbadian surfer to top the North American ASP Junior women’s ranking.
The 17-year-old Tuach, who became the first Barbadian to win the event since Alan Burke in the early 1990s, said she intends to train hard and relax before her next international junior pro in Tahiti on April 7.
When asked about managing her studies and her surfing, Tuach said it was much easier now to balance the two because she is currently doing an online programme with the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.
“Before I recently graduated from Queen’s College it was really difficult going to school five days a week and trying to surf. But it has taught me a lot about discipline and balancing my time,” Tuach said.
The gifted athlete took the time to urge the Government of Barbados to throw its support behind surfing in Barbados, which, she said, could boost tourism for the island.
“Surfing can do a lot for Barbados because every time I go away to compete I am not only Chelsea Tuach, I am Chelsea Tuach from Barbados,” she said.
“We can produce top-class surfers. There are a lot of young surfers coming up who can compete with the best . . . .
“There definitely needs to be a lot more support behind surfers in Barbados. And I would definitely love to see an international meet come to Barbados.”
Chelsea Roett, who placed fifth, and Joshua Burke, who competed in the boys’ ASP 3 Star Ron Jon Quiksilver Junior Pro and came in seventh, were two other Barbadians who placed in the top ten last weekend. (ML)