Lilly Pollard: the winner of the 2022 Women's Pipeline Bodyboarding Championship | Photo: Depolito

Australian veteran bodyboarder Lilly Pollard has taken out the 2022 Women's Pipeline Bodyboarding Championship on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

The Women's Pipeline Bodyboarding Championship started in 1990 and was the first female surf competition held at Pipeline.

The shortboarders began five years later when they were ready to challenge the challenging wave.

This season, Carol Philips, Faith Wenzl, Jenn Marr, Traci Effinger, and Betty Depolito organized the event for the Wahine bodyboarders after a two-year break.

Riders from the USA, Hawaii, Japan, Brazil, Chile, and Australia competed at the prestigious contest.

Monday was a solid day at Pipeline, with some gnarly 8-foot sets barreling through from the west and northwest.

Early on, Lilly Pollard and Leila Alli got the sick tube rides of the day.

The waves were still solid, but the final and the rights were scoring higher in the afternoon. Riders got to surf twice.

Pollard was able to grab two high-scoring rides to take the win, a 9.5 and a 10.0, at the very end of the heat.

She won the contest precisely ten years after conquering it for the first time.

Jessica Becker, from Brazil, was not far behind with a 17.0 total, scoring a 9.0 and 8.0 with smaller tube rides on the left and taking second place.

Ayaka Suzuki Crilley scored with solid spins and rolls, finishing third.

The only surfer from Chile, Valentina Diaz Langdon, ended up in fourth after a solid performance throughout the day.

Out in the water, there also were bodysurfers enjoying an expression session put on by the North Shore Bodysurfing Club.

Lilly Pollard: the veteran Australian won the Pipeline event for the second time | Photo: Depolito

In Memory of Josie Over

All the organizers and the wahine bodyboarders shined and smiled through the whole day in memory of Josie Over.

Don and Josie Over were North Shore locals from the 1950s to 1990s and contributed to the event throughout their lives.

Josie Over was an actress known for her roles in "Magnum, P.I.," "Hawaii Five-0," and "Quincy M.E.," and she was an avid bodyboarder.

They have been committed supporters of women's bodyboarding since that time and forward.

When Josie Over passed away in 1992, her husband Don set up a fund to support the event at Pipeline and further the sport among women.

In the 1990s, bodyboarding grew exponentially in Hawaii, and the event saw 64 athletes plus many magazines covering the competition.

The iconic event continues despite struggling with equality issues similar to those faced by female surfers.

Valentina Diaz Langdon, Ayaka Suzuki Crilley, Jessica Becker, and Lilly Pollard: the podium of the 2022 Women's Pipeline Bodyboarding Championship | Photo: Depolito

Celebrating Equality in Sports

In 2022, the country celebrated the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a law Patsy T. Mink - the first female and Asian senator and congresswoman - authored and sponsored.

Mink also wrote child-care education rights bills and fought against discrimination against women.

She helped write Title IX of the Education Amendments Act, a law that sets a precedent of equal opportunity in sports to this day.

The Women's Pipeline Bodyboarding Championship celebrates her efforts to support riders who want to be professional athletes and make history.

Carol Philips is the founder of North Shore Surf Girls.

Her goal is to provide fun and safe experiences in the ocean for people of all ages and from all over the world.

Growing up on the North Shore of Oahu, Philips fell in love with surfing and found it to be simultaneously thrilling and intimidating.

She became a champion bodyboarder and now provides opportunities to women athletes and services to the community.

2022 Women's Pipeline Bodyboarding Championship | Results

1. Lilly Pollard (AUS)
2. Jessica Becker (HAW)
3. Ayaka Suzuki Crilley (JAP)
4. Valentina Diaz Langdon (CHI)
5. Carolina Casemiro (BRA)
5. Aarya Tabalno (JAP)
7. Leila Alli (BRA)
7. Ayako Ancheta (JAP)
9. Aoi Koike (JAP)
9. Traci Effinger (USA)
9. Lindsey Yasui (HAW)
9. Roberta Bitzer (BRA)
13. Claudia Ferrari (BRA)
13. Kaylah Pisani (AUS)
13. Fuko Okada (JAP)
13. Nagisa Masuda (JAP

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