// Claire Norman
Claire Norman
| - From Bondi To Bali - |
| There’s nothing like a little feminine charm and grace to appease a firey testosterone-fuelled line-up. Trouble is, Classic Malibu team rider Claire Norman would put most male line-ups to shame with her level of surfing – a truly humbling experience for any red-blooded bloke! Though born a Novacastrian, Claire has grown up surfing the waves of Bondi as her home break, which can be a bit trying at times. Excessive crowds and stringent life-guarding around her home beaches have caused Claire to opt for a foamie on most paddle-outs, fibreglass boards being banned from many of her local breaks. But don’t think for a second that she doesn’t rip. |
Possibly not the world’s finest longboard wave, Claire’s home break of Bondi does sometimes throw up the odd loggable peak, but for Claire, surfing is all about performance. (photo: Israel Smith Photographers) |
| Claire began paddling into the shories at Bondi with her old man at a young age, taking on the beachbreak with zeal. Joining the local clubs, she mixed up her surfcraft taking to both long and shortboards, but it was always toward the plus-sizes that she was swayed. Competing mostly locally, Claire excelled in the contest arena and began looking further a field for challenges. The search took her across the Tasman where she competed on the New Zealand circuit with great success. Despite not being allowed to enter some of the Nationals, which were also awarded circuit points, our Claire put in such a good performance as to take the tour victory, overcoming some exceptional local talent. Luckily, her employers are flexible and more than supportive of her pursuit of success. Claire has, for several years now, taught others to surf with Let’s Go Surfing surf school at her home beach, affording her the ability to be in the ocean even when she’s working. A swathe of overseas trips have seen Claire hit the media on more than one occasion, helping raise the profile of the humble Bondi girl and really make a name for herself. A shaky start on this year’s LQS saw Claire miss out at the Noosa Festival, but the comeback kid worked wonders at the follow-up event, the Malfunction, held at Kingscliff on the far North coast of New South Wales, with a solid performance resulting in a semi finals placing. 2009 could well be the year of years for Claire’s pro career. We’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on her movements and cheering her all the way. |