Gabi Cope recently returned to the islands from her debut on the women’s professional World Qualifying Series surfing tour. Happy to be back home, Cope hit the water yesterday at PK’s for an easy day of surfing. The 17-year-old Kapa‘a
Gabi Cope recently returned to the islands from her debut on the women’s professional World Qualifying Series surfing tour. Happy to be back home, Cope hit the water yesterday at PK’s for an easy day of surfing.
The 17-year-old Kapa‘a High School senior competed in her first pro competition, starting in January with the Roxy Pro at Phillips Island, Australia, then the Arrive Alive 5-star event at Newcastle and most recently surfed in the Midori Pro in Merewether, with fellow Kaua‘i surfers Bethany Hamilton and Alana Blanchard.
“I like surfing with them. They’re really good people,” she said. “It helps being around them because it was my first time (there) and they know their way around, so it’s cool.”
While there, Cope finished second in her heat in the first round, advancing to the second with a total score of 10.5. Also in that heat, Cope got the highest individual wave score of the day with an 8.
In the following round, though, Cope just missed the cut, coming in third place in her heat behind fellow Hawai‘i surfer Paige Alms and Kirra Townsend of Australia. Cope was 5.27 points off the heat leader Alms who posted a winning score of 11.07.
Although Cope didn’t get as far in the competition as she would have liked, at least she felt comfortable with her skills.
“I wasn’t as intimidated as I was the first time,” she said. “Once I finished with my first (pro competition), I felt better for this last one.”
Cope only started surfing four years ago. She considers that late compared to some of her colleagues, but seemed to be doing OK.
Cope qualified to compete by being a top-rated junior and she hopes to accumulate enough points to compete in the Association of Surfing Professionals world tour next year. The only way to qualify for it is that surfers must accumulate points throughout the season. The point total is garnered from the surfers’ best seven finishes and the top finishers receive seedings.
So far, Cope has 1,500 points.
“I qualified for a 6-star event and I knew that was the next step to competing,” she said.
Each season’s women’s seed list is made up of 17 surfers — the top 10 rated ASP World Tour surfers, the top six rated WQS surfers, and one ASP Wildcard.
Cope currently travels with her father, Don Cope, but also hopes to be ready to travel by herself starting next year.
“I have to see how many points I get. Since this is my rookie year, I have to try to do better for the seedings for next year,” she said. “You have to kind of be at the top because they just don’t want anyone in those events. I want to be in the top 40.”
Cope graduates in May and will then take off to travel more in June.
“I like to travel. I’ve always wanted to travel and surfing’s given me a good excuse to travel,” she said.
So far, her summer plans include trips to Portugal, Brazil, South Africa, England and the National Scholastic Surfing Association’s national competition in California.
Cope currently ranks eighth in the NSSA Hawaii Explorer Women division.
After a busy year, Cope hopes her rookie season will end somewhat close to home.
“The Hale‘iwa. Hopefully, I can get enough points,” she said.
Cope is the daughter of Don and Liz Cope and has a sister, Brianna Cope.
