The ASP Pro Junior Series acts as a qualifier for the prestigious Billabong ASP World Junior Championships, with the top surfers from each respective region receiving a chance to earn the title of ASP World Junior Champion. Since there were American surfers competing in the Australian based junior event, they will not garner the points needed to qualify for the ASP World Junior Championships based on the fact that the event is out of their respective region, but they do earn the valuable experience that international competition brings to the competitive table.
Erickson, who represented the U.S. at the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships this year, applied the heightened competition she has become familiar to at the ASP World Junior Championship level to the ASP Grade-1 Billabong Pro Junior, and the strategy helped carry her to a fifth place finish.
"I feel as though the World Juniors really gave me a good idea of the level that I have to surf up to and compete in," Erickson said. "Surfing against girls from only North America doesn't really help prepare me for the future and that's why I did Coffs."
Erickson's Quarterfinals berth was no easy feat, as she had to tackle several young Aussies throughout the event to earn the result. The international experience gained at the ASP Pro Junior level is extremely valuable to the young regular-footer and Erickson is hoping to apply her newly-found confidence in other global events this year.
"I feel like the competition is harder here," Erickson said. "I really enjoy surfing against girls like Laura (Enever) and Tyler (Wright) because they both give me that same competitive edge that I get from surfing against Courtney (Conlogue) back home. I think international surfers are more intimidating and it's all in experience that you get over the intimidation."
The next women's international ASP Pro Junior event will be the Arnette Pro Junior from March 12-15, 2009 in Merewether, Australia.
