Tyler Wright brings Moore of a good thing to the women's tour

By Chris Mauro, Grind.TV.com

Though there's been a lot of changes on the ladies tour in recent years, when one person dominates the way Stephanie Gilmore has things tend to get a little boring. 

Gilmore, in case you haven't heard, is already on pace to break every record in surfing. Her four titles in four short years is the best career start ever. But what's even more impressive than her dominance of the women's scene is the quantum leap she's made in closing the gender gap between men's and women's performance. 

Now Gilmore's wake is hitting shore. 

16-year-old Tyler Wright, in her rookie season, just smashed her way to the final in her debut event as a tour member. Though she's a relative new face it's worth noting that she's already got a couple huge tour wins under her belt. She earned both wins as a wild card, and her first, in 2008, came when she was just 14-years-old. 

Meanwhile, Carissa Moore has been on our radar ever since bursting onto the scene as a precocious 12-year-old prodigy. Today she already the presence of a cagey tour veteran even though the 18-year-old is in just her second season on tour. 

Both girls have been admiring miss Gilmore's accomplishments, and the performance strides she and her tour peers have been making in recent years. There's been a lot of turnover in the women's ranks, with Sally Fitzgibbons, Coco Ho, and Laura Enever representing a nice injection of fresh young legs with plenty of energy. 

Yet Moore and Wright aren't just a fresh set of legs. They're arguably the most powerful 1-2 punch the women's tour has ever seen. The two young guns are pushing women's performance to new heights, and making converts out of even the most ardent women's critics. They surfed fast, loose, and powerfully in the final of the Roxy Pro on Tuesday as they went toe-to-toe in a very impressive showdown. 

Moore was able to fend off the rookie, but not without some stress. In fact, Wright had what looked like an event winner on her hands when she pulled into a nice little hollow tube up top, but Moore had priority, and took advantage of it by dropping in, and forcing her into the pit. The move ultimately sealed the deal for Carissa. 

Now these youngsters find themselves sitting atop the world tour ratings with six events left to go. Make no mistake, Stephanie Gilmore has her work cut out for her. Granted, she heard that same song last year...but number five won't be easy.

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