Lauren Fletcher invert shot from the 1999 Riptide Calendar
Lauren Fletcher Bio
Lauren Fletcher was blessed to have a family who lived in the small coastal town of Byron Bay. The third generation “Byronian” was born on 29th of April 1979. Her father was a hard working mechanic and part time surfer and her mother, a cook at the local Mexican restaurant. Living only a few blocks from the ocean, Lauren was destined to be a water woman.
The first time Lauren saw bodyboarding was on a television sports program called “Wide world of Sports”, which showed a clip from the previous Hawaiian season featuring Ross Hawke, Ben Severson and Mike Stewart. The waves were perfect, 8-10 foot Pipe and the guys were charging. Lauren was addicted before she even started.
Lauren started bodyboarding at 13 on a small foamie “hotshot” bodyboard that she begged her mother to buy when they were shopping. She paired this with a pair of diving flippers. Shortly after taking up the sport, the local surfer boy crew at school took her under their wing and pushed her to go bigger and better. She then stepped up to a Rheopaipo Stinger bodyboard and Churchill fins, it was then when everything became more serious.
8 hour days on weekends in the water was an average, sometimes surfing from 5am through till 8pm! Even afternoons after school would be spent in the water at one of the many surfing locations within a few kilometres of her home.
After only a year on the bodyboard, Lauren decided to enter some contests. The only competition was in Ballina, a 30 minute drive from her home, and it was against boys. This didn’t deter her and after a few attempts at the contests she beat some of the guys!
At the age of 15 she picked up her first sponsor, A-Tach bodyboards. This enabled her to get better equipment and her performance improved in the water, taking out the open womens division and coming 2nd in the C grade boys division.
Lauren Fletcher Invert Shot
A new Japanese bodyboard company “Black Lightning” approached her for sponsorship shortly before her 17th birthday and asked her to compete at the GOB World Tour events which were to be held all over Japan. She accepted the offer knowing it was her first real shot at the big events, but she gave it her all, placing equal 17th in two events and equal 33rd in the last event against over 50 of the worlds best female bodyboarders. Lauren also attended promotional visits in Japanese surf stores, had a demonstration session at a large regional contest, and was interviewed and photographed for “Flipper” magazine. That year she also won her first Queensland state Championship.
1997 was the year that tormented Lauren in the water. The competition in the water was fierce and the results showed. She didn’t win a single contest that year, but her greatest effort was the 5th placing in the local club in the A grade boys division.
Lauren took a year off study and work in 1998 to concentrate on bodyboarding, training and surfing more than ever. She became part of the Custom X bodyboard team who supported her a great deal throughout the year. The Australian Professional Tour was formed and there were more contests than ever before. She blitzed the field of hungry competitors and won her first Australian Professional title, becoming Australian Women’s Professional Champion. This was her biggest career highlight.
Lauren Fletcher - Nice Tube
In 1998 she also became the Queensland State Womens Champion for a second time. She also won a regional club contest in the AA grade mens division. Lauren also featured in Riptide magazine, with a double page photo and interview, and in the Riptide 1999 calendar. She also featured in the Chris Stroh video “Class of ‘99” and had a section on Eddie Wearne’s “Shed Nine” video.
After such an amazing year, the Hawaiian winter season was next for Lauren. The Pipeline contest was always a dream event for Lauren, but there was a hurdle to get over to make it to the main event. The trial event was held at Turtle Bay, just outside the Hilton Hotel. Lauren combined big rolls with combination spins to win the trials against around 40 women. Unfortunately in the main event she couldn’t get her performance right, and inexperience at Pipeline against the other seasoned competitors wasn’t enough to get her further in the contest, placing equal 25th.
The Australian Professional Tour was in full swing at this point, it wasn’t unusual to have 15 girls competing in the events held all around Australia. The next 2 years she placed 2nd overall in the Australian tour, against a formidable opponent, Kira Llewellyn. In 2001 she became Queensland Open Women’s State Champion for a third time.
Lauren Fletcher's Other Hobby
In 2002, Lauren moved away from the coast to a Goldfields town named Kalgoorlie, 7 hours drive from the ocean. Work commitments and the distance separating her from the ocean forced her out of competition. A year later she moved back to Byron Bay, but the fighting competition desire wasn’t there anymore. She settled into a work life, only freesurfing the occasional weekend.
Around 5 years ago, Lauren moved to the Central Coast of New South Wales with her partner Jess. Lauren struggled to find personal time, weekends were spent catching up on chores and other duties after the couple purchased their first home. Earlier this year Jess encouraged Lauren to go back into the water again, and supported her by watching and filming.
In April this year Lauren entered her first Australian Pro Tour contest since 2001. In the semi final she was unable to find a second scoring wave and was knocked out. Just a few short months later she fought hard in the Port Macquarie Pro and finished first in the event, winning her first Pro event in almost a decade.
Lauren Fletcher holds up her trophy for winning the Rebel Sport Port Macquarie Pro 2010.
Whats next: Lauren is planning on getting as much time in the water as she can. She will be competing in the WBA (Womens Bodyboarding Australia) contests, and also the final event of the Australian Pro Tour which will be held on the Gold Coast in mid November.
Career Highlights:
- 1st Australian Professional Women’s Champion – 1998
- 3 X Queensland Open Women’s Champion – 1996, 1998, 2001
- Surfing 15-18 foot Waimea Bay and spending 6 weeks in Hawaii in the winter season – 1998/’99
- Travelling Australia and meeting amazing people along the way
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