Strike Force: Pauline Menczer

This clip is from a 1988 promotional film for the Australian company Piping Hot Wetsuits, titled Strike Force. 

The film showcased a group of Australian surfers in the 1980s who were sponsored by the wetsuit company at the time, including 18-year-old Bondi surfer Pauline Menczer, who is featured in this clip (though her surname is misspelt Menzcer in the titles).

Menczer describes her surfing style and her hopes and dreams for the future over an impressive montage of herself riding waves in competition. The song 'My Girl', written by Gary Dunn and Steve Leitch, plays throughout the segment. Its punk rock energy, driven by frenetic drums and guitars with an elemental bassline, is sometimes at odds with the serene visuals of Menczer elegantly gliding through the surf, but the title and lyrics reveal the song choice to be an explicit nod to the fact that Menczer is the only female surfer in the film.

These scenes fully display her talent and give a glimpse of things to come. Menczer would go on to become the women's world surfing champion in 1993 and remained one of the best surfers in the world for more than a decade, ending her career with more than 20 world surfing league wins. 

Her success is even more remarkable, given that she had been battling the effects of rheumatoid arthritis since she was 14 years old, along with other challenges that female surfers of her time were forced to endure, including financial inequality, misogyny and homophobia.

Menczer is now recognised among a group of top tier women surfers from the 1980s and 1990s who fought for the equality, recognition, better conditions and prize money that today's female surfers now enjoy. 

From this footage of her in action, it is clear that, even at age 18, Menczer had extraordinary talent and championship-winning potential and in 2018, Menczer was finally recognised for her achievements in surfing when she was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame and she takes her rightful place alongside other elite surfers including Pam Burridge, Layne Beachley and Stephanie Gilmore.