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Pam Burridge (July 26, 1965-) |
 The Largest Surfing EncyclopediaA-Z: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Advertisement
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Hailed in her homeland as the Queen of Australian surfing, Pam Burridge is a classic example of a surfer born before her time. Had she risen to prominence today, in the flash-flood endorsement environment of Y2K Surf Girlhood, Burridge would certainly be one of the most finely rewarded females in the sport.
Instead, during one of surfing's most interesting and hard-won careers, Burridge had to turn to car-body repairers and hat companies for financial assistance. It's a mark of her character that she seems to feel no bitterness as a result. Born in Sydney, Burridge grew up in a sports-minded family -- father Bill an accomplished distance runner, sister Donella a high-ranked swimmer. By the age of 10, she was surfing at Manly Beach, a short drive from the family home. Skilled Australian surfing girls were in short supply; the young Burridge, with her elegant natural style, stood out dramatically from the pack. Promotion-minded surf photographer Bill McCausland picked up Burridge and ran with her into the media. By 1980, she was Australia's Great Blonde Hope, ranked 11th in the world and seemingly destined to join male counterparts Mark Richards, Cheyne Horan and Tom Carroll in Pro Surf Heaven. At 16, she made the then IPS top five. But a world championship wasn't coming so easily. Burridge spent much of the next decade battling a variety of personal crises that appeared to stem directly from the weird challenges that faced female surfers in the ultra-macho '80s. She fought through collapsing self-confidence, drug and alcohol abuse, a bout of anorexia nervosa and a constantly shrinking bank account. Virtually none of this was reported by the surf media. Instead, it took an excellent biography in 1992, Marion K. Stell's Pam Burridge, to expose the world to the other side of Australia's most visible female surfer. Meantime, Burridge maintained an overall ranking through the '80s that was only bettered by the extraordinary four-time world champion Frieda Zamba. In 1987, she met, and later began a relationship with, top-flight Australian shaper/surfer Mark Rabbidge. Soon after, she blitzed to a gloriously overdue world title in 1990. Feeling that she may have peaked, and with the tour still not a paying proposition, she retired at the end of 1993 -- just in time for Lisa Andersen to step into the ring and help spawn the subsequent boom in girls' surfing. Burridge made a comeback in 1996 and retired again in 1999, ranked eighth in the world. She and Rabbidge recently had their first child Isobel -- named after Isobel Letham, who rode tandem with Duke Kahanamoku during surfing's Duke-inspired debut in Sydney in November 1914. They live near the small town of Bendalong on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. She also established her own women's surf products label, Feisty Girl. -- Nick Carroll, October 2000
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