Friday Mieography

I chose a young woman, this time, who is still up to some really great things.

Her name is Layne Collette Beachley. She was born in May of 1972 in Australia, a preemie who had to spend numerous weeks in an incubator. She was a child conceived in rape, and given up for adoption. When she was six weeks old, she was adopted by Neil and Valerie Beachley. Her father was a lifeguard, and introduced her to both surfing, and skateboarding when she was four years old. Sadly, her mother Valerie died when she was fourteen years old, of a brain hemorrhage.
Layne, at sixteen bypassed amateur surfing contests, and put herself into the World Surfing Tour at the professional level. By the age of twenty, she was number six in the world. She was diagnosed, first in 1993, and then another flare up in 1996, of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She fought depression, and kept focused on the main goal she'd had, which was to become a World Champion Surfer. She was pushing boundaries at both big wave surfing, and tow-in surfing.
In 1998, she achieved her goal and won the first of her seven in total World Surfing titles. (six of them consecutively!) Her consecutive goal of six is the in the record books as the greatist number of consecutive World Championship victories, either male, or female.
Her competitiveness does not stop in just the water. She has started two business', Beachley Active Wear, and Beachley jewellery. In 2006 she staged her own surfing event the richest one in women's surfing history, The Havainas Beachley Classic. It's held in her home of Manly Beach, Sydney. It was a huge success, and now it has the NSW support for more events.
She is also, I should mention, on the board of the ASP, which is the governing board for pro surfing. She is the lone female board member, frequently battling surfing politics to ensure women's surfing continues to prosper. She also has created an organization called "Aim for the Stars" to support academic, sporting, community, and cultural dreams of young Australian women.
She has been on the Pro surfing tour for over 17 years.