Pauline Menczer

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Pauline Menczer (born 21 May 1970) is an Australian surfer. She won the 1988 women's amateur world title and the 1993 women's world championship and has been a long-standing competitor on the world championship tour.

Menczer was born and grew up in Sydney. She got her nickname "Naughty Pauls" from doing funny things as a girl, like pushing another girl into a pond. She surfed her first wave at Bronte, New South Wales Australia.She started on a board her older brother Trevor had snapped,so she started on half a surfboard

In 1991 Menczer was narrowly beaten in the world championship by Wendy Botha, but blitzed the field in 1993 becoming the world champion. To date she has been competing for 20 years and won a total of 20 WCT events and 8 WQS events; only Layne Beachley has won more. She also was world Amateur in 1988 and world WQS champion in 2002

Throughout her career Menczer has battled rheumatoid arthritis. She describes it like being stiff and sore every day, as if having run a marathon. At times it had hurt even to move her fingers. A rigorous diet has given her some control over the condition.

Menczer failed to requalify for the 2005 world championship tour, but doesn't plan to retire. Her present sponsors are Stick Girl Surfboards (California) and Ocean Shores Surf Shop. She lives in Byron Bay when not on tour.