Mavericks contest gets the go-ahead
After months of dealing with a complicated permit process, the World Surf League has cleared its final hurdle and will stage the Mavericks big-wave surfing contest within a waiting period running from Jan. 3 through Feb. 28. Once known as the Titans of Mavericks, the event off the coast of Half Moon Bay now will be called the Mavericks Challenge.
In purchasing rights to the event from Cartel Co., a Southern California-based company that filed for bankruptcy, the WSL needed approval from the California Coastal Commission after securing all of the other requisite permits.
That approval came at the CCC’s Wednesday meeting, and although a two-month window seems narrow, because of the ocean’s fickle ways, it’s important to note
that the past six Mavericks contests have been held in January or February.
The most significant development in the ownership change will be the inclusion of women. For the first time in contest history, a six-woman heat will be staged on contest day, featuring Bianca Valenti of San Francisco, Sarah Gerhardt of Santa Cruz, Justine Dupont of France and Hawaii’s Paige Alms, Keala Kennelly and Emily Erickson.
This comes as good news to Sabrina Brennan, a San Mateo County Harbor Commissioner who has lobbied tirelessly on behalf of the women surfers and charged the Cartel group with “sexist, discriminatory behavior” in restricting the event to men. The next step, Brennan said, will be to “make a multiheat women’s division a requirement for the 2018-19 event and the future.”
The WSL already has a proven track record in this regard. Over the past two winters, the WSL’s Peahi Challenge — at the famed “Jaws” on Maui — has featured a sixwoman heat. Valenti, a San Francisco-based surfer known for her expertise at Ocean Beach, surfed both of those contests and raved about “the organization and wonderful, welcoming vibe.” Alms, who considers Jaws her home break, won both of those events.
With a commitment to selecting the top surfers from its Big Wave Tour and the annual awards event, the WSL chose several who have surfed Mavericks with distinction, including Peter Mel, Grant (Twiggy) Baker, Greg Long, Jamie Mitchell, Nic Lamb, Will Skudin and Kai Lenny. Six local surfers made the 24-man list: Travis Payne (Pacifica), Ben Andrews (San Francisco), Jason Stark (Montara) and three from Santa Cruz: Tyler Fox, Anthony Tashnick and Pat Shaughnessy. The alternate list includes Ryan Seelbach (San Francisco), Colin Dwyer (Pacifica) and Luca Padua (Montara).