Olympic head surf judge shares knowledge at Maui clinic
Hilo resident Pierce relishes chance to give back, hopes for expansion of organized prep surfing
KAHULUI — It was a lowkey gathering in classroom J-101 at Maui High School on a quiet Super Bowl Sunday morning. The MHS marching band was practicing in the classroom next door, providing some background rhythm and sound.
There were 20 or so pupils — a who’s who of Valley Isle surfing aficionados — sitting at high school desks in front of a projected learning clinic guided by Rich Pierce, one of two head judges for the surfing competition in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when the sport was introduced to the games.
“It was amazing and I think the coolest thing about it was the moment we all realized how successful we were at showcasing our sport to the rest of the world,” Pierce, a resident of Hilo, said of his Olympic experience. “There’s so much inclusion in surfing now and I think even more so since the Olympics.
“And it just gives me chicken skin, it’s amazing to know what we did, that the rest of the world can get a glimpse of what we do.”
Pierce also has a large on eye on what the sport can do to help the world and its oceans.
“Maybe through more outreach and interaction and people getting involved in the ocean that sort of segues into the conservation side of it, too, protecting the ocean, and actually getting into the real guts of what’s important,” Pierce said.
In addition to his Olympic credentials, Pierce is also an international head judge for the International Surfing Association. He has been judging surfing contests since 2004.
“I have a background in marine science — I think that’s what originally got me so in love and involved with the ocean,” Pierce said, adding he was formerly a high school teacher and that his day-to-day job is a “land surveyor. So when I’m not traveling the world and doing contests, I’m a land surveyor back on the Big Island.”
On Sunday morning, he was teaching a clinic on surf contest judging that included several of the judges for the upcoming Maui Interscholastic League season. The MIL is still the only high school league in the nation to have surfing as an official sport.
“This is awesome and the further I progress in professionally judging in the surfing world and what I do, what I get the most satisfaction in is actually this kind of stuff,” Pierce said. “Giving back to the community and seeing the reaction with people that are involved on the lower-scale events … I don’t want to say lower scale, but the primary-scale events, right, because this is where it starts, with the kids.
“If I can help, I feel it’s sort of my kuleana to give back in this way and help educate the judges and the contest directors and contest officials that are there in place to really help promote the kids that are the future of our sport.”
Pierce points to the MIL as the only prep league in the county to have surfing as an official sport and shakes his head. Kim Ball, the Mauian who worked decades to get surfing recognized as an official high school sport, was in attendance and helped organize the Pierce clinic.
“It’s amazing and absolutely, yes, not only do we need more in every high school on Maui, but every high school on every island in the state of Hawaii,” Pierce said. “There’s no reason we can’t do it.”
John Willard, the director of Hawaii Surfing Association Maui, was also in attendance on Sunday.
“This is so awesome, especially getting Rich over here, as you know he was the Olympics co-head judge in Tokyo,” Willard said. “And he’s awesome, he’s a really good presenter, always puts on a good show.”
Willard is rising on the credential level in judging the sport.
“I’ve taken five of these (type of clinics), so I’m a category 3 ISA credential,” Willard said. “But, yeah, I still pick up something because it is always changing. They’re always striving to get better.”
Willard looked around the room and smiled.
“This is a great turnout, if I had 20 people at each of my contests to judge I would be psyched,” he said.
Al Sagon, the MIL head judge, was also in attendance and quickly gave credit to Ball for organizing the clinic.
“This is great, Kim does a lot for the community — I’ve been involved with Kim, participating in all of these surf meets, boy, for more than 10 years now,” Sagon said. “The learning experience, from judging set-up and judging itself, to be able to learn the judging criteria is awesome.
“I’d like to see more participation like this on our island here. We need to get more people involved with judging.”
Sagon said he is hopeful the sport will soon add leagues in the 50th state.
“We are the model for the rest of the state,” Sagon said. “I think a lot of the Big Island, as well as on Oahu, they want to try it and get interscholastic surf meets going. We’ve been the model, thanks to Kim.”
Cody Young was the first MIL boys surfing champion when the sport was officially adopted in 2014. He was a King Kekaulike High School freshman then, and now is a professional surfer who missed the 20-man Olympic field by just two spots in 2021 while representing Canada.
“That’s pretty cool — I’m pretty sure I was in the first heat that MIL surfing ever ran and I got the first win, so it’s cool to have that and I guess be the champ, too,” said Young, now 23 years old.
Young said he has wondered why the MIL hasn’t had more leagues join in on the surfing fun almost a decade after his historic title.
“Oh man, that’s a good question,” Young said. “I mean, first off, it’s amazing that Maui is the only interscholastic league for surfing. You guys have been doing a great job and you’re kind of setting an example for the other islands to kind of adopt that system.
“I think that’s pretty special that Maui is the only island that has interscholastic surfing — it sets a good example for everybody else.”
LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods made it through 16 holes of his pro-am Wednesday at the Genesis Invitational on a bitterly cold morning with occasional 25 mph gusts that made the temperature feel like the upper 30s.
What mattered, at least for now, was how he finished. He didn’t play the last two holes at Riviera, but after shaking hands with his amateur partners, he had no trouble climbing the 52 steps that lead to the clubhouse.
There will be no stopping today when Woods competes against a full field of the world’s best players for the first time since missing the cut at St. Andrews in the British Open.
The plantar fasciitis that kept him from playing in the Bahamas in December is doing better. He said his ankle, badly injured from his February 2021 car crash outside Los Angeles, is his biggest concern. There’s also that matter of rust.
“But I’ve come off a rusty situation before and I’ve done well,” Woods said Tuesday during his news conference.
He returned from knee surgery at the end of 2002 and won in his first start at Torrey Pines. He once took 10 weeks off after the 2007 tour season ended and won his World Challenge by seven shots.
He was younger, healthier and in his prime. His swing looks as efficient as ever, particularly with his irons. For Woods, it’s about getting to the next shot on a pair of legs that have been battered over the years.
And then there’s the matter of the golf course.
Riviera is among his favorite designs, but the love affair ends there. Woods stopped playing this tournament after 2006, primarily because he rarely had good results. He alluded to that when he talked about his preparation for the Genesis Invitational.
“Plus, I know this golf course,” he said, pausing to smile before adding, “I know I haven’t had a lot of success on this golf course. But I knew what to practice for, shots to hit at home getting ready.”
It really is a mystery. Woods has never played more times on a PGA Tour course without winning — 11 appearances at Riviera as a pro, with only one chance at winning. That was in 1999, when he tied for second, two shots behind Ernie Els.
Most telling was his greatest stretch in golf. From the end of August 1999 through March the following year, Woods either won or finished second in 10 out of the 11 PGA Tour events he played.
The exception? He tied for 18th at Riviera.
“This may be an anomaly, and the only one in his whole career maybe,” said Adam Scott, who has two wins and two runner-up finishes at Riviera. “It’s a little bit unexplainable. I don’t know what to say about that. Over his career, there’s been only strengths, really. This course is quite demanding from the second shot in, and he’s certainly capable of handling it.
“I don’t know if he just doesn’t feel it here or what it is,” Scott added. “But I’ll share some tips with him if he shares some tips on how to win a few majors with me.”
The issue for everyone Wednesday was the cold and wind, though that might be the worst of it. It was gusting to 25 mph in the morning. Woods hit driver and a fairway metal into the frigid wind on the 458-yard ninth hole and plugged in a front bunker, some 10 yards short of reaching the green.
That elicited little more than laugh, and another one followed when he blasted out right as a ball from one of his amateurs zipped near his legs and into the bunker.
“Lot going on here,” Woods said with a chuckle.
The field is the strongest of the year to date with a $20 million purse, though Riviera is so pure it always attracted the best players. Nineteen of the top 20 in the world ranking are playing (Woods is No. 1,294), the exception being Cameron Smith, who is suspended for signing with the Saudi-funded rival league at LIV Golf.
Also missing is Joaquin Niemann, the defending champion, who joined LIV Golf in August. Woods is the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational and presented Niemann with the trophy last year.
He would like to take home the trophy himself, even against such long odds.
Max Homa received the trophy from Woods two years ago, one of the best memories he’s ever had as a guy who grew up in the LA area and who grew up idolizing Woods.
How to explain Woods not winning at Riviera given his sublime iron play? Homa found himself trying to answer that while playing the course Wednesday.
“It makes absolutely no sense,” Homa said.
He thought about courses Woods has dominated, such as Bay Hill, where the second shot is so critical, like at Riviera.
“So when you come here … I would have thought he won 10 times,” Homa said. “That one’s a mystery to me. This seems like it would be a playground to him.”