Mavericks, full force. One of the heaviest waves on the planet. Photo: Adam Warmington.
When I got the word of the new schedule for the ASPs BWWT and saw that Mavericks Invitational was no longer on the list, my jaw dropped. I was in shock. How could one of the greatest big wave events in the world NOT be on the BWWT any more?
It was a double shocker for me. One, it’s one of the heaviest big wave events in the world. And two, it is my home court. Imagine being in a sport where your home court is one of the best, and you don’t get to play there in front of your local fan base? But let’s not get too frazzled over something we have no clear idea about.
The fact is that the ASP recently acquired the BWWT, and have yet to serve us any pudding with the proof in it. We have yet to see what they are bringing to the table as a new powerhouse organization. I guess we will get a glimpse of it in March first at Snappers. So I totally understand why Jeff Clark and his organizers were not all gung-ho to throw the Crown Jewel on the table. Heck, we don’t even know if the table has legs on it yet. I mean, right when I saw the news, I went to the ASP site to see what info they had.. and NADA. They had nothing. I found info on the Longboard Tour, but nothing on the BWWT, which makes me wonder what their true intentions are.
Don’t get me wrong, when I heard the ASP aquired the BWWT my heart lifted. Big wave surfing needs something like this right now to raise the bar. I want to believe in them so bad. I want to support them any way I can. But not bad enough to watch the Mavericks event get tangled up in something that might run out of gas before it leaves the driveway. And trust me, I have seen so many big wave surfing dreams get abandoned on the side of road like a broken down school bus. The fact is, after the last Mavericks event, I saw firsthand what a major positive impact that event made. That broadcast reached more fans than any other surfing event in history. So the Mavericks bus is moving full steam ahead and building momentum. All we need now is the sponsors give the winner what they truly deserve.
Big Wave Surfing has more potential and can go further – into more people’s homes than any other sector of surfing. So I understand Clark’s reservations to wait and see what the ASP has to offer, because we all know what Mavz has to offer: a wave that will test the very best. But then again, what the ASP has penciled in to replace Mavericks is Dungeons and Jaws, two waves that can equally test the very best. The way I see it right now, Mavericks will be alright without the ASP BWWT, and the ASP BWWT will be alright with out Mavericks. Just the fact that this is news and people are interested is a good thing.
And the silver lining is that instead of just six big wave events, a few of us will get to surf seven, and just even one of the these events is an unbelievable honor to be invited to. And who knows, maybe in the next couple of years, everything will work its way through and Mavericks will be on tour with 11 more stops. Europe is a gold mine right now, and the future is wide open.
I have a vision of the future of Big Wave Surfing, and it is so amazing. I just hope the ASP and Mavericks Invitational can see the same vision. Well anyhow, I am going to go take my Mavericks appearance fee and pay my insurance deductible and get a MRI on my knee that is all jacked from the hell beating I took in semi finals.
