Maverick’s contest awash in drama as founder, operators wrestle for control

I smell something funky here. Without knowing anything about the relationship between Jeff Clark and his ex, I can't help but think that "fans" of the Mavericks contest are held hostage by the Clark's petty interpersonal bitterness. Since Jeff is the legendary pioneer of the spot, and his ex doesn't even surf or understand the nuances of surfing, she needs to get over it and go away. She's quoted as being on top of safety, yet was responsible for the 12 injuries last time. Barracuda and Moriarty family each pulled their sponsorship of Katherine's group - why?

Katherine hiring Flea and Skindog as "consultants" is a desperate attempt at bringing in legitimate experience. Flea admittedly won his events while high on meth, and Skinny's basic claim to fame is a decent interview in Riding Giants and being a Volcom pitchman.

What are the low key, unsponsored and erudite OB guys thinking? Would like to know Washburn, Sealbach and Martins' position on this issue? Their Mavericks interview session on Youtube last winter was fantastic.

Oops. Sorry about the double post.

a bunch of petty bullshit from all sides. clark started the spot got stabbed in the back from greedy dbags. Clark should have said f it and walked away. f18 pilots fly sorties on meth so fleas tweeking doesnt seem that big of a deal. seems weird for you to call him out on that now rather than be supportive of a guy who is in recovery. also im glad barracuda left.even they have aquatic name theyre a computer company. next we'll have 3com point and At&t Beach. Contests for the most part are lame. a necessary evil maybe but a big wave contest spectators are bound to get hurt, again.

Since this is a story about drama, why did they leave out KoK and I's bid?

THE KOOK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH

Stacey as mascot Mav's 11/12

I think Larry Ellison should host it.

Hmmm that article claims that Mr Clark wants a multi-day multi-swell billa-DONG model, where you just go back to the footage to decide who wins. See, the positive side of having a contest is some tax revenue from skin dog t-shirts and trucker hats. The negative is the actuaries probably have to come in to account for hot coffee to the faces of wave spilled victims.
The other model is one where only billadong benefits since it's their video show. The positive to that is that there are no actuaries involved. The negative is that Half Moon Bay probably doesn't get revenue from those t-shirts and trucker hats. It's not the best place for people to be hanging out anyway.
HMB probably can benefit by classifying boats/PWC differently. If you're a non life saving PWC/boat carrying a camera then you need a special permit. Else you can be there and pick up the carnage :)
I say make those permits for the media PWC expensive as F, and do the billadong model, quietly.

Not calling Flea out for his recovery efforts. I have much respect for his public position on drug and alcohol addiction. I'm proud of Flea, and have posted as much right here previously...

If anything, I'm calling out Jeff Clark's ex. Why did the Moriartys and Barracuda bail on Katherine's group? Why is the pioneer and founder of Mavericks the bad guy? Why were "fans" of the contest denied the pleasure of watching Slater and Dorian (and the regulars) duke it out this year? I feel burned by this whole mess because as a Bay Area surfer and fan of the sport I want the contest to thrive and I see that it is not happening.

Katherine's "excuse" was that even the Eddie doesn't run every year, but I counted at least 3 swells this past year where a contest would have been nice to watch. Now her sponsors have pulled their support and the only thing she has going at the moment for credibility is a guy that painted a leopard pattern on his head and won it while high on meth and another guy that honestly is not the most statesmanlike. Paddle out at Stockton Ave. this summer and I'll bet you a dollar that Skindog yells at you to go in.

yeah i dont care about skindog, if someone wants to heckle me then oh well im still going out. surfers are not diplomats or ambassadors. i dont expect em to be. i dont know the back story with clarks wife and it all is neither here nor there to me. during those three swells did you see any pro surfers get amazing rides? i dont see how the competition format makes it any more fun to watch. coming from socal i guess im over the whole thing. the thing i like about surfing up here is less image and hype. contests seem to amplify that stuff.

The contest format makes it "official" for the sake of history and certainly adds to the pressure of performing while the entire surf universe watches on their computers or smart phones. Its also really good for HMB as that town could really use the tourist $$.

I agree that in general contests suck the soul from surfing, although I'm looking forward to the Rip Curl Search this fall. If nothing else, it will be really cool to free surf with the world's top surfers at the bigger end of the beach and watch the contest from the bar at the Cliff House.

Me thinks maybe Zazzle should step in and sponsor the contest. They just sponsored the 100th Bay to Breakers this year.

www.zazzle.com