Despite Mavericks Contest Reorganization, Local Surf Group's Goals Remain Intact

Since the announcement earlier this month that the corporate sponsor for the withdrew its commitment, along with the news that the has split up, little has been heard from the perspective of the Surf Group members themselves.

This past week, Half Moon Bay Patch caught up with some of the members of the local surf group, which originally formed to regain control of the world-renowned contest for the 2010-2011 season. They are now searching for a new sponsor and reorganizing under a new name — Mavericks Community LLC.

Group spokeswoman Katherine Kelly Clark said she wants reassure the community that the changes are "a good thing.”

“The group is strong, committed, and focused,” said Clark. “The disbanding of the HMB Surf Group is really a reshuffling of the organization,” she added. 

Members of the group are all still very much involved and are moving forward "with the community, the athletes, and the environment as our three main priorities," Clark said. "We are very strong in our commitment, have the support of the athletes, public safety agencies, and support groups/vendors. We are currently communicating with several potential sponsors.”

The family of the late surfer Jay Moriarity, for which the contest had been renamed by the Half Moon Bay Surf Group, announced that they would like his name to be removed from all future events.

"Everybody seems to be making money off Jay's name,"  the father of Jay Moriarity's father, Doug, was quoted in a San Mateo County Times article published on MercuryNews.com. "It sounds like it's just becoming a big business again — Barracuda was saying the surfers can't run it, they don't have the experience," Moriarity said in the article.

Clark said that the group has no immediate plans to rename the contest and is leaving the name open for now. This way, Clark said, the new sponsor's name can be included in the name of the contest.

The group will be working with a tighter budget this year. They are also committed to steering the contest away from becoming a moneymaking venture and “remain aligned with the original goals of the group: ‘For the surfers, by the surfers’ as well as using the event to educate the public about the community, the delicate surrounding ecosystem, and sport of big wave surfing,” said Clark.

The group’s central organizer, surfer Grant Washburn, said that even though the “entity name has changed because of the re-organization, the goals are the same."

“A key point lost in the shuffle is that the original contest committee is intact and has expanded," Washburn said. "Everyone remains committed to holding the best event possible.”

Washburn’s role in the reorganized group will be on its steering committee. Darryl "Flea" Virotsko, who has retired from competitive big wave surfing, has been named the group’s surfer spokesperson. Santa Cruz surfer Kenny "Skindog" Collins has also joined the group. Collins is “instrumental in helping bring strength and power to the group,” said Clark.

The 2010-2011 contest was not held because conditions weren’t adequate for a competitive event befitting the Mavericks surf break. But the Half Moon Bay surf organization, expanded under a new name and back in the hands of the local surfing community, say they are optimistic for not only surfable waves next year, but for more of a positive vibe surrounding the entire event.

“It is very likely the Pacific [Ocean] will come through next year,” said Washburn, “and we are all looking forward to another historic competition.”

On April 15, Barracuda Networks announced in a press release that it was withdrawing its sponsorship of the Mavericks contest.

"Unfortunately, discussions with officials surrounding plans for the 2011-2012 season were not progressing as we had hoped and very recently some Moriarity family members and their representatives have requested that we discontinue use of Jay's name for the event; we respect that decision," said Executive Vice President and CMO of Barracuda Networks, Michael Perone, in a prepared statement.

Jay Moriarity's life story is the subject of a set to star Gerard Butler as the late surfer.

Kristine Wong contributed reporting.