It Was a 'Magical Day' For Many at Mavericks

Organizers for The Body Glove Mavericks Invitational presented by GoPro made a solid call 48 hours ago when they announced the event would run on Friday, Jan. 24.

“Today’s contest worked out perfectly, exactly what we expected, and we are really stoked how well the guys charged it," said Mavericks official surf forecaster, Mark Sponsler.

The day treated the competitors with 40 foot surf and sunny conditions.  In an exciting final heat, Grant “Twiggy” Baker took the first place prize of $12,000, while Shane Dorian took the 2nd place prize of $6,000, and Ryan Augenstein took the 3rd place prize of $5,000.

“Obviously a magical day for me personally at Mavericks, the conditions were challenging, but this is a highlight of my career," said contest winner Baker at the Awards Ceremony.

Just like last season, in order to maintain public safety and environment protection, local authorities closed off all roads to Pillar Point, including access to the beach and bluffs. The Mavericks Viewing Festival gave fans a place to gather on the coast and watch the action on two jumbo HD screens, enjoy music, food and entertainment, while getting exclusive commentary and access to the Awards Ceremony.

The festival was much improved from last year with more space for the fans to move about and more food options from Sam's Chowder Mobile and Princeton Seafood Co. to The Melt and Gerard Paella. There was also a skatepark and plenty of Sierra Nevada beer flowing all day long.

However, best seats of the day for many were on their sofas at home, streaming the live feed on their computer screens or directly to their TVs. Also an exciting change to this year’s event is that for the first time ever the contest was broadcasted live by Universal Sports Network, who aired the final heat live for fans to view at home or work.  

“All things were in place with sponsors, and the organization, and when everything is in order, the ocean does amazing things, and today was one of those days," said Mavericks contest director Jeff Clark. “The competitors really put their ability to the test on a very challenging day.”