Jeff Clark, the man who surfers Mavericks for 15 years by himself and has directed the Maverick Surf Contest since its inception, has been pushed out from his position of Contest Director and will not be making the decision to call the contest, this according to the San Jose Mercury News.
"It was time for us to democratize the process," said Keir Beadling, CEO of Mavericks Surf Ventures and the man who fired us from being the webcast commentator so a ski announcer could make the upcoming broadcast even worse. "We have 24 amazing human beings at our disposal. ... It will depend on what the guys think is best."
Clark didn’t comment on the story and hasn’t returned phone calls seeking comment, but in an interview he gave The Extreme Scene on June 17th he never mentioned any recent strife between him and Beidling, likely meaning this decision was just handed down.
It remains to be seen if the decision was made because of
The surfers who regularly compete in the contest pledge tremendous loyalty to
Comments
Check it out:
http://jeffclarksurf.blogspot.com/
in Jeff's own words
I can't believe anyone would try to take Jeff's baby from him. Whoever is behind this should be thrown out on their ear. I agree that the surfers should boycott. It seems like the contest is losing it's soul. Jeff Clark = Mavericks and Mavericks = Jeff Clark.
If anyone other than Jeff Clark surfed it alone, they should come forward, we would all like to hear about their experience.
Maybe they should implement some rule that says to be involved in the contest direction you actually have to surf Mavericks...that should take care of some people that are riding on Jeff's coattails!
In all fairness I have seen both sides (having run maverickssurf.com for two years). I have tremendous regard for Jeff, Grant and the other regulars. And I agree that Jeff IS Mavericks.
On the other hand I have watched up close Keir Beadling complete devotion to Mavericks, the many bend-over-backwards concessions and desire to keep the purity and prestige of the world-reknown event. It's a whole year of constant effort for one day...and the cost is unbelievable both financially and personally. So it is not really fair to say that it is primarily about Mr. Beadlings "wallet". Actually unfair (and I have been "fired" myself by Mr. Beadling, which was a business decision I agreed with after the contest did not happen a few years back). That he and others at Evolve continue to support and pay for year-round coverage and promotion of the event is amazing and shows unbelievable resilience.
So, as with any "divorce" there are always two sides to the story. I happen to be in the enviable position of admiring both parties and understanding the legitimacy of their views.
On a personal note, I have always enjoyed you guys and your coverage of Mavericks has been stellar. Keep an open mind. I think even Jeff would say that it is really about the Unique Wave at Mavericks. That is what drew me, and the incredibly brave, smart and agile atheletes who ride that wave every year.
Mac at Azotruscafe.com
totally, keep an open mind, in the big picture this contest has only been around a short time.