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Mavericks surfing contest to begin in early December
Oakland Tribune, Nov 18, 2007 by Melissa McRobbie
PRINCETON -- Hoping to avoid a repeat of last season, when the waiting period for the Mavericks Surf Contest came and went without the arrival of waves big enough to hold the competition, organizers are starting the wait earlier this time around.
The contest window will open Dec. 7, several weeks earlier than last season's start date of Jan. 1, surf contest founder and director Jeff Clark said Tuesday. The end date, March 31, will be the same.
Clark, who has surfed the legendary swell near Pillar Point for decades, said some big waves there in October showed promise for the coming months.
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"You never know what Mother Nature's going to throw at you, but things look pretty good right now," Clark said. "We're ready to jump when she holds up the hoop."
The contest, as in past years, will be held on 24 hours' notice, and the roster of 24 invited surfers will remain the same as last season; only a few alternates have changed, Clark said.
On the invitee list is Mavericks veteran Grant Washburn, who welcomes the earlier start.
"December has always been one of the best months, so you're wise to include it," he said.
Washburn, a contest fixture, has made it to the finals more than once but has never won, which is OK with him. "I'm not a huge contest guy," he said.
He said he would rather skip an imperfect and potentially dangerous wave than risk his safety for the top prize, which is $30,000 this year.
"I have a competitive nature like everybody else, but I have my kids, my family, my wife," Washburn said in a phone interview Tuesday from his home in San Francisco's Sunset District. "I can easily say to myself, 'Today's not the day.'"
He said he had gone to Mavericks earlier Tuesday to surf after learning that the spot closest to his house, Ocean Beach, was closed because of the oil spill.
"It's much easier for daddy to play Barbies after he's gotten a few waves," Washburn said.
Mavericks invitee and Pacifica resident Matt Ambrose, whose surf schedule was also interrupted by the spill -- he tried to surf at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica Tuesday, only to be turned away by authorities for safety reasons -- said opening the contest window in December makes sense, even though it's not his favorite surfing month.
"To be honest with you, I like January," he said.
However, regardless of when the contest happens, "I'm as ready as I'm going to be," he said.
Surfer Anthony Tashnick won the Mavericks contest in 2005 and is also on this year's roster. Reached Tuesday in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, where he is participating in another surf contest, Tashnick hadn't yet heard the window dates had been set. He said he plans to stick around the Bay Area this winter.
"I'm going to be hanging out in Santa Cruz and waiting for Mavs and surfing some spots up north of the Golden Gate Bridge," he said.
To mark the start of the waiting period, a ceremonial paddle will be held on Dec. 7, according to official contest organizer Mavericks Surf Ventures, a partnership between Clark and San Francisco-based Evolve Sports LLC.
More information on the contest can be found online at http:// www.maverickssurf.com.
E-mail Melissa McRobbie at mmcrobbie@dailynewsgroup.com.
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