World's most famous big wave event is shelved due
to "disagreement!"
If you have ever personally witnessed The
Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay then you know
that it is truly a wonderful spectacle. Not to sound overly
sentimental but being on those cliffs when The Eddie is on
changes a man. Everything from the towering waves to the
hooting amphitheater to the invite-only surfers practicing their
brave dance to the energy hanging all the way to Honolulu like
thick vog creeps inside the heart and softens the hardest
crust.
I have no doubt that if Kim Jong Un and Donald J. Trump could
but stand on those cliffs, shoulder to shoulder, and watch Ross
Clarke-Jones make one drop that peace would be established on the
Korean peninsula.
And this makes it even sadder that The Eddie is likely shelved
for the year and not due lack of giant surf but due… I don’t know.
Let’s read Hawaii News
Now!
The chances are slim that the iconic big wave surfing
competition known as “The Eddie” will run this year after new
developments in an ongoing struggle to find a sponsor.
Quicksilver, Red Bull and the Aikau family previously agreed
to sponsorship terms for the world-famous event until Saturday,
when the Aikau family introduced new terms that the company could
not agree to.
In a statement, a Quicksilver representative said:
“Quiksilver has decided that it has run out of time to
sponsor the ‘Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau’ big wave surf
event for 2017-2018.
Quiksilver has been honored to celebrate the life of
champion big wave surfer and Waimea Bay lifeguard Eddie Aikau.
Quiksilver is proud of the tradition of the event which underlines
its respect for Eddie Aikau, the Hawaiian people and the community
at large, and Quiksilver greatly appreciates more than 30 years of
partnership with the Aikau family.”
Earlier this year, the World Surfing League reportedly
withdrew financial support of the event. Quicksilver and the Aikau
family previously had differences in terms in previous
months.
“After a long, hard negotiations with the Aikaus, there just
wasn’t enough time to put on a proper contest,” Glen Moncata of
Quicksilver said. “There’s a lot of preparations involved, and with
the passing of time, we don’t think we can put together a proper
contest.”
“Even though the parties were unable to reach an agreement,
Quiksilver remains open to continuing discussions for a 2018-2019
event and beyond so that all parties can better prepare for the
event,” Quicksilver added.
The Aikau family says status of the contest going forward is
unknown. They did not provide any additional details.
I have heard from multiple sources that the Aikau family is
notoriously difficult. Maybe notoriously difficult in order to
protect the legacy of the great Eddie. Maybe notoriously difficult
because enough is never enough. Whatever the case it is a real
shame and now we may have nuclear war in the Pacific.
