LONGING FOR VICTORY: Greg Long Ascends Mavericks Contest Throne

A happy camper with a happy check.

Jamie Sterling: Back in 1994, when the Jay Moriarity-Mark Foo swell caused so much notoriety at Maverick’s, I gathered up some priceless footage from videographer Eric W. Nelson and took it with me on a six-week visit to the North Shore. One night, with a lot of notable surfers on hand, I hauled out the tape during a beachfront party. Most of the guys barely took notice, walking blithely past the television screen. A few paid strict attention (notably Chris Malloy, Kelly Slater and Keoni Watson), but most of them didn’t want to know about some cold-water spot in Northern California. The Hawaiian migration has been slow, but on a given day this winter, you had a good chance of seeing Sterling, McNamara, Wassell, Kealii Mamala, Mark Healey and a few other Hawaiian-raised surfers in the mix. Sterling, who tends to score heavily wherever he travels, finished third in the Maverick’s event after dominating his first two heats. To top it off, he won the Jay Moriarity Award for the spirit best exemplifying the late, great Santa Cruz surfer.

Grant Washburn: On the night they held the lottery-style draw for heats, Washburn didn't even check to see where he landed. It just doesn’t matter to him. He’s not about competition or trying to eliminate some other surfer, merely the personal experience of surfing Maverick’s. “There was a time, years ago, when I was dying to know who was in my heat,” he said. “No longer. It kind of takes the pressure off, too. I’m just out there to have the best time I possibly can.” Only when he hit the water did Washburn realize he was up against Matt Ambrose, Skindog Collins and Josh Loya, three of the best surfers ever to surf Maverick’s, along with Wassell and the polished Brazilian, Danilo Couto. Result: Washburn won the heat. He also made the finals for the third time in four years.

The Left: Nobody could recall so many surfers going left on a given day. There were some heavy wipeouts, notably Couto, Slater and Seelbach. But a lot of guys managed to negotiate that horrifying drop, including Flea (who pulled what amounted to a layback to keep his balance), Randy Cone, Mel, Long, McNamara, Washburn and Maverick’s top goofyfooter, Shane Desmond.

Ion Banner: The local legend didn’t get out of his first heat, but he was a constantly entertaining presence. On the very first wave of the first heat, he found himself caught inside and needed a jet-ski pickup to be dragged out of trouble. He took a couple of big wipeouts. He whimsically switched stance, shifting from frontside to back, and a few waves later he switched stance again – this time, backside to front.

Those who didn’t fare so well:

Peter Mel: He seems to be over the angst of never having won Maverick’s, where he is widely regarded as The Man, or being called the Phil Mickelson of his sport. Mel is heading into his late 30s, with a strong family life, and he has a renewed sense of priorities. Still, it was disappointing to see him finish fourth in his first-round heat. It’s not that he chokes, or surfs poorly; far from it. Mel just can’t seem to buy a break in this contest. Flea Virostko: Despite that one memorable move going left, he didn’t look like himself today His signature air-drop, generally a rousing success, turned sour. He never caught one of the bombs. He finished last in Heat 4.

Brock Little: Since the fateful day that Foo went down in 1994, Little has surfed Maverick’s only in contests. He tends to show up the day before, head straight out and blow minds. This time, with good waves at a premium, Little finished last in his heat and was not a factor.

The Santa Cruz Old Guard: Out of the 12 men who reached the semifinals, the only ones from Santa Cruz were Desmond, Tyler Smith and Anthony Tashnick.

As for Long, you’d think it would be nice for him to sit back, enjoy a few days off, savor the thrill of his accomplishment. But that’s no longer how it works in big-wave surfing. The really active guys need to be everywhere. For the first time in his life, Long is a main-list entrant for the Eddie Aikau event at Waimea. He can’t afford to be elsewhere on that pristine morning when George Downing calls the contest on. Well, sure enough, there were rumors of the Eddie going off less than 24 hours after the Maverick’s contest finished. For Long, Little, Virostko, Sterling and Mel – as well as Aikau alternates McNamara, Wassell and Tashnick – that meant an overnight trip to Hawaii. The whirlwind never ends.