Posted August 16, 2009 | Filed Under American Made, Community
Written by Peter Kray | Comments: 2
The single name spots that are the legends of U.S. surfing – Waimea, Pipeline, Jaws, Swamis, Rincon – have been building their myths for almost half a century now. And as far as the giants go, a disproportionate gallery of the most massive waves are to be found on Oahu’s North Shore.
So when Mavericks, the massive Northern California break just north of Half Moon Bay, was collectively “discovered” by the surf industry in 1990, it was as if NASA had announced that the earth had a second moon. (Think what that would do to tidal patterns. The mind boggles). The fact that local Jeff Clark had been surfing there by himself since 1975 was like discovering an astronaut already living on that moon.
The freak freight train-sized rollers of “the wave beyond” quickly made their own reputation among surfing’s elite riders. And when iconic Hawaiian wave master Mark Foo was killed the first time he came to surf Mavericks in 1994, the mainstream media painted a picture of a kind of deadly surfing Everest just off the western mainland – an image that still holds.
Folks tell us that experiencing Mavericks has helped them cope with the loss of family members, inspired them to take on second jobs, and even to tattoo our M-Wave logo onto their bodies or name their newborns “Mavericks.”
The truth is somewhere in between, encompassing the singular passion of Clark’s stoic soul pursuit, the deadly realities of competing at the highest level of natural sport, and the absolutely off-the-chart cool factor of something that big breaking off the California coast.
The ensuing contest – heralded as the “Super Bowl” of big wave surfing by Sports Illustrated – was inevitable, and has already been the scene of some of the sport’s most epic showdowns (check out the prep work for this year’s event). The next Mavericks-fueled inspiration was to put a brand behind it. Celebrating something that is part tribal, part mystic pursuit and part edge of your personal limits, we asked Mavericks Surf Ventures CEO Keir Beadling to give us his own explanation of Mavericks colossal sense of “It.”
Shred White and Blue: Talk about how a wave that 99.9 percent of the surf world didn’t know about 20 years ago has so quickly embedded itself in the culture, folklore and identity of surfing.
Keir Beadling: I suspect that it’s a combination of a variety of factors: First, Mavericks is a remarkable natural phenomenon. It has existed for tens of thousands of years, and will hopefully exist for tens of thousands more. In many ways, we’re just passing through. Second, in a world where so few things are meaningful and “real,” Mavericks is about as authentic and inspirational as it gets. The gladiators who surf there are calculating extraordinary risks in the blink of an eye, and when they go, it’s full commitment to take on something that almost seems physically impossible. And I might take your question a bit further, as every day it seems we hear anecdotes that Mavericks as a phenomenon has gone far beyond the sport of surfing itself. People see Mavericks and think, “If they can drop into that and face it with such courage, what limits can I blow through?” Folks tell us that experiencing Mavericks has helped them cope with the loss of family members, inspired them to take on second jobs, and even to tattoo our M-Wave logo onto their bodies or name their newborns “Mavericks.” That’s incredibly humbling stuff, and we’re honored by it. And last, we as a company remain steadfast in our own commitment to what Mavericks stands for—courage, authenticity, respect and integrity—and things like webcasts, broad television distribution, and heavy news media attention over the last few years have really helped Mavericks penetrate the public’s consciousness and spread the Mavericks “gospel.”
SWB: Is there any other pursuit in sports – or sporting competition – that you think compares to surfing Mavericks or The Mavericks Surf Contest?
KB: That’s a great question for Mavericks surfers, but I’ll add my 2 cents. There are a couple other, pioneering big-wave surfing events that have helped pave the way for us. I’d like to think, though, that Mavericks is maybe in a class by itself. It’s hard to think of a sport that offers up the challenges of Mavericks: freezing water, house-sized rocks, treacherous currents, the occasional visit by, um, large marine life, and waves that have crested with 50+ faces. The Contest, with its spontaneity, utter dependence upon the good graces of Mother Nature, remarkable feats of athleticism, and big promotional platform—that seems like icing on the cake. In talking with the guys who surf Mavs, some of them say that Mavericks is awe-inspiring in a way that an iconic place such as Mount Everest is. But I suppose we won’t know how tight that analogy is until we find someone who has done both. Maybe someone already has?
SWB: What were the biggest challenges in translating this iconic force of nature into an actual brand?
KB: I actually think that we’ve been given a gift by Mavericks the place. I say this because the single most valuable aspect of any brand in my view is authenticity. If it’s not real, well, then you’re facing an uphill battle in building a brand. But Mavericks inherently offers up such a rich history, every season gives us an opportunity to add a new chapter to the legend, and the amazing human beings that surf there add an accessible, human element—it’s just magic. Our biggest challenge—and we’re 100% committed to it—is remaining laser-focused on the core values of Mavericks and resisting choices that are just not on-brand for this special thing we have. For example, we recently launched a real line of Mavericks™ brand apparel, and we’re dedicated to making this available in the core surf shop channel first, and forever.
SWB: How does this translate, or relate, to your environmental mission?
KB: Being environmentally conscientious has been a core part of our little company’s DNA since day one. We are dependent upon Mother Nature for our very existence. Ours was the world’s first climate-neutral surf contest a few years back. More recently, we elected not to extend the waiting period for the last contest season due primarily to the fact that we are just one of thousands of “citizens” that have a stake in the Mavericks ecosystem. And one of the things of which I’m most proud on this front is the fact that at our 2008 Contest, 50,000 fans produced only 20 bags of trash. Our dedicated team worked hard to educate visitors about composting, recycling, and landfill. For the upcoming Contest season, we’ll power our land operations with solar energy—I think that will be a first as well. I recently cracked open a pretty influential book in this space titled “Cradle to Cradle.” It offers a stark reminder that every action we take as individuals can have a negative impact on the world in which we live. That can be pretty intimidating. But we at Mavericks are committed to thinking seriously about this, taking incremental steps to do our part, and encouraging folks all over the world who care about Mavericks to do the same.
SWB: What has kept the 2009 competition from occurring?
KB: Mother Nature either delivers up contest-worthy swell during the contest window, or she doesn’t. Our job is to be ready if she graces us with something incredible. Our contest window last season didn’t match up with Mother Nature, and we fully respect that. We also have made some modifications going forward so that we’re ready for her earlier than ever before.
SWB: Heading into the fall, what are you most stoked about for the coming season?
KB: I’m stoked that surf shop owners are welcoming our new apparel line with open arms, and that we can finally tell Mavericks fans that they can go to their local shops to pick up our gear. That has been a long time coming, and it’s a very rewarding experience to see the hard work of our team here paying off. But I think that perhaps the most exciting development is that—as I’m answering this question—we’re only about 100 days away from the opening of the 09/10 contest season. We’ll have a ton of exciting pieces to announce as the season approaches, but I’ve got to keep my lips zipped on those for the time being. In the meantime, www.maverickssurf.com is the best place to stay up-to-date on all things Mavericks.
=========
// Mavericks Photo by Seth Migdail // Surf and skate photographer Seth Migdail was kind enough to bless us with the absolutely outstanding feature image for this story. For more of his incredible action sports photography, check out his website. And keep reading ShredWhiteandBlue.com for an in-depth look at what kind of eye candy Seth is hoping to find when he packs up his cameras to head for the beach.
Tagged with: | 2 Comments »
Comments
2 Responses to “Mavericks: Where the Legend Meets the Brand”
Share your voice - leave a comment...
If you want a pic to show with your comment, get a gravatar!
Legend? Where’s Jeff Clark? A Mavericks brand without Jeff Clark is meaningless and empty. It is a shame, a travesty, that this man fired Jeff Clark from the contest. Clark is the legend behind Mavericks. Clark started the contest. Clark lived the dream that this guy could only sniff from afar… and then take it away and exploit it. It’s sad, and it’s unfortunate that this story leaves out that important detail.
Bro, I totally agree. Clark IS Mavericks, and to take it away from him and call it “authentic” is disingenuous at best. Now it’s run by a non-surfer, ex-lawyer. This is not the spirit of surfing. Surfers honor their own, especially the legends.