I awoke this morning and turned on the boob tube to watch the morning traffic and weather reprot, only to find out the Quicksilver Eddie Aikau Surf contest at Waimea Bay was on!
This is THE Big Wave surfing contest. The waves must be 20 feet high or bigger for them to even consider holding the event. The last time it was held was in 2004. It's pretty much a once or twice a decade event when the ocean conditions are good enough to hold this event.
The reason why I titled this post: Eddie Would Go is because that is a phrase that has become a popular bumpersticker and saying here in Hawaiian which refers to Eddie Aikau, a renowned waterman and lifeguard. He rescued innumerable swimmers from drowning in Hawaii's waters as a lifeguard, and actually gave his life trying to swim for help as a crew member of the voyaging canoe Hokule'a that was capsized when they were caught in a severe storm. While he's venerated and honored for his lifeguard heroism and self sacrifice, the event for big wave surfing held is held in his honor because he was one of the pioneers in the sport of big wave riding. You can read more about this great Hawaiian Waterman here.
Anyhow, while I was watching the TV news reporters go on and on about the event and it's history as well as discussing the man for whom the event is held to honor, there was one thing I couldn't help but notice:
In our world of Gender Equality...there were no women surfer's who are official invites for the contest.
Is this Sexism in surfing?
C'mon ladies...why don't you load up your boards and paddle out and show us how you can do anything a man can do...
6 comments:
But wear modest clothing, while you're at it. Nobody wants to see your goods.
Come now Eumaios...you wouldn't wanna this...
...getting drowned by 25 foot high waves? lol
Loved this, thanks. Have been following since early 2000. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) has been pulled out and saved by Eddie A. -twice!
I am convinced that surfing big waves is linked to testosterone. I am not a big wave surfer by any means, but when I got married and again when I had babies my personal wave limit went down. I am convinced it was due to a testosterone drop with respect to these events. It is back up a bit, but still.
There are certainly women surfers with more guts than me though:
A few months later, Hamilton's wife, Maria, fell and nearly drowned. An experienced, gutsy bodyboarder, Maria had towed into waves at Jaws on her bodyboard, but wasn't as experienced on a surfboard. Kalama was driving when Maria ate it, and he prowled in and out of the zone through four or five waves, catching glimpses of Maria's head popping up for a few seconds, only to go under again for wave after wave. "We were like chickens with our heads cut off," Kalama said. "What the hell do we do? Do we get her board or lose the ski? After five or six waves, we finally got her out, but for about 20 or 25 seconds before that, we all thought she was dead. It really hit home -- this isn't just a game anymore. This is the real deal." Maria later admitted to a women's bodyboarding magazine that the wipeout might have caused a miscarriage. From that day on, the Maui crew worked to refine their rescue techniques. They attached sleds to the backs of the skis, which allowed a surfer to grab on for a quick trip out of the impact zone, and talked about employing inflatable vests and small bottles of oxygen.
There are a few women tow-in surfers. I don't know of many women paddle in surfers.
I am convinced that surfing big waves is linked to testosterone. I am not a big wave surfer by any means, but when I got married and again when I had babies my personal wave limit went down. I am convinced it was due to a testosterone drop with respect to these events. It is back up a bit, but still.
There are certainly women surfers with more guts than me though:
A few months later, Hamilton's wife, Maria, fell and nearly drowned. An experienced, gutsy bodyboarder, Maria had towed into waves at Jaws on her bodyboard, but wasn't as experienced on a surfboard. Kalama was driving when Maria ate it, and he prowled in and out of the zone through four or five waves, catching glimpses of Maria's head popping up for a few seconds, only to go under again for wave after wave. "We were like chickens with our heads cut off," Kalama said. "What the hell do we do? Do we get her board or lose the ski? After five or six waves, we finally got her out, but for about 20 or 25 seconds before that, we all thought she was dead. It really hit home -- this isn't just a game anymore. This is the real deal." Maria later admitted to a women's bodyboarding magazine that the wipeout might have caused a miscarriage. From that day on, the Maui crew worked to refine their rescue techniques. They attached sleds to the backs of the skis, which allowed a surfer to grab on for a quick trip out of the impact zone, and talked about employing inflatable vests and small bottles of oxygen.
There are a few women tow-in surfers. I don't know of many women paddle in surfers.
Can you amend that final statement to "... and show us how you can do anything a man can do ... BETTER"? For that has always been the sum total of their claims, with nary a shred of proof.
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