Entries are being accepted for the 33rd annual Quiksilver-Big Island Toyota Big Island Pro-Am Surfing Trials at Honolii Beach Park.
Entries are being accepted for the 33rd annual Quiksilver-Big Island Toyota Big Island Pro-Am Surfing Trials at Honolii Beach Park.
The waiting period for the Big Island’s longest-running surf contest is June 3 through Oct. 1. The contest will go on weekends only, surf permitting. The contest is limited to the first 80 entries and is for Big Island residents only. The nonrefundable entry fee is $60 by June 2, $70 thereafter.
The divisions for the 2017 contest are Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Open Longboard (9 feet and longer, HLSA regulation) and Open Bodyboard (prone, drop knee or stand up).
More than $3,000 in prizes are at stake and more than 30 sponsors are on board for the Pro-Am, which serves as a ramp for Big Island surfers and bodyboarders to launch into contests against the world’s best on Oahu’s North Shore.
Ten round trips from Hawaii Island to Oahu plus 10 entries to a Pro-Am event on Oahu will be awarded.
As a bonus, the Men’s Open winner will receive a custom Orchid Land surfboard shaped and glassed by Dean Edwards of Big Rock Colorworks and the Women’s Open winner earns a Firewire Sally Fitzgerald-model surfboard.
For the Men’s Open division, unless the contestant is rated in the World Surf League Hawaii system, the trips will go to the top finishers of 18 years or younger.
“This our way of giving back to the community,” said contest organizer Stan Lawrence, owner of Orchid Land Surfboards in Hilo, who’s been in business since 1972. “So many young rippers look forward to this contest. It’s a big step, a chance to pursue dreams of becoming a professional surfer.”
Giving back is a collective effort, and Lawrence gets by with a lot of help from his friends.
“It’s not one person” that makes the contest happen, he said. “It’s totally volunteer. It’s hard work and we’ve got quite a crew: judges, officials, scorekeepers, photographers, water patrol, cleanup people.” There are many more, and for their long day at the contest “they get a free lunch and a T-shirt.”
Early contests took place at Drain Pipes in Kalapana. One of the first contest stars was Wayne “Flyboy” Victorino, who at one time was one of Surfer magazine’s top 100 kid surfers and gained some notoriety at Velzyland. When the lava flow altered Drain Pipes, the venue switched to Honolii, where other riders emerged from the pack, including Myles Padaca, big-wave rider Noah Johnson and bodyboarder Spencer Skipper.
Lawrence says the men and women to watch for now are brother and sister Diesel and Rumor Butts, Honolii groms who are on the cusp of surf stardom. Diesel, 11, and Rumor, 14, have been piling up results and will be forces to reckon with in the future.
For more contest information or entry forms, stop by Orchid Land Surfboards or visit orchidlandsurf.com.
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Pro-Am Breakdown
Contest dates: June 3 through Oct. 1 waiting period (weekends only). If there are no waves, the waiting period will be extended.
Contest site: Honolii Beach Park, Hilo.
Contest headquarters: Orchid Land Surfboards, 262 Kamehameha Ave., phone 935-1533.
Waiting period: All contestants will call the headquarters each Friday morning to check on surf conditions. There will be no refunds if you miss your heat. All alternates must pay an entry fee. No double entries.
Divisions: Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Open Longboard (9 feet and longer, HLSA regulation), Open Bodyboard (prone, drop knee or stand up).
The contest is limited to the first 80 entries and Big Island residents only.
Entry fee is $60, nonrefundable, to be paid in cash, cashiers check or money order. No personal checks. Includes T-shirt. Payable to Big Island Resource Conservation and Development Council.
Entry deadline is June 2. Late entries will be charged an additional $10, no exceptions.
Prizes: Ten round trips from Hawaii Island to Oahu, plus 10 entries to a Pro-Am event on the North Shore of Oahu. The number of trips and entries will be awarded proportionally to winners in each division depending on the number of entries in each division. For contests from October 2017 through March 2018.
For the Men’s Open division, unless you are rated in the World Surf League Hawaii system, Men’s Open trips go to the top finishers of 18 years or younger.
Each entry is worth $150 and there will be more than $3,000 in prizes. Men’s Open winner also earns a custom Orchid Land surfboard.
Award airfare and entry fee cash to be used for specified surf events only. If you do not compete on Oahu, entry and airfare will go to the next finisher.
Entries are based on available slots on Oahu.