Hawaiian CT Events In Jeopardy Following Permit Issues

Ben Matson picture
Ben Matson (thermalben)
Form Guide

Hawaii may soon be off the World Surf League calendar. Sound crazy? Well, there's been some complex administrative manouvering over the last few days.

As tipped back in early September, the WSL have been looking to make wholesale changes to the tour schedule from 2019 onwards. One of the most notable alterations being Pipeline's shift from season-finisher in December, to season-opener in February. 

Although the WSL claims it has been working with the City of Honolulu on proposed date changes for almost a year, Mayor Kirk Caldwell told the Star Advertiser that it received a request to change dates in mid-December, well after the November deadline.

"The WSL missed deadlines in the process and now they’re trying to take dates that others have applied for prior to the process being completed. That’s not how we do business in Hawaii".

On Monday, the World Surf League undertook the unusual step of issuing a press release where they publicly expressed hope "of gaining an appointment" with Hawaiian authorities "to find an amicable solution". 

Sophie Goldschmidt - appointed WSL CEO in July last year - told the Star Advertiser "If we can’t get these minor administrative changes made, we won’t be able to come back in 2019, and if that happens the likelihood is that we won’t be able to return for years.”

It turns out that the 2019 reshuffle - whilst confirmed by WSL Deputy Commissioner Renato Hickel in Portuguese sports newspaper O Jogo in late October 2018 - was not quite as locked-in as suggested. 

"In 2019, the plan is to start the season in February in Hawaii and end in September in Tahiti," Hickel told O Jogo

With just weeks until the Hawaiian administrative deadline, Renato's words were more foretelling than first glance suggested - it was only still a plan - with the proposed month of competition to be moved again from February to January.

On Wednesday, Mayor Kirk Caldwell reiterated his decision, issuing a final rejection to the WSL's date change requests.

"We encourage you to consider implementing the changes for the next application period in late summer 2018, for the 2019/2020 winter surf season", Caldwell told the Star Advertiser.

Comments

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 11:47am

To misquote General Kilgore -

“ Sophie don’t surf .”

And that’s basically all you need to know about that. Nice of the WSL to reveal itself as so obviously contemptuous of the public communities that are subsidising a business venture owned by a single individual that doesn’t surf , never has surfed and who doesn’t give a fuck about surfing or surfers.

It makes it a whole lot easier to oppose Dirk Ziff’s profit driven over reaching.

Willliam's picture
Willliam's picture
Willliam Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 12:30pm

Interesting comments from Sunny Garcia on Instagram indicating the Hawaiian surf community had been trying to meet with Mayor Kirk Caldwell, but he refused. Also stating that no deadlines were missed. Sighting old grudges and hurt ego.
The WSL may not be 100% to blame. I'm assuming more will come out.

50young's picture
50young's picture
50young Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 12:45pm

There you Stu your trip can be a Tax write off, just take a day out to get to bottom of this

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 12:55pm

This the one you're referring to William?

 

Wow this kind of moment could be lost for the next generation of Hawaii kids all because of old grudges and a hurt ego of @kirk.caldwell Mayor of Honolulu who won’t talk to us but told the news we were strong arming him when we stopped by his office to ask for a meeting to try to come up with a solution to red tape affecting event permits. And for the record no deadlines were missed. Since he wouldn’t meet with us, we thought it made sense to stop by his office and ask for a meeting since he is our Mayor and it is his duty to look out for our best interests and advocate for us, but instead he is twisting the facts and telling Hawaii surfers and the surf community that he doesn’t want to help us. A lot of the facts being thrown around by the Mayor are very misleading and it’s a huge injustice that the man elected to protect the surfers and surf community won’t help us. Yet the matter at hand is that Hawaiian surfers and the surf industry are on the brink of losing all the biggest surf events in the world here in our back yard and the tourism that comes with it so it’s a huge loss for all of Hawaii and the surfing world for that matter. What’s really sad is to see all the comments coming from a lot of people in the surf community saying they are for the Hawaiians but are not able to put their money where the mouth is and will not be here to pick up slack should the WSL take their events elsewhere #BePartOfTheSolutionNotPartOfTheProblem #TalkIsCheap #HelpTheHawaiianSurfers

A post shared by Sunny Garcia (@sunnygarcia) on

Willliam's picture
Willliam's picture
Willliam Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 1:05pm

That's the one.

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 2:14pm

Sunny didn't snot him did he?

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 1:07pm

Well I wonder who's telling the truth?
The politician with a grudge or the ex-con pro with a history of bending facts to suit his agenda?
Billionaire appointed non-surfing CEO might have learnt a lesson on how to negotiate away from an executive boardroom too...

Ash's picture
Ash's picture
Ash Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 1:43pm

Pretty sweet really
Sunny's huffing and puffing, the 'world" surf corp management are in denial and trying to get the pros to help sort out their mis-management, and at the same time trying to ignore the fact that other orgs have applied within the deadline and stand rightfully to get the time slot.
If I was a pro I would be asking why management failed to apply in time, I mean it's what their job is, the pros surf and management does the organising including the parework. But I'll bet their contracts deny them any form of opposition to board decissions. Stab has a good explanatory article on this at the moment.
This style of management is an example as to why Stu got banned from the inner circle of WSL reprters simply bercause he failed to report what they wanted to hear.
Sweet

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 3:22pm

Be good to see the whole WSL shit show tank. Even local comps are a big enough annoyance each year. Can't imagine living near Pipe with weeks on end of it taken up by comps and blowins when it's on.

Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 5:45pm

Biggest news in years for pro surfing .....It doesn't look good though.
Looks to me like the wsl CEO tried to strong arm the Hawaiian municipality . Bending the rules that can not be broken, time and time again. Two man heat format. Not running full days. Not allowing enough local wild cards. Disrespectful behaviour of Officials
(I have spent a lot of time in Hawaii. So I have witnessed all the above.) It's a sad moment for pro surfing. Is it such a bad thing for the north shore? Time will tell.

Is it also a rebuttal towards the new facebook deal?

campbell's picture
campbell's picture
campbell Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 4:33pm

Lucky Hawaii! Another nail in the coffin for pro surfing big business.

Ape Anonymous's picture
Ape Anonymous's picture
Ape Anonymous Friday, 9 Feb 2018 at 1:21pm

We should give Hoye the world title cup and end it all on a high note?? ;-)

Ash's picture
Ash's picture
Ash Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 5:35pm

Yeah Dean there's a few "is it?" questions there
So who's going to win this confrontation? the outcome hopefully works in favour of the locals 1st, pro's 2nd and if that happens then the WSLwins too.

Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 6:20pm

Honestly the wsl started off really poorly. Implementing a very Aggressive Media embargo (claiming to own rights to all media content). Alienating all previous media organizations.
They rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with that initial behaviour. It seemed to really set the tone for a standard of poor business practices. That really created a poor first impression of the company. ( I.e. "we own surfing now. " )
Looks like they now have three failed CEO 's. Two Sam's(self appointed managers acting as ceo's).
They also don't seem to know how to acknowledge wrong doing on there behalf . they also seem to be doing a great job of alienating the core fan base of pro surfing .
From an outsiders perspective. I find it a really poorly managed business.
Is there anyone on there staff with a degree in Business management?

Nono's picture
Nono's picture
Nono Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 5:38pm

Ehhh???? So you can reference back the stories of what's been quoted in the media-least here does good for the Hawaiian leg an keep everyone informed who isn't on Instagram... Unlike the spot that you had to name drop whilst talking about the beach up from the artical you had say you surfed at... SsshhhhhhWe'd hate to watch some kook blow wedge wave that's pretty rare Sshhhh kook !!! An no I don't care who blowin is -man enough to hide behind a slang name says it all.. An who cares of Wsl nowadays-mainly full brasso's.. Their all pests before comps,but John johns humble an offers waves...hence on his first title I wished him well in Comp at snapper-an gave the keep winning call,which he did back to back... YEAHHH JJF !!!! No need for a dumbass reply by your twiddle fingers either !!!

tomdo's picture
tomdo's picture
tomdo Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 5:41pm

The Ziffler is proving to be quite the goose. Oh the schadenfreude.

gcuts's picture
gcuts's picture
gcuts Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 6:28pm

Fuck.

Don't ya know what is ACTUALLY happening?

Webber Wave pools have put in a DA with City of Honolulu!

Coaster's picture
Coaster's picture
Coaster Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 7:24pm

Weasel words and implied threats from WSL. The WSL needs Hawaii more than Hawaii needs the WSL.

Billyw's picture
Billyw's picture
Billyw Thursday, 8 Feb 2018 at 9:22pm

I agree. I think the average surfer in Hawaii will be stoked with any chance of reduced WSL presence.

campbell's picture
campbell's picture
campbell Friday, 9 Feb 2018 at 4:33pm

It's a redundant format anyhow, sterile ,safe and boring with two guys in a heat with pick of the sets for a set time, minimal hassling, points for turns,they should try and send the top 10 out on a good and crowded day at Pipeline (or anywhere for that matter)for an hour or two and see how many of them dominate set waves , only one guy I can see in the current crop who could pull that off (JJ) and Slates if he was there ,a few of them would be lucky to get a wave ,maybe its not the best way to decide who the best surfer in the world really is. The whole Olympic idea for the future is even worse, may as watch greyhounds racing.

mibs-oner's picture
mibs-oner's picture
mibs-oner Friday, 9 Feb 2018 at 8:12pm

I’ll bet my right nut they’ll have it overturned in court or some shit.

kashmir's picture
kashmir's picture
kashmir Monday, 12 Feb 2018 at 11:53am

Surfing Western Australia (WSL lapdogs) came down to Margaret River from Perth 300kms away to push their contest (tax payer funded) onto us.They honestly think surfers want it down here and that we are behind more surf tourism in the already over crowded region.They believe like in Hawaii that it's best for us the surfers and they think they are holding a "big stick" that if they don't get what they want the contest we have already will turn into a WQS and we will have "250 Brazilians" here.(honestly thats how they are trying to sell it to the surfing population).Fuck the WSL.