The world’s most competitive 2-star WQS crowned a champion this past monday. For years, the Xcel Pro at Sunset Beach has been regarded as the unofficial opening ceremony to the Triple Crown and the North Shore winter season. A strong performance at the Xcel Pro generally equates to a strong showing in the Triple Crown. (Technically, the Xcel Pro is a qualifying event in the ever-changing pathway for Hawaiian surfers to get into the Triple Crown.)
The Xcel Pro, while small in prize money and World Tour qualifying points, has maintained its notoriety by drawing some of the best competitive surfers from Hawaii and beyond, year after year. Competing at the Xcel Pro has never been about the money. It has always been about the chance of victory at such a prestigious event. It has been said that Sunset Beach is one of the most difficult waves to master. And, that if you can win at Sunset, you can win anywhere. For proof of this, look no further than the winners circle. Previous champions of the Xcel Pro comprise a virtual who’s who in Hawaiian competitive surfing; Michael Ho, Derek Ho, Sunny Garcia, Kaipo Jaquias, Bruce Irons, Andy Irons, Pancho Sullivan, Ian Walsh, Fred Patacchia, Joel Centeio, Evan Valiere, to name a few. All of whom, have been, or are competing at the top echelon of the sport.
This year’s champion is no less deserving of the Xcel Pro crown. Maui’s Hank Gaskell was victorious, edging out four time Xcel Pro champion Pancho Sullivan in a highly competitive final. His fluid and powerful surfing was a perfect match for the testing conditions of the final day. The win, was Hank’s first professional victory, and serves as an exclamation point to his impressive performance on the North Shore the last few seasons. Hank’s victory comes as no surprise. He had a stellar amateur career and has established himself as one of Hawaii’s top pros. What is surprising about the victory is that Hank achieved it without a major sponsor. In fact, he has been without sponsorship for the last year.
Why does this matter? It matters, because if Hank can’t get a sponsor nobody can. The dream is dead.
Hank has what every sponsor is looking for. He’s young, marketable, has a good work ethic, and his surfing speaks for itself. When he was with his last major sponsor (Hurley), and had the support to travel, he was killing it. Hank was steadily climbing the ranks of the QS, and with the changes the ASP are making next year to the one ranking system, he would have been in a perfect position to make his move up on to the World Tour. And, while most young pros fall off the face of the earth (in terms of media coverage) the second they get on the QS, Hank was all over the mags. In his last year with Hurley, he nailed a cover and numerous spreads in the major publications. Only 23 years old, Hank should be in the prime of his career. But, despite his success, he was dropped. While most companies were feeling the pinch from the economic crisis, Hurley was recording record profits (See TWBusinees Article). Hank has been unable to find a sponsor ever since.
For many aspiring pros, the loss of a major sponsor brings a career to a grinding halt. Yet, Hank’s persevered and shown his commitment to the sport. Just weeks after being dropped, Hank surfed in the Pipe Trials, thru injuries that would have sidelined the majority of the top 44, and qualified for the 2009 Pipeline Masters. Over the summer, he represented Hawaii in the ISA World Surfing Games held in Costa Rica. And this Monday, he took out some of the world’s best with his big win at Sunset. He’s done all of this on his own. Imagine what he could accomplish with a sponsor’s support.
So let’s be honest here. Why doesn’t Hank have a sponsor? It’s the simple and ugly fact that he’s from Hawaii. The argument against him is, you can’t market a Hawaiian outside of Hawaii. If Hank were from California or the East Coast and had the same accomplishments there would never be a lapse in his sponsorship. Industry insiders will most likely deflect this criticism and blame his lack of sponsorship on the economy. But, they would be hard pressed to name a mainland surfer of equal stature who is also without sponsorship. And, the sad thing is Hank isn’t the only well deserving young Hawaiian without a major sponsor. There’s Evan Valiere the 2006 Xcel Pro champ, and Kauai’s Gavin Gillete, and on and on.
So, is Hawaii not important to the industry? Well, Hawaii is, but maybe not Hawaii’s surfers. Every winter, all the major brands spend thousands of dollars renting the mansions that clutter the coast from Rockpiles to Rocky Point. And, every winter they fill them up with their riders from around the globe. And, every winter Hawaiian surfers have to fight harder and harder for the few spots that remain for them.
I think Hank has more than earned his spot. And, I hope I’m proven wrong about Hawaiians not being important to the industry. But, if one of the brands hasn’t stepped up and sponsored Hank by the end of the Triple Crown they should all drop their entire Hawaiian amateur teams. This means Rip Curl, Billabong, Quiksilver, Volcom, Oneill, Hurley, RVCA, Insight, Fox, Analog, etc should drop every grom they have in Hawaii. Because, why shouyld they feed these kids false hopes? Hank has done everything right and he can’t get a sponsor. So, what are these kids working towards?
Andrew Oliver
j/j
Helder Brás
Freddy P
Apod
andrew
Duke Would Tow
Hank
SO TEX SURFER
stephen koehne
Hawk
Im Sorry
brian schwien
Im Sorry
Ivana Corportelli
