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| Mavericks pioneer says he was removed from contest By Greg Thomas [ greg@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Friday, June 26, 2009 5:04 PM PDT Mavericks Surf Ventures announced last week that the pioneer of Mavericks, El Granada surfer Jeff Clark, would be stepping down from his position as director of the Mavericks Surf Contest. Friday morning, Clark responded, claiming he was removed against his will. “I didn’t agree (to stepping down) – not at all … It wasn’t amicable,” Clark said. Mavericks Surf Ventures CEO Keir Beadling declined to elaborate on Clark’s separation from the position last week, saying it’s important for contest organizers “to be democratizing the contest process.” In light of Clark’s claims, Beadling sent an e-mail to the Review Friday, stating “the fact is, Mavericks has been around for tens of thousands of years, and will be around for tens of thousands more. Jeff’s accomplishments are written in the history books, as are the accomplishments of all the other brave riders who have surfed the treacherous waters of Mavericks.” “(The) organizers of the contest and I, as the CEO, remain steadfastly committed to our core values of authenticity, courage, respect and integrity,” he added. In a cryptically worded response, Clark said he has felt pressure to call the contest against his better judgment. “I’d just like to get it out there and let people know the real truth behind what happened last week,” Clark said. “Their vision and my vision are very different,” he added. “I hold true to the surfers and the spot … I don’t want to compromise the contest for money, that’s all.” (Due to a reporting error, a point in an earlier version of this story was incorrectly stated. Clark did not feel pressure from the Mavericks Surf Ventures board of directors to call the contest, specifically, but general pressure to call the contest.) |