Style and noserides was the call for the 38th Annual Kimo’s Longboard Contest held at Mala-Bu-Maui, properly known as Mala Wharf. Apart from the conventional longboarding contest, the Kimo’s Longboard Contest has rules that showcase “old school” style single-fin longboarding. These rules consist of a minimum board length of nine foot or more, a single-fin must be used, and no leashes are allowed. The contestant field consisted of 40 surfers battling it out in friendly toe to toe duel and bragging rights for the year.
“These guys and gals ages ten to 67 showed that they care enough about the legacy of traditional, classic longboard surfing of the 1950s and ’60s to pay forward the spirit of that era. Young and old alike, they all did justice to the legacy of surfing and help perpetuate and keep alive the art of longboarding,” said Starr, who competed in past contests and is the event commentator.
Beautiful lines graced the point at Mala Wharf with sets reaching overhead in size, but the winds proved to be the most challenging factor for surfers. The normal trades winds blow side offshore which makes this spot a nose riding runway. But with a phantom Northerly flow, it chopped the waves into sections making the dominant maneuver, nose riding, a difficult task in itself.
In the Final, Mala’s own Eric Casco took down the field of talented maestro’s crowning him his third Kimo’s Longboard Contest title, a brand new sled provided by Kimo’s Restaurant, and bragging rights as Mala-Bu’s top tip rider.