The Green Room

The big swell forecast to hit Northern California this weekend was just too promising for Mavericks Surf Contest director Jeff Clark to resist. Less than 24 hours after Clark allegedly told Peter Mel and other Mav’s invitees that the contest would not be held on either of the back to back WNW swells scheduled to hit the West Coast Friday through Sunday, Clark and fellow contest organizers decided they couldn’t pass up a potentially golden opportunity and have decided to run the prestigious big wave event after all.

While the official announcement has yet to be made and the status bar on the contest’s website has yet to be switched from yellow to green (as of Thursday evening), an unidentified source at Mavericks Surf Ventures has verified the rumors that have been swirling around the entire surfing world for the last 48 hours that, indeed, the 2007/08 Mavericks Surf Contest will be held this weekend. According to the inside source, the contest is slated to run this Saturday, January 12th.

An official press release is expected some time early Friday morning, allowing for the minimum 24 hours notice.

The last minute change of plans threatens to throw a wrench into the contest campaigns of a number of Mav’s invitees who had already begun making the long drive/flight to Oregon with gear in tow to take part in the Nelscott Reef Tow In Classic. In fact, 11 of the 24 invitees to this year’s Maverick’s contest are also scheduled to compete in the Nelscott contest, which it was announced Wednesday would be held on the very same swell Clark had his eye on for Maverick’s.

Essentially, both contests have now been called for the same swell. Nelscott is scheduled to run Friday when the swell peaks in Oregon, and Maverick’s is planned for Saturday when the brunt of the swell should max out in Northern California. Meanwhile, a number of big wave surfers slated to compete in both contests–and are scattered around, with some in Oregon, some still hanging around Northern California, and some waiting at airports deciding where to fly to–are now stuck scrambling to decide which event to surf in. Some are reportedly even trying to work out the logistics in an attempt to pull off the unthinkable–compete in Nelscott on Friday, then catch a red eye flight to SFO and make it to Maverick’s by early Saturday morning in time for their opening heat.

Stay tuned to the Sentinel and continue checking The Green Room for up-to-the-minute updates on everything you need to know for the Mavericks Surf Contest.