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Lauded as the world's premiere big-wave surf event, The 2007 Mavericks Surf ContestŪ presented by Ask.comŪ is earmarked as the season's most anticipated big-wave surf occurrence. On just 24 hours notice between January 1 and March 31, 2007, 24 legendary big-wave surfers will make the pilgrimage to the treacherous Mavericks surf break to compete for the famed title.
This year, the invitees will compete for an impressive $75,000 prize purse. The purse breakdown awards $30,000 for first place, $12,000 for second place, $7,500 for third place, $3,500 for fourth, $2,500 for fifth and $1,500 for sixth place.
"Ask.comŪ is excited to be an integral part of the preeminent big-wave surfing event, and, as a leading search engine, to be the official go-to source for information for all things Mavericks," said Greg Ott, vice president of marketing. A quick search for Mavericks Surf Contest on Ask.comŪ will give fans quick access to webcasts and viewing locations, videos, bios on the surfers and the history of the event.
In addition, with Ask.comŪ and Ask.com Mobile(tm), fans can find Mavericks images, news, maps, walking and driving directions, blogs and other information across the Web for fans everywhere. "We're excited to support this great surfing event, as well as to be a resource for all the Mavericks fans," remarked Ott.
When the ideal confluence of swell and storms hit Half Moon Bay last year generating 50 foot waves and ideal weather, a keyed up crowd of 50,000 spectators experienced the surprise win from South Africa's Grant "Twiggy" Baker. This year these extraordinary watermen will again risk their lives in the hollow, shark-infested waters for the pride of conquering this storied wave.
"We are thrilled to partner with Ask.comŪ this year to continue to build the backdrop for the world's most respected big-wave athletes to challenge this monster wave. Last year we were honored with near perfect wave conditions lasting all day long. With any luck, Mother Nature will again provide an opportunity to witness the surfers' remarkable displays of courage and athleticism," said Mavericks Surf Ventures Managing Partner Keir Beadling.
When a contest-worthy swell, born from the storms off the coast of Japan approaches the Mavericks break, the 24 invited surfers get the contest greenlight and have a mere 24 hours to be onsite and ready to go. This year's contest aims to accommodate the tremendous audience interest while respecting the fragile surroundings of this natural wonder by implementing a number of soon-to-be- announced initiatives.
These include a groundbreaking live webcast on CBS SportsLine.com, a unique webcast viewing event at "baseball's perfect address" and the home of the San Francisco Giants-AT&T Park and a "greenlight alert" SMS campaign for Mavericks fans. Surfers and fans alike can track the waves and stay informed on contest announcements at the official website
After lengthy discussions, surfing legend and Contest Director Jeff Clark announced this years' invitee list, which includes some of the most prestigious big wave warriors on the planet. This year the list of exemplary invitees include in alphabetical order: Matt Ambrose, Grant "Twiggy" Baker, Ion Banner, Ross Clarke-Jones, Kenny "Skindog" Collins, Randy Cone, Danilo Couto, Shane Desmond, Brock Little, Greg Long, Josh Loya, Garrett McNamara, Peter Mel, Shawn Rhodes, Ryan Seelbach, Evan Slater, Tyler Smith, Russell Smith, Jamie Sterling, Anthony Tashnick, Darryl "Flea" Virostko, Grant Washburn, John Whittle and Zach Wormhoudt.
Also named were the 15 alternates, which include: Ryan Augustine, Eraldo Gueiros, Carlos Burle, Mike Gerhardt, Dan Malloy, Chris Bertish, Mike Brummett, Lawton Smith, Alex Martens, Noah Johnson, Jake Wormhoudt, Tim West, Doug Young, Yann Kazabjian and Rusty Long.
