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Just when you thought the various amateur surfing organizations
in the United States had come together under a National Governing Body
umbrella, the Eastern Surfing Association dropped a bomb yesterday when they
announced their Board of Directors had voted to immediately withdraw from Surfing
America. Much of the dissension stems from Surfing America’s recent
implementation of its Prime Series, which began its East Coast run two weeks
ago with the first event in Montauk, NY. ESA Executive Director Debbie Hodges
said ESA had no input in the conception, creation, and execution of the Surfing
America Prime events.
“It’s gone back probably a whole year,” Hodges says. “There’s
been a lack of communication between Surfing America and the member
organizations in regards to the Prime Series, not letting the member
organizations control the series. And what National Governing Body of any sport
competes against its own members?”
Mike Gerard, Executive Director of Surfing America,
was on-site for the Prime East’s first event
October 24th-25th and refutes that statement. “We were very surprised,” Gerard
says. “There was a lot of dissent over the Prime Series, but prior to making
the move, Prime’s been a topic of discussion at board meetings. And since
Debbie sits on our Board of Directors, ESA has had plenty of opportunity to
provide input and comment. They were a party to all of the details unfolding on
Prime.”
But Hodges feels differently, asserting that Surfing
America, the International Olympic Committee-recognized National Governing Body
for surfing in the United States, essentially went “behind our backs” with the
Prime Series. “The Executive Director of our National Governing Body came to
the East Coast and picked spots without even conferring with myself or the ESA
competition director,” Hodges says. “It’s not a bruised ego, it’s just that I
think it was very disrespectful for an NGB. It looked like they were
going behind all of our backs — and not just the ESA, but the other two
organizations [National Scholastic Surfing Association and Texas Gulf Surfing
Association], as well.”
Hodges stressed that the ESA is open to members
surfing in every venue available to them, and hopes ESA surfers will still be
able to compete in Prime Series events, which provide the only path to the SIMA
Surfing America U.S.A. Championships and the PacSun U.S.A. Surf Team. “We
encourage our surfers at all levels,” Hodges says. “If they want to go into
Junior Pros, go out and surf ‘em. Surf the NSSA, or the TGSA, or the HSA
[Hawaiian Surfing Association]. A lot of our members surf more than one
organization. And when NSSA left Surfing America [in 2008], their members were
still allowed to compete, so I’m sure we will be given the same courtesy.”
But Gerard isn’t as adamant about that prospect. “I’m
not sure,” Gerard says. “When NSSA pulled out, at the time they lost their
rights to have slots in the U.S.A. Championships. I don’t make policy for
Surfing America — I just serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors,
and the board voted 10-1 for Prime going to the East Coast. Everybody,
including ESA, is collectively working to do the right thing, and the Prime
Series is all about outreach and providing more quality opportunities for more
kids.”
When asked whether she expects the ESA/ Surfing
America rift to be patched up in the future, Hodges expressed unease. “That’s a
good question — under the current leadership, I don’t feel that would be
attainable, because the leadership has not proven to be in the best interest of
the member organizations, but more in the best interest of Surfing America
itself.”
Gerard finished, “We’re a National Governing Body,
but we’re not so much governing or dictating — we just want to create
systems that make things more organized, so that everybody can benefit.”
Stay tuned to www.EasternSurf.com and the pages of Eastern
Surf Magazine for more on this breaking story.
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