Women’s Pipeline Pro is a go, but with one-third the time to surf

NORTH SHORE—The Pipeline Women’s Pro contest is set to go in April, but with only one-third of the usual time permitted. The City and County of Honolulu awarded Banzai Productions, who is organizing the event, a one day permit, something that has left surfers and community members feeling unsatisfied.

“I am not too happy about the amount of days we were given,” said Banzai Productions owner and contest director Betty Depolito in a statement. “We normally have three days of competition. We will work with what we have and have a great event. I am hoping to utilize two days per the allotted hours and have perfect surf.”

In the past, like most other contests, the women’s contest has been given a three-day permit to hold enough heats to accommodate the near 200 female surfers who fly in from all over the world. Due to the lack of time awarded for the contest, contest officials are considering running heats simultaneously at either two breaks at Ehukai Beach Park or at both directions of the break—the left at Pipeline and the right at Backdoor, to accommodate all surfers. “I just don’t want to see any one girl not able to compete,” said Depolito.

At the January North Shore Neighborhood Board meeting, Carol Philips, board member and chair of the State Commission on the Status of Women, expressed dissatisfaction with the permit and date choice saying: “We need to take a small step towards gender equality.”

Kalindi Jacoby, who entered the Women’s Pipeline Pro in 2009 said, “This is ridiculous. I don’t see how they expect this many surfers to complete the contest in one day. We have four disciplines and close to 200 surfers. This would never be done to a male surf contest.”

Women travel to the North Shore for the Pipeline contest from all over the world to participate in the event that offers one of the largest prize purses in women’s surfing. The contest, which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010 will feature shortboarding, longboarding, stand-up surfing, and bodyboarding. The event has a holding period lasting from April 5 to April 19 and started in 1990 with women’s bodyboarding, adding shortboarding and longboarding just four years ago. The contest at the infamous surf break will be covered on a live webcast and is an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) and International Bodyboarding Association (IBA) sanctioned event.

In recent years, women’s surfing has become widely popular, with women’s contests becoming more frequent and offering larger prize purses than in the past. Women are gaining notoriety for surfing waves that used to be reserved to mostly male surfers. This year’s event has a theme of promoting organic products, open spaces, and a healthy North Shore environment.

Contest organizers are planning a day of hopefully perfect waves and sufficient conditions for top level women’s professional surfing, but entrants are concerned.

“I’m still wondering if there is any way around this,” said Anna Miller, a North Shore surfer, adding, “This is a big event at a serious spot. We should be shown the same respect as the men and given enough time to hold a decent contest.”