makin’ waves
Return of the Wahine
In 1997, Tammy Kennedy
and Jo Pickett started a
tradition in Wrightsville
Beach: an all-girls surfing
competition. Kennedy and
Pickett, both experienced surfers,
created the East Coast Wahine
Championships after one of
their friends passed away.
“It was a way to indirectly
celebrate her life,” Pickett says.
“Wahine” means “female
surfer” in Hawaiian — Kennedy
and Pickett created the contest
to remember their friend and
support other female surfers.
In 1998, Kennedy moved to
California, and Anne Weber
took her place in organizing the
East Coast Wahine. The annual
competition thrived until 2012,
when Weber moved to Seattle,
Washington. The contest was
canceled that year.
Pickett, co-owner of Crystal
South Surf Camp, says the cancellation of the East Coast
Wahine was devastating, for her and her female students.
“Many of these girls look forward to it because it’s their
competition,” Pickett says. “They were ultra-bummed.”
In 2013, Pickett set out to bring the Wahine back to
Wrightsville Beach. Pickett and Jack Viorel, owner of Indo
Jax Surf School, have organized the 2013 competition and
gave it a new name — Wrightsville Beach Wahine Classic.
Pickett, a competitive surfer, scheduled the event for
August 17-18, so it doesn’t coincide with any other big surfing
competitions, which will allow professional surfers to enter.
The pro divisions, which include pro shortboard and pro
longboard, are new to
this year’s competition.
Pickett believes it’s
important for novice
surfers to watch pros.
“If you don’t have
something to shoot for
32
WBM august 2013
visually, how do you know
what you can do?” Pickett says.
Viorel shares his philosophy:
“What we’re trying to do is take
the great, positive vibe it always
had and bring in the competitive
level too, to show off the area’s
best female talent,” he says.
In addition to the guppy
division for children 12 and
under, other amateur age
divisions include 13-15, 16-18,
19-29 and 30 and up. There’s
also a novice division, which
welcomes surfers of all ages
who are competing in their
first contest.
“It’s kind of a ‘come as you
are and enjoy yourself’ event,”
Viorel says. “There is a com-petitive
side, but there’s also a
community. There’s camarade-rie
between the experienced
surfers and the young girls.”
According to Viorel, the
Wrightsville Beach Wahine is different from most competitions
on the Pacific Coast.
“Here, the water’s warm, the waves are gentler,” he says.
“The contest has this ‘come on out and enjoy the ocean’ feel.”
The exclusively female competition encourages women to
get involved in competitive surfing.
“Traditionally, there have been more opportunities for men.
It just started out that way,” Viorel says. However, Viorel and
Pickett have seen an increase in female surfers.
“It’s a cultural thing,” Pickett says. “I’ve seen a slow growth.”
The laid-back atmosphere and the females-only aspect
of the competition aren’t the only reasons the Wrightsville
Beach Wahine is unique.
This year’s contest will
include a standup paddle
boarding race.
All participants will
compete on the first day,
and the finalists will
By Pam Creech • WBM File Photos
Madison Ashcroft, winner of the girls longboard division, competes
in the East Coast Wahine Championships, August 2010.
For more information on the Wrightsville Beach Wahine Classic,
visit www.wrightsvillebeachwahineclassic.com.
Registration will be open until August 16.