Surfing Hawaii. Leonard Lueras
the world of professional surfing. Pipeline and Sunset were already established competition venues, and Haleiwa joined them soon after to form the Triple Crown of surfing.
Former world surfing champion Fred Hemmings, the father of modern professional surfing, was the original founder of the Triple Crown. In 1971, Hemmings started the Pipeline Masters contest, the oldest professional surf meet in the world. In 1975, he founded the IPS to determine a world champion for surfing. Hemmings chose established Hawaiian surfer/promoter and pro veteran Randy Rarick to be his competition director. I was brought in as the technical director to put the pieces together and to keep things tight through the many weeks of competition.
As a loosely-knit collection of surfing tournaments—from California to Hawaii and South Africa and back—the IPS circuit was all that professional surfers had from the '70s into the early '80s. In those early days when competitive surfing first emerged from the surfing lifestyle, international contest placings were often tallied casually, then, at the end of the year, surfers and foreign competitors would venture to Hawaii to compete in the North Shore's three contests.
Then came 1982. That year, surfers got together to form the ASP as a union for professional competitors. In those days, it was obvious that Hawaii would have to lead the world in the direction and organisation of competitive surfing, not only because the IPS was based here, but also because the Islands have what are arguably the most spectacular competition conditions on the planet. The epitome of this was the Triple Crown, an event that offered all the challenges and excitement needed to help launch a modern and professional era of competition. The Crown would also provide worldwide viewers with the opportunity to watch the very best surfing action, no matter where they lived. Satellite television could guarantee a new audience for the sport by putting it on an equal visual level as other major sports.
In those early days, there were slight misgivings about joining a new governing body that would impose a new set of rules on the sport in Hawaii, which was after all the birthplace of surfing. This feeling remained for the first year of competition while Hawaii officials watched and wondered as to what extent the ASP would attempt to control the events. Ultimately, the ASP has come to be recognized as an asset for the global growth of the sport.
1982: The Year Before
The Birth of the Crown
1982 was exciting and historic for many reasons: first, it was the maiden year of the El Nino weather disturbance which by then had been identified and monitored by scientists. Hurricane Iwa swept over Hawaii, causing devastation for two months, but great surf remained for the rest of that winter season.
Days after the hurricane had shut down electrical power on Kauai and the North Shore of Oahu, Michael Ho beat out Hans Hedemann at the Pipeline Masters. Even with a broken hand in a full cast, local boy Ho used all of his big-wave surfing know-how to take control of the event.
This was also the debut Hawaii season for the 16-year-old Australian Martin Potter. For fellow Aussie Tom Carroll, it was a big win for him at Sunset Beach's World Cup, despite his backside disadvantage. 1982 was also historic for Mark Richards as he handily won his Fourth World Championship title.
1983: The Crown's Debut
In 1983, an organizational struggle broke out between the ASP and the emerging Triple Crown of Surfing. Not yet members of the ASP, the Triple Crown's best Hawaiian surfers elected to surf their home events and accept no rating points from the ASP.
Dane Kealoha and fellow islander Michael Ho won the opening events, and Kealoha also handily took the prestigious Duke Kahanamoku Classic. Michael Ho, however, emerged as the first official Triple Crown of Surfing Champion. The future of the sport was, for the moment, firmly placed in homegrown Hawaiian hands.
1984
There's no way to tell who will win what in sports, but this winter season started out strong for Californian Joey Buran. Surfing better than anyone in an 8- to 12-foot BIG Pipeline, Buran beat the likes of Tom Carroll and Derek Ho to win. But Ho did a turnaround on everyone by beating out the rest of the surfers for 1984's Triple Crown.
1985
Mark Occhilupo won the Pipe Masters in windblown, stormy Pipe while past World Champ Mark Richards won the Hawaiian Pro at Waimea in surf that had most of the pros wondering just what their limits really were. Michael Ho tested his and went on to win the Triple Crown in great surf.
1986
Pipeline was very consistent throughout the '80s, and for the Marui Pipeline Masters that year, Derek Ho showed that he was in effect the next-generation Gerry Lopez in both style and aggression. Mark Richards took the Hawaiian Pro one more time in giant Waimea, but for Derek it was his year to win his second Triple Crown title, tying him with his brother Michael at two Crowns each.
1987
Australian Gary Elkerton had just gotten married when he flew in for the Triple Crown. In honor of his new bride, Elkerton won the crown with first places at the Hard Rock World Cup and the Hawaiian Pro.
1988
Yes, it was bound to happen—a winter of up-and-down surf conditions. Still, the Pipeline Masters came through with some of the best surf ever seen, and Tom Carroll was there to steal the show. Barton Lynch won the ASP World Title but Derek Ho fired back with his third win of the Triple Crown.
1989
This was the year the senior surfers came back to beat the young guys. At the age of 29, Cheyne Horan won big at the Hawaiian Pro, taking US$50,000 at perfect Sunset Beach. But the big winner was Gary Elkerton, taking the year's Triple Crown title.
1990
Hawaiian pro and Pipeline specialist Ronnie Burns (RIP) had passed away only months earlier, and as the winter contest season began, surfers were dedicating their victories to his memory The early surf itself was something we could all forget about, but it finally cleaned up and came back around for the Pipeline Masters. Tom Curren won the ASP World Title, but it was a fighting Derek Ho who proved stronger than all others when he convincingly reclaimed the Triple Crown (his fourth) for Hawaiians.
1991
Probably the most exciting finals ever to be held at Haleiwa during the Hawaiian Pro, Tom Carroll, Tom Curren, Martin Potter and Johnny Gomes battled it out in a perfect exhibition of competitive surfing. This time, it would be Curren who prevailed, finally winning an event in Hawaii. However, it was the other Tom (Carroll) who won the Pipe Masters from Derek Ho, going on to take the Triple Crown in fabulous surf on the North Shore.
1992
This would become the first of a 3-year winning run for Hawaii's favorite son. Sunny Garcia, in his domination of the Triple Crown. In his quest for the year's first crown. Sunny took the Hawaiian Pro while Martin Potter stole away the World Cup. Kelly Slater snared his first big Pipe Masters win, the first of many for the impressive young surfer from Florida.
1993
Sunny Garda's name popped up again and again in 1993, first for his win at the Hawaiian Pro. While Johnny Gomes captured the World Cup and Derek Ho returned to win at Pipe, based on total points across the board, it was Sunny's world as he took his second Triple Crown.
1994
A new name won big in Hawaii as California's Chris Brown surfed beyond his stature to win at the Hawaiian Pro. Kelly Slater walked away with the Pipe Masters again, but Sunny Garcia's win at the World Cup racked up the points total for his third big Triple Crown award.
1995