The Eddie will not go in 2017 due to lack of time and resources. Photo: WSL/Freesurf/Keoki
If you feel like you’ve seen this headline before, you’re not wrong. The controversy surrounding the Eddie (née the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau) has been back and forth for months. And as fans of the event we’ve followed along on a hamster wheel of highs and lows.
To catch you up, the Aikau family and Quiksilver had a falling out after a series of negotiation attempts to keep the contest alive. Ultimately, Quik withdrew. Despite legal hurdles, the Aikaus managed to secure this year’s permit from Quiksilver, and earlier this month Clyde Aikau went on record saying, “Even if we have to have coconuts for trophies and you come down with a can of sardines, Uncle Clyde will feed you rice and we’ll have the event.”
According to the Associated Press, though, the family has officially put the kibosh on the event for the year citing a lack of time and resources.
“It really is the most prestigious surf contest in the world. And we did not want to compromise that because it ultimately would be compromising Eddie’s integrity to not do something proper,” said Cynthia Scrima, a spokeswoman for the family.
The family has the permit for 2018-19, and is searching for a new title sponsor, Scrima said.
While the news is certainly a bummer, with all the controversy surrounding sponsorship and permitting it isn’t entirely unexpected. This may be the first time in the history of the event that surf fans from Haleiwa to Montauk are wishing an Eddie-size swell doesn’t barrel toward the North Shore this winter, wondering what could have been.
