Mavericks Spectators Files Suit

[hellwoman]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_4852029


Mavericks spectators file suit
Mother, son injured while watching surf contest
By Kelly Pakula, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated:12/16/2006 07:13:18 AM PST


REDWOOD CITY — A mother and son injured by falling rocks at the Mavericks surf contest near Pillar Point in February have filed a civil lawsuit against the contest promoters.
The victims were watching the contest the afternoon of Feb. 7 when some rocks dislodged from a cliff and struck them.

The suit, filed Wednesday against Mavericks Surf Ventures, LLC, Evolve Sport Management, LLC and Jeff Clark, states that Diana Rivers and her 10-year-old son suffered severe physical and emotional pain when they were pummeled by the falling rocks.

Rivers was airlifted to Stanford Hospital with serious injuries. Her son was taken to the same hospital by ground ambulance. According to the lawsuit, there were no barricades, signs or caution tape to keep more than 30,000 spectators off the cliffs, which "were unstable and subject to rock and earth falls."

Keir Beadling, the managing partner of Mavericks Surf Ventures, LLC, said Friday that the company was not aware of the lawsuit.

"Obviously, our heart goes out to the Rivers family. We take safety issues very seriously," Beadling said. "Given that it's a natural environment, we can't control everything. Every year, we look at how we can improve the contest from every aspect."

Half Moon Bay Fire Division Chief Clayton Jolley said as the competition becomes increasingly popular, the dangers associated with handling such a large crowd grow.

"I think the crowds cannot be safely supported on those cliffs. It's a very unstable area," Jolley said.

"Whether the competition causes that or some other event causes that, there are areas where crowds are not meant to be."

"On the north coast you have to be aware of your surroundings. It's not a parking lot," Jolley added.

According to San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon's legislative aide, Matt Jacobs, the county is taking progressive steps to secure the beach where the competition takes place.

"We've put together a task force to look at the public safety, dealing with everything from traffic to crowd control." Jacobs said. "This year, we've come up with some plans to try and keep people off those bluffs."

According to San Mateo County Sheriff's Lt. Steve Shively, roads leading into the Pillar Point Harbor will be closed the day of the event in order to cut back on traffic. He said certain areas of the beach will be marked out-of-bounds, and volunteers will be on hand to assist spectators.

"I think we're going to be putting up barricades and survey stakes and things with tape on them for out-of-bounds areas," Shively said.

He said in addition to the Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Transportation, Half Moon Bay Police Department and other agencies will be assisting with the event. Shively said residents who cannot watch the event in person can watch it live via webcast or on large screens at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

The attorney for Diana Rivers did not return a call for comment.


Staff writer Kelly Pakula can be reached at (650) 348-4339 or by e-mail at kpakula@sanmateocountytimes.com

[hellwoman]

Lawsuit makes for choppy waters for Mavericks organizers
By Nick Casey [ nick@hmbreview.com ]


Organizers of the annual Mavericks Surf Contest have been slapped with a civil lawsuit by a spectator injured during the 2006 competition.

On Dec. 13, Diana Rivers and her 10-year-old son, both of Redwood City, filed suit against Mavericks Surf Ventures, LLC, Evolve Sport Management, LLC, and contest founder Jeff Clark. The two plaintiffs were struck by falling rocks on Feb. 7 as they stood watching the contest under cliffs near Pillar Point Air Force Station.

The mother and son allege that the contest organizers were negligent in managing a safe environment for spectators to view the Princeton spectacle.

"The defendants ... knew or should have known that the cliffs were prone to slough rock and dirt, which would fall from the cliffs onto the beach adjacent hitherto," according to the complaint, filed with the San Mateo County Superior Court.

The suit alleges that the organizers "carelessly conducted the said surfing competition so as to allow thousands of spectators" while failing to warn visitors of the hazards.

The complaint requests compensation for both Rivers' and her son's medical bills, Rivers' loss of earnings during her recovery, her son's emotional distress and the costs of the lawsuit itself. The damages, though undisclosed, are more than $25,000, according to the complaint.

The plantiffs' attorney, Charles Hawkins of San Jose, did not return the Review's phone calls.

The February contest drew a record number of visitors, sometimes estimated at 50,000 coming to the town of 500, putting significant stress on the surrounding cliffs.

After the rockslide, Rivers, who was 39 at the time, was airlifted to Stanford Hospital where she was treated for serious head injuries. Her son was also treated there for back pain. Additionally, an unidentified 56-year-old man received lacerations to the forehead from falling rocks. He refused treatment.

Keir Beadling, speaking for Mavericks Surf Ventures, said he had not yet seen the complaint.

"We feel for the Rivers family and it was a terrible accident," he said. "But we've always regarded safety issues with the utmost importance. All managers have taken and will be taking all measures necessary to provide a safe contest for surfers and visitors."

Jeff Clark told the Review that he did not witness the incident. He said he was out surfing at the time that it happened.

Regardless of who may have been at fault, officials seem to agree that further safety precautions should be taken for next year's competition.

This year, public agencies are considering closing Princeton streets to all but local traffic along with limiting access to the cliffs.

Mavericks' organizers will also be encouraging surf fans to steer clear of the coast and watch the event from AT&T Park in San Francisco, where it will be broadcast live.

[hellwoman]

Kinks in the Mavericks plan remain a year later
HMB Review 01/07


It's been 11 months since the Mavericks Surf Contest of 2006 washed ashore under as perfect a February sky as any mortal is due. You could call it a Chamber of Commerce day, except that one of the most endearing qualities of the regular event is that it evades corporate meddling of the sort that generally ruins any good thing.

So perhaps it isn't quite fair to complain about that very lack of professionalism in regard to ancillary aspects of the contest. But there is little reason to believe that traffic, parking, crowds, bluff-top erosion, and health and safety concerns will improve with this year's contest - despite repeated assurances to the contrary.

Organizers hadn't firmed up parking plans until after the window for holding the contest opened. Now we learn that surfing fans better come with cash; the plan is to charge them $15 to park in lots at the Half Moon Bay Airport or Pillar Point Harbor. That's a little steep.

Instead of viewing parking as a revenue stream, organizers should have merely recouped costs. Because they chose otherwise, more people will park farther into El Granada and march across Highway 1, which is likely to upset some in the community.

Speaking of parking, last year Dream Machines, which typically uses the airport to park thousands of cars, was called off in part because winter rains rendered the airport a marsh. And Dream Machines is a well-run machine itself, with 20 volunteers and years of practice. Surf contest organizers say they have retained pros to run the parking. Time will tell how well that works out.

More troubling than parking hassles is the continued lack of emphasis on spectator safety. Here again, criticism is difficult; we certainly don't have a workable plan to offer. But when tens of thousands of people - many of them new to the area - begin tromping on unsettled earth, often far above the beach below, the potential for harm is evident. Last year one woman was very seriously injured by falling rocks. Organizers must do more to mitigate that risk.

Mavericks remains one of the events - like Dream Machines and the annual Pumpkin Festival - that gives the Coastside a unique identity. The surf spot, the contest, the amazing athletes who tangle with those waves are all wonders to behold. Whatever aggravation occurs is, for the most part, over in a day.

We hope for big waves, manageable crowds and a little more experience that might help work out some of the kinks going forward.

- Clay Lambert

[hellwoman]

Big waves wash up big mess
Workshop addresses traffic, safety and environmental concerns at Mavericks event
By Julia Scott, STAFF WRITER
Article Last Updated:12/05/2006 07:00:58 AM PST


SPECTATORS line the beach and cliffs at Mavericks for the annual Big Wave Surfing contest earlier this year. (JOHN GREEN - Staff)PRINCETON-BY-THE-SEA — Planning for the Mavericks Surf Contest, known the world over as one of the gnarliest big-wave annual surfing events, officially kicked into high gear Monday night with a community meeting to hear what public safety and event officials had in store.
The focus was on how to conduct the event with consideration for traffic, safety and environmental awareness, in light of the overwhelming crowds it draws to this little harbor village.

An unexpected confluence of factors last February, including perfect weather, perfect waves and several days' lead time, meant the surf contest drew record crowds of 50,000 spectators, double that of 2005.

It also meant traffic bedlam, with parked cars stretched along both sides of Highway 1 and local smallbusinesses prevented from functioning normally. Crowds angling for a better look at the surfing stars hiked up the sandy, erodable cliffs around Mavericks Point, resulting in an incident where a spectator and her son were hurt by falling rocks and had to be airlifted out for medical care.

At the community meeting, sponsored by San Mateo County Supervisor Rich Gordon's office and attended by a few Princeton residents, Mavericks organizers and local officials from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and other agencies shared their plans for what they hoped would result in a better-organized, calmer event in 2007.

"It's an event that does put us on the map, and we want to make sure that (it)

works well for its participants and the community," said Gordon.
The surf contest is launched on at least 48 hours' notice by legendary local surfer Jeff Clark when wave and weather conditions are ideal. It can be called anytime between Jan. 1 and March 31.

Doug Epstein of Mavericks Surf Ventures, the event producer, described several new initiatives to cut back on the number of people who might come to the event this year, and to better handle the people who will.

Epstein is hoping hundreds of spectators will take advantage of a live camera feed of the event at the Field Club Lounge of AT&T Park this year, which will allow them to watch the action as it unfolds on 15 37-inch plasma TV screens. Tickets will cost $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Epstein also plans to market a live webcast of the event for viewers who can't leave their homes or offices.

"It's a remarkable challenge to put on such a large event," said Epstein. "The coast can only handle so many people. We want everyone to enjoy it, and we don't think everyone needs to be there to do that."

Sheriff's Lt. Steve Shively described a plan to park cars along the tarmac at the nearby Half Moon Bay Airport and shuttle passengers to the event through Princeton's crowded streets. Officials have also been working with the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on a plan to bar all cars belonging to anyone other than event personnel, businesses and residents.

Shively said his agency would beef up its on-the-ground security and traffic staff next year and set up the first integrated command post for local police and sheriff's officers, Caltrans, County Parks, and California Highway Patrol officials.

In addressing personal safety concerns, Shively said dozens of officials from a variety of agencies would be employed to educate the crowd about the dangers of climbing the cliffs, and put security signs near the most dangerous areas.

San Mateo County Harbor District commissioner Sally Campbell said she was satisfied that contest organizers had addressed traffic concerns, but said she was still worried about safety.

"I don't think they're doing as much as I'd like to see them do at the end of the cliffs there," Campbell said before Monday's meeting. "I would like to have seen some bleachers out there, some areas roped off and some signs about hazards and safety issues."

The Harbor District Commission will vote on whether to award the Mavericks Surf Contest an event permit later this month.

Epstein said the last-minute nature of the event made putting bleachers up on the bluffs a difficult proposition. He said officials were counting on an "aggressive education campaign" to get the word out on safety, since there was no legal way officials could prevent people from climbing up on the cliffs.

Many of those who attended the meeting said they hoped the environment would also be treated with care. Last year's event saw dozens of spectators walking into the water as the tide went out, trampling sensitive marine life underfoot.

"I know that we had concerns about the sheer mass of humanity that show up for these events, and reducing the impact that we had observed to the area," said Rachel Saunders, spokeswoman for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, in a telephone interview. The beach lies within the sanctuary.

This year, the sanctuary plans to make Mavericks an educational experience, taking small groups out for docent-led tours of the area and preventing people from wandering out over the exposed reefs.

Most of the questions from local residents focused on logistics like parking and traffic.

Bob Resch, owner of Princeton Welding, said he didn't have anything against the event, in spite of the fact that it "gridlocked" his business last year. He just wanted to make sure he and his customers would be allowed to come and go.

"It's only once a year," he said. "I enjoy seeing people come into the county."


Staff writer Julia Scott can be reached at (650) 348-4340 or jscott@angnewspapers.com.

[hellwoman]

http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/11/29/n/HeadlineNews/MAVERICKS-MEETING/resources_bcn_html


OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS SAFETY FOR MAVERICKS SURF CONTEST CROWDS
11/29/06 4:30 PST
PRINCETON-BY-THE-SEA (BCN)

A draft plan by San Mateo County officials to manage the increasingly large numbers of surfing fans that turn out for the Mavericks Surf Contest will be discussed Monday night, according to the office of Supervisor Rich Gordon.

Officials estimated that 40,000 people congregated in a small area of coastline north of Half Moon Bay last year to try to catch a glimpse of the huge waves and some of the top surfers in the world.

According to Matt Jacobs, an aide to Supervisor Gordon, though the action takes place about a half-mile offshore and is not even easily visible from land, that doesn't stop huge numbers of people from showing up.

The event, which usually takes place between January and March, can have quite an impact on tiny Princeton-by-the-Sea, an unincorporated community of about 500 residents, causing traffic jams and rockslides that have resulted in injuries, Jacobs said.

In order to manage traffic and public safety, government and law enforcement officials plan to discuss new parking areas, environmental precautions and safety issues along the bluffs.

"The Mavericks Surf Contest is a very important event to the San Mateo County coastside and this collaborative public safety effort will help minimize the impact of 40,000 visitors on the local community,'' Supervisor Gordon said.

Fans will also be able to view this year's contest via a live Web cast at AT&T Park in San Francisco, according to Supervisor Gordon's office.

Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting with Supervisor Gordon and officials from the Sheriff's Office, Half Moon Bay Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Caltrans and others to hear about the plan and ask questions.

The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. Monday at the Harbor House Conference Center, 346 Princeton Ave., Princeton-by-the-Sea.