Aloha Classic returns to Hookipa Oct. 19-30
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Where the trade winds combine with north-facing swells to create fast, powerful waves, Hookipa Beach Park is set to host the 43rd annual Aloha Classic from Oct. 19-30.
"If you can ride well here, you can ride anywhere," said Francisco Goya, a former Aloha Classic champion and sponsor who is now a volunteer organizer.
Goya said the special combination of conditions at Hookipa does not exist anywhere else on the planet, and the Aloha Classic creates some of the best opportunities for windsurfers from Hawaii and around the world.
"For the riders, there is no bigger win," Goya said. "A win here is forever -- against the best in the world."
Shining a light on windsurfing at its birthplace, this year's event will expand to five youth divisions and maintain a stronger link between the pros, masters and local riders.
"The hope is simple: open the door for the next generation to grow connection to the ocean, wind, environment, and themselves," Goya said. "That is what drives the windsurfing community, along with its huge diversity."
This will be the sixth event the Aloha Classic team has organized and co-sponsored in partnership with Simeon Glasson and Russ Faurot of the World Windsurf Tour, with help from the Maui County Department of Parks and Recreation, local businesses, the Professional Windsurfers Association and World Sailing.
Maui is widely considered the windsurfing capital of the world and home to more windsurfing champions and legends than almost anywhere else, and local connections have helped drive the development of the sport.
"No two days are the same on the North Shore, and the sport's heritage only runs deeper every year," Goya said. "Riders who spend decades here see every rock and current, how the reef changes with tide, swell and season, and how the wind shifts through the day -- along with the subculture they grew up in."
He said it's not uncommon for world champions to struggle to make it through their first heat at the Aloha Classic.
"After almost half a century of events at Hookipa, most of the winners have been Maui North Shore and Upcountry residents. That is not a coincidence," he said.
The Aloha Classic tries to give back by supporting the local community, too.
With more than 40 North Shore community members working the event -- including the media crew, water and land safety, trophy and jersey making, and judging -- the staff and riders organize a beach cleanup after every contest in collaboration with Duke's, Surfrider, the Maui Sports Foundation and other nonprofits.
"Local businesses do well in the weeks around the event," Goya said. "The aim is to keep giving our best and keep Hookipa Beach Park as the place where youth can safely challenge themselves while staying connected to the ocean and the environment."
Today's Aloha Classic includes more than 120 entries from more than 30 countries, including five youth divisions, and about 40 staff members, most from the North Shore community.
For Goya, it's amazing to see how much the sport has evolved.
"If you played today's footage for someone in the '80s, they would think it was another sport," Goya said. "Back then, riding got tighter into the wave's powerful section, with single rotations on and off the lip. A decade later came doubles, along riding Peʻahi.
"Now their equipment not only weighs a fraction of what it weighed back then, but it can also take you up to speeds over 50 mph over the water. We are now seeing combination jumps -- a back loop into a forward loop, or the other way around, with twists built in -- and even triple attempts, with some of the local riders hitting the lip at Jaws."
Sarah Hauser, a three-time Aloha Classic champion, is familiar with the competition and described the high of competing at Hookipa as fleeting and delicate.
"While there is true joy that comes in accomplishing the almost impossible of having everything lined up to come on top, my top achievement has been the feeling of finally feeling 'in tune' with this Hookipa’s tricky and ever-changing waves," Hauser said. "That fleeting sensation is better than any podium, but I believe I could only get there through competition because of the talent of the other riders I try to emulate. One moment Hookipa builds your confidence; the next it teaches humility."
Five-time world champion and Aloha Classic winner Marcilio De Oliveira of Brazil has a unique perspective on Hookipa.
"I have won world titles there with all my friends and family at the beach and also had some really devastating losses that still wake me up at night," De Oliveira said. "Hookipa is my favorite place in the world, so that’s the favorite part, aside from that I love watching the level get higher each year and seeing that’s possible on down the line wave sailing. I would recommend this competition because it’s an experience of a lifetime, meeting really nice people from many countries."
The Aloha Classic also gives more experienced riders a chance to help educate youth on and off the water, teaching ocean safety, the importance and history of the competition and skills related to the sport.
"Aunty Mopsy, a kūpuna from Paia, has been opening the event for years with her blessing," Goya said. "Her family lineage goes back to the first voyagers of these islands and this ocean. Her opening is emotional and means a great deal to the community."
Those interested in volunteering can email info@alohaclassic.com. Riders interested in competing may enter through the World Windsurf Tour website at worldwindsurftour.com.