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| Big Fun, Big Boards and Dead Cockroaches |
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Big Fun, Big Boards and Dead Cockroaches Where families, competition and fun collide on the west side EVENT: 32nd Annual Buffalo Big Board Classic DATE: Feb. 16-18, 23 & 24 LOCATION: Makaha CONDITIONS: Grab your big boards and get out there! The Makaha community geared up once again for the annual Buffalo Big Board Surfing Classic, a surfing and cultural event that pays tribute to Uncle Buffalo Keaulana, legendary Hawaiian waterman. It is also a time for the keiki and kupuna to come together to share mana‘o (thoughts), invoking the traditional values of the ancient Hawaiian people and for the enjoyment of outright competition. For 32 years, Uncle Buff’s contest has been the pinnacle of all events at Makaha beach and is by far the largest and most prestigious of all west side events. Contestants come from as far away as Australia, Tahiti, United States, Japan and the neighboring islands to compete in this historical event. But as Uncle Buff and Brian Keaulana always say, “It’s all about family and fun.” To participate in the Big Board Classic you need the right equipment. All surfboards must be at least 10 feet long for the open and team longboard divisions. For the tandem surfing and the stand up paddle division the boards need to be at least 10 feet long and 28 inches wide. There is also the bully board, paipo, team body surfing and 4-man canoe divisions. “This contest is not like a traditional contest in the sense that you surf in one division and once you’re out, it’s over,” explains Bruce Desoto. “In this contest you can surf the first day, lose that particular event, but still be able to be in the final five days later in another event.” Participants can enter as many divisions as they like and anyone having the strength to compete and place highly in all 14 divisions qualifies them for the waterman's award. Depending on the event, surfers are required to hold specific maneuvers for a certain amount of time according to contest director Brian Keaulana. Tricks like the Allen wrench and the dead cockroach seem easy enough to hold for three seconds, until you have to negotiate lumpy backwash on your back with your feet and arms in the air. On the first weekend of competition the waves were a solid four to eight feet, glassy and perfect, just right for the cruisey surfing antics. The waves dropped to 1 to 2 feet on Monday. “During my stand up heat there were really no waves and I could have caught a kala swimming under me if I had my spear,” said Greg Pavao. “But even though I didn’t make it out of my heat, it’s nice to see all the families that come out every year. It’s nice to reconnect.” Desire Desoto, like her dad Bruce, feels that this contest means ‘ohana time. “We all have different lives and Uncle Buff’s contest is the one time during the year that the whole Desoto ‘ohana can come together to compete and enjoy one another as family.” The Desoto’s enter events together, cheer one another on and even give coaching advice, whether its asked for or not. According to Bruce, sometimes the advice pays off. Desire told him to put more spinners into his repertoire in the 250-pound-plus bully board division and he went on to finish third overall in the division, with Mike Aiwohi taking second place and Melvin Pu‘u grabbing top honors. The canoeing event had everyone’s attention on Monday, as the crews were eager to put an end to Mel Pu‘u’s dominance in this event. When Mel lost half of his crew at the last minute, everyone thought that his reign was over. But in the nick his teenage daughters, Nalu and Leimomi, joined Craig Davidson on the team and they surfed all the way to a first place victory. “It felt great to win with my daughters on the team. I’m so proud,” said an ecstatic Mel Pu‘u. “It doesn’t matter what type of crew we have, we’re the champs,” he let out a hearty laugh. “See you next year.” The Tahitians who came to Makaha for the annual event threw a Tahitian style tama‘a, luau, for Uncle Buff and the Makaha gang. All the traditional Tahitian fixings were served up: fafaru (a delicacy of Tahitian raw fish in fermented water), poe (ulu & coconut milk), kalua pua‘a and of course, poison cru (raw fish with lime & coconut milk). The cultural exchange was complete with the music of Tahiti. During the awards ceremony there was a light sprinkle of blessings in the form of a slight drizzling rain. A deep sentiment was felt that those who have passed away were watching over Makaha and the o‘hana present for the event. Mel Pu‘u and Duane DeSoto came away as the official big winners. In addition to all the prizes, honors and good words shared at the ceremony, Bouvey Bradbury was honored with a longboard from Uncle Buff for rescuing a drowning victim the week before at Keawa‘ula Bay. 32ND ANNUAL BUFFALO BIG BOARD CLASSIC RESULTS: Men’s Open Surfing: 1) Mel Pu‘u, 2) Duane DeSoto, 3) Kainalu Froiseth, 4) Kamu Auwae, 5) Jimmy Keaulana, 6) Hoptong Smith. Open Women Surfing: 1) Visha Bungo, 2) Maile Enos-Branigan, 3) Candice Appleby, 4) Moanakea Uemura, 5) Leimomi Pu‘u, 6) Nalu Pu‘u. Beachboy (Stand Up Paddle) Surfing: 1) Brian Keaulana, 2) Kamu Auwae, 3) Bonga Perkins, 4) Craig Davidson, 5) Keoni Keaulana, 6) Kainoa McGee. Novice Beachboy Surfing: 1) Brandon Martin, 2) Visha Bungo, 3) Kentaro Kojima, 4) Ron Galindo, 5) Allen Mozo, 6) Ants Guerrero. Foreign Surfing: 1) Takashi Hosoii, 2) Rico Leroy, 3) Kojima Kentaro, 4) Kota Sakuraoka, 5) Pierret Hapipi, 6) Taiki Mori. Paipo: 1) Duane DeSoto, 2) Jimmy Keaulana, 3) Craig Davidson, 4) Bunky Bakutis, 5) Kekoa Auwae, 6) Hoptong Smith. Legends (70 and older): 1) Tom Bionde, 2) Charlie Carroll. Legends (60 and older): 1) Flash Dubiel, 2) Ants Guerrero, 3) Terry Hoffman, 4) Gilbert Perea, 5) Leighton Tseu, 6) Joe Romero. Bullyboard 250 Plus: 1) Mel Pu‘u, 2) Mike Aiwohi, 3) Bruce DeSoto, 4) Kenneth Makanani, 5) Jay Young, 6) Denver Lauriat. 250 Pounds-Plus Surfing: 1) Mel Pu‘u, 2) Kainalu Froiseth, 3) Mike Aiwohi, 4) Bruce DeSoto, 5) Kimo Leong, 6) Eddie Maldonado Jr. Team Surfing: 1) Duane DeSoto/Bonga Perkins, 2) Kamu Auwae/Kekoa Auwae, 3) Brian Keaulana/Dave Parmenter, 4) Mel Pu‘u/Craig Davidson. Team Bodysurfing: 1) Duane DeSoto/Ronald DeSoto, 2) Mel Pu‘u/Craig Davidson, 3) Brian Keaulana/Dave Parmenter, 4) Candice Appleby/Kainalu Froiseth. Team Bodyboarding: 1) Duane DeSoto/Desire DeSoto, 2) Mel Pu‘u/Leimomi Pu‘u, 3) Brian Keaulana/Ha‘a Keaulana, 4) Melvin Keawe/Visha Bungo. Bullyboard Tandem: 1) Bonga Perkins/Tehani Perkins, 2) Keoni Keaulana/Ku‘uipo Keaulana, 3) Kamu Auwae/Nani Auwae, 4) Jimmy Keaulana/Tiare Keaulana. Tandem Surfing: 1) Kalani Vierra/ Keala Vierra, 2) Brian Keaulana/Kathy Terada, 3) Mel Pu‘u/Nani Auwae, 4) Bobby Friedman/Tiare Friedman. Canoe Surfing: 1) Team Quik, 2) Stunts Unlimited, 3) Rash, 4) Holy Mo-Lee.
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