Dan Coyro/Sentinel
Saturday, well before dawn’s light, Sentinel photographer Dan Coyro and Sports Editor Julie Jag will step into a small boat that will take them into the big wave war zone to cover the Mavericks surf contest, which takes the big drop for the first time in two years starting around 8 a.m. Coyro and Jag will be joined by reporters onshore and another photographer, who landed a ride in a helicopter to also bring perspective to the contest. We’ll be covering it live; and you can see video, photos and an account of what’s happening at santacruzsentinel.com throughout the day. Sunday’s print edition will feature great photos of the action, plus the Sentinel team’s behind-the-scenes reporting of what went on. If you want to head to Half Moon Bay yourself, follow this link.
Probably goes without saying this is one of the most exciting sports moments in the world — and it’s local and features a strong contingent of local surfers — and for more on the local surf scene, check out former Sentinel sportswriter Mark Conley’s SJ Mercury News piece on Mav’s charger Flea Virostko and his ongoing drug recovery life. The story also chronicles the rise and fall of meth as the replacement rush that held more than a few surfers down for too long.
And speaking of Mavericks — style point here: we spell it both “Maverick’s”, since the break and contest were named by founder Jeff Clark for a friend’s dog, and without the apostrophe, which is how the Mavericks folks would have it on their own Web site. Maybe it’s part of the rift with Clark, who was booted out of the lineup of decision makers this year and is now suing. Or maybe not.
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Then there’s that mavericky politician, Sarah Palin, who seems to have been a re-entry into the political scene and is suddenly being treated seriously as a possible 2012 presidential candidate. David Broder, the respected and veteran Washington Post columnist, made news himself this week, writing that Palin should be taken seriously for her “perfect pitch” recital of the populist gospel. “The lady is good,” wrote Broder.
Meanwhile, liberal columnist Joe Klein compared Palin to Bill Clinton in her ability to connect with people — hitting, said Klein, the same “mystic chords.”
But Post political blogger Chris Cillizza wrote this week that it’s still too early to annoint Palin since for many voters her negatives still speak loudly than the crib notes she had on her hand at her Tea Party speech last week.
Josh Anderson / Reuters
