"350 to Ride in Makaha," Honolulu Advertiser, Dec 16, 1971

The 19th annual International Surfing Championships will go off at Makaha Saturday morning and run through Dec. 26.

Competition will be held in men, women, juniors, tandem and bodysurfing, and will feature amateur surfers from Japan as well as the best from the United States.

The highlights of the meet will probably come Saturday night when surfers will compete under the rays of huge searchlights.

About 350 surfboard riders have entered the meet sponsored annually by the Waikiki Surf Club.

"Miss Benson Young for a Makaha Champ," Ken Kobayashi, Honolulu Advertiser, Jan 1, 1972

Little 14-year-old Becky Benson became one of the youngest surfers ever to win a major female surfing title by taking the Makaha International women’s championship yesterday.

The eighth-grader at Wheeler Intermediate school worked the smooth three-to-four foot morning waves to perfection, beating out three-time champion Martha Sunn who came in second.

The blonde surfer’s win was one of the high points of an otherwise routine day at Makaha, although just the fact that the meet was run came as somewhat a pleasant surprise.

The world-famous meet has been plagued by poor surf and yesterday's competition was only the second day of surfing for the contest in almost two weeks.

Officials say chances are good the Makaha will continue at 8 a.m. today and tomorrow.

"The waves were nice for Makaha.” summed up Miss Benson after her victory.

Officials were expecting eight-to-10 foot sets before the afternoon, but those never came.

The senior men’s prelims were run off as the meet directors anticipated the larger waves and six of the 19 heats were completed before the sun’s glare ended the competition early in the afternoon.

Leroy Ah Chong, Steve Gardner, Buffalo Keaulana. Cino Magallanes and Buster Kellum were among those that qualified for the quarterfinals.

In other competition, Larry Bertlemann, who took third last year, came back to win the junior men’s title in disappointing, inconsistent surf.

Bertlemann edged out Mike Ho. who took second; David Smith, third; and Clinton Blears, fourth. Mackey McKeague in fifth and Mike Mahakian in sixth were the other finalists.

Also finishing in the women's final with Miss Benson and Miss Sunn were Martha's sister Annella Sunn Gardner (third), Laura Blears (fourth), Evie Black (fifth), and Lynne Boyer (sixth).

Today’s competition will feature the other senior men prelims and perhaps the pro division, a first for the heretofore amateur Makaha.

"Unknown Paul Aiku Wins Makaha Men's Surf Title," Ken Kobayahi, Honolulu Advertiser, Jan 3, 1972

He used a brand-new three-day old surfboard. He never won a surfing contest in his life. And he never was in any for the past five years.

But with more than a little help from his friends, “unknown” Paul Akiu ended up with the jackpot senior men’s title yesterday as the 19th annual Makaha international finally came to a close.

Akiu barely won over his friend Henry DeClue in smooth six-foot Makaha surf in the 35-minute final and climax for the contest which started Dec. 18 but was extended until yesterday because of poor surf.

In the others finals, lanky Mark Sedlak won the professional title, and the team of Leroy Ah Coy and Blanche Benson captured first in the tandem division.

But Akiu was the big winner. He took home the koa bowl that about 100 other surfers in the senior men’s division, the largest of the meet, were after.

“I know the place pretty good.” said the 25-year-old who lives down the highway at Maili. And he showed it as he brilliantly slashed across a half dozen waves.

He didn't do it alone, though, and this is where his friends come in.

The sleek 7' 3" vee-tailed, yellow semi-gun he rode was shaped only three days ago by friend Barry Kanaiaupuni.

Also, the 10-year surfing veteran had some help from the other finalists and some who weren’t supposed to be in the surfing area. “They were calling shots, telling me where the sets were coming,” Akiu said.

One finalist in particular, Steve Gardner, who took fifth, gave extra help, somewhat like how Billy Hamilton allowed Gavin Rudolph to take a tremendous ride in the Smirnoff Pro-Am.

On a wave that Akiu said was “eight-feet, pushing ten, probably the biggest wave of the day,” Gardner let him ride it. "He said 'go ahead'.” Akiu explained, “so I just took off.”

And lucky for him he did. Akiu and DeClue both got two firsts, two seconds and a tie for third from the five judges. But when an extra fifth wave was tallied. Akiu won by a point. 57-56, to win by one of the narrowest margins in the meet's history

In the pro division—the first time that event was held for the Makaha—23- year-old Sedlak from Waikiki, as he put it, was “lucky” to catch the right waves by being in the right places. He had seven rides for the 30 minute final, more than anyone except second-place finisher Mike Purpus from California who also had seven.

“I just picked up the right waves.” Sedlak said, “playing a cat and mouse type thing.”

In the tandem event, the victory for the Ah Chov-Benson team was the second after the two placed runner-up last year.

The 18-year-old blonde Benson, however, also won in 1969 with two-time champion Bob Moore, who passed away recently.

Miss Benson and Ah Choy dedicated their win to Moore, one of the all-time great tandem riders.

1) Mark Sedlack, 2) Mike Purpus, 3) Rod Sumpter

1) Larry Bertlemann, 2) Michael Ho, 3) D. Smith

1) Becky Benson, 2) Martha Sunn, 3) A. Gardner

1971 Makaha International Surfing Championships

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