What do you do for kicks when you're not riding the biggest, most dangerous waves in the world? In the case of the Jaws brigade on Maui, when not towing each other into hell-waves, they're honing their terrestrial teamwork -- on the volleyball court. I discovered this first-hand during a recent trip to the Valley Isle, where I met with the founding fathers of surfing's new extreme. After a morning of scary tales and design rap, the afternoon's activities were announced: volleyball at 4 p.m.
"We play pretty much every day," said Dave Kalama, who has installed a regulation sand court on the Haiku property he shares with Brett Lickle. And promptly at 4 p.m., I found out Dave wasn't kidding. Virtually the entire crew rumbled up in their muddy pickup -- Mark Angulo, Rush Randle, Pete Cabrinha and, of course, Laird Hamilton (coached by his girlfriend, pro volleyballer and model Gabrielle Reece). When they all stripped down and hit the sand, I felt like an extra in the middle of a gladiator movie. "Let the games begin!"
These guys played like they surfed -- no holding back. Gabrielle told me later that most of these guys were just a week at training camp away from serious competitive play. Randle, the best aerialist in the water, had an incredible vertical leap; Cabrinha had a great top-spin serve; and facing Laird at the net was like getting caught inside at Jaws. Me? Well, even if Kalama and I did manage to beat Gabby and Laird in a game of two-man, it was more due to Kalama's consistent play than my wild digs. Watching them all on the court together -- the heady mix of intense competition and teamwork -- brought into sharp focus what happens when these guys assault big surf.
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