Dave Reardon: Fittingly, WSL names world title after Duke Kahanamoku

No one is more authentically Hawaiian than Duke Kahanamoku. His name was synonymous with surfing and the aloha spirit — and still is 55 years after his death in 1968.

So it was a great idea when Andrew Pereira thought of naming the World Surfing League’s most prestigious awards after Duke (he’s one of those rare all-time one-name superstars, like Magic, Pele and Tiger).

The pro surfers at Thursday’s WSL annual champions dinner agreed. The applause was long and loud when it was announced that the WSL Championship Tour World Title Trophy will now be known as the Duke Kahanamoku WSL Champions’ Trophy.

“Every athlete in the room was very excited,” WSL spokesperson Chloe Kojima said. “It was especially fitting that it was announced in Hawaii, also honoring Hawaii as the birthplace of modern surfing. With the world title trophy being our biggest award it makes perfect sense.”

The WSL 2023 season starts today with the Billabong Pro Pipeline at Ehukai Beach Park.

Pereira was a spokesperson for the WSL when he thought of naming the award after Kahanamoku. He deflects credit.

“I just kind of threw it out there that it would be cool and it kind of just grew from that,” Pereira said. “It took two years because everyone wanted to make sure it would happen in a way that was respectful to everyone.”

Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame co-founder Billy Pratt served as a trusted connection to the Kahanamoku ohana.

“We wanted to know how they felt about it, and to make sure they knew this was an honor for them and Duke’s legacy,” Pratt said.

Pratt is also producer of “Waterman,” the award-winning documentary about Kahanamoku.

Approvals were also attained from the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation and Malama Pono, which owns the Duke Kahanamoku trademark.

“Duke was certainly the greatest waterman of Hawaii, the father of international surfing, and the true ambassador of aloha,” Pratt said. “He was the cause of a massive resurgence of pride for indigenous people, and in his era he was the greatest in two sports (surfing and swimming). What he did was like being the equivalent in his era of both Kelly Slater and Michael Phelps.”

He was also a real-life hero. In 1925, Kahanamoku saved eight people from drowning off of Newport Beach, Calif., when a 40-foot sport fishing boat rolled over three times after being hit by huge waves.

“He wasn’t just the greatest athlete. That’s the story at the surface. The real undersurface was his compassion and humility, his embodiment of the aloha spirit,” Pratt added. “He lived through the overthrow of the monarchy, eventual statehood, World Wars I and II. He endured racism but never let any of it stop him and was never negative.”

Five-time world champion Carissa Moore was overjoyed to learn of the trophy’s new name.

“I grew up surfing Waikiki and passing the Duke statue everyday, but it wasn’t until recently I learned more about his story, who he was as a person, what he achieved, and how he lived his life, which is so inspiring,” Moore said. “I feel like everyone should know from a young age the story of Duke.”

It’s quite likely that in the future we will be saying the same about Moore, that her story is an important one for future generations to learn and draw inspiration from.

Like Kahanamoku was, Moore is an ambassador of aloha. Her achievements include enshrinement in the Surfers’ Hall of Fame while still in her 20s and winning the first-ever Olympic gold medal in surfing two years ago.

Kahanamoku, who won three Olympic swimming gold medals using a revolutionary style, dreamed of surfing also being included at the Games.

“I think he would be so proud of her, in many ways,” Pereira said.

Who knows? Maybe someday the women’s championship trophy name will be changed in honor of Moore.