Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Several surfers have been nominated for an ESPN ESPY award before. Kelly Slater, Gabriel Medina, John John Florence, Carissa Moore and Stephanie Gilmore to be precise. But this is something different.
This week, ESPN announced that the Maui surfing community (as a unit) is a finalist for the 2024 ESPYS Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for their relief efforts during the Lahaina Wildfires in August 2023. This award will be announced before the ESPYS on July 10. The winner will be featured in programming during the main event, which airs at 8 p.m. ET on July 11 on ABC.
Related: How Kai Lenny and Maui surfers responded to the August 2023 fires
The prestigious ESPY award is bestowed on “an athlete whose continuous, demonstrated leadership has created a measured positive impact on their community through sports. The candidate must embrace the core principles that Muhammad Ali embodied so well, including confidence, conviction, dedication, giving and respect,” according to ESPN. The fellow nominees for the humanitarian recognition include NBA player CJ McCollum, MLB player Anthony Rizzo and tennis player Sloane Stephens. Per a release from the company, here’s why the Maui Surfing Community was nominated:
“The disaster in Lahaina was the deadliest United States wildfire in more than a century, with 101 lives lost, and over 8,000 people were forced to move to temporary shelter. As the wildfires unfolded, Maui surfers and water safety teams were some of the first to respond to the disaster, and their responses proved to be critical in keeping people alive, as the fires had cut thousands of people off from escape routes or emergency aid. Surfers like Kai Lenny, who immediately started dropping off food, water and other supplies to Lāhainā via jet ski because authorities were still blocking the roads, rushed to fellow islanders’ aid at first light the next morning. Hawaiian surfing legend Archie Kalepa used his front yard to establish a communication hub and supply depot, and he led a volunteer army to get these supplies to the survivors that needed them most. There also were dozens of other local surfers and watermen who served on the front lines as firefighters and EMTs, while others made and served meals to help those who were displaced. Their work is far from over, as the Maui surfing community continues to raise awareness and funds for thousands of Maui residents, who will work together to recover and rebuild.”
The wildfires that scorched Maui last year were truly horrific, and the effects are still prominent nearly a year later.
“People were trapped in their cars, there was nowhere to go,” Kai Lenny told Barton Lynch on his podcast after the incident. “There was really no escape once it happened. It was basically like a flamethrower through the town because the winds were so strong. One moment you’re standing there, the next it’s 1,000 degrees outside and there’s flames whipping out of there.”
Lenny was among many volunteers who came to the aid of Lahaina residents, donating all the food and supplies they could find and delivering them via jet skis and boats. Albee Layer and Matt Meola partnered with their friend and fisherman Chimo Shipp to buy thousands of dollars worth of gasoline for generators, then started their own nonprofit to continue giving aid.
Related: Maui Strong: Kai Lenny Posts Emotional Message and Clip of Wildfire Anniversary Paddle Out
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