From Surfer Magazine, January 24, 2014
As Grant “Twiggy” Baker exited stage right in front of a rowdy afternoon crowd after accepting a bronze statue of the Meistrell Brothers (founders of Body Glove) that nearly equals him in weight, TV reporters swarmed him asking for an evening news sound bite. He slyly dodged them and left the Body Glove Mavericks Invitational festival site through an emergency exit located behind the port-a-potties. We were alongside Twiggy as he escaped the madness and he was kind enough to give us a quick interview regarding his big win. Alongside him was his fiancé, Kate, and within earshot was runner-up Shane Dorian.
Congrats Twiggy. Today was intense. How were the conditions out there and how did they compare to years prior?
I think each year has its different nuances. The first time I won the Mavericks event in 2006 was really perfect, just the ultimate day. 2010 was obviously bigger, but was just kind of rolling in from out the back. This year had that south wind and super west swell direction and it was loading up on the bowl.
So the drop was way steeper this year than in the past?
It was so much gnarlier. I mean it was really, really heavy out there. To commit to a wave was a real mindf&#%, really. You’d be up at the top of the wave looking down, saying “there’s no way you can make this wave.” All the trough and bump coming across plus the west was making it wedge up. It was really a challenging mental game today to go on a wave. I was actually commentating Mark Healey’s heat when he got worked and dragged inside. As he got on the water patrol ski, I could see his face and could tell he was rattled. To see someone like Healey, who’s as gnarly a dude as any, that shook up was really scary. Especially knowing you are about to be out in that same lineup.
