For its swift response to the wildfires that destroyed much of Lahaina nearly a year ago, the Maui surfing community was presented with the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award on Thursday night at the ESPYs.
The group of big wave surfers, who banded together to transport badly needed supplies to the still-smoldering town via the ocean in the days following Aug. 8, was represented by Maui resident Kai Lenny and Waterman Hall of Famer Archie Kalepa as speakers at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
A video produced by ESPN showed the devastation, the surfers’ response bringing supplies, and a floating memorial offshore one month after the disaster. Actor Rob Lowe presented the award to the group, which also included Paige Alms, Molly Lenny, Andrea Moller and Zane Schweitzer on stage.
In accepting the award, Lenny and Kalepa both carried messages for the attending athletes and celebrities as well as a national TV viewership.
Lenny, who spoke first, turned attention to the Crater Road Fire that still hadn’t been contained as of that night. He also thanked first responders and “so many unsung heroes” from last August.
“It’s an honor to be standing on this stage with these incredible people,” Lenny said. “To be representing our Maui surfing community and be representing the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award—right now Maui’s actually back on fire and it’s with a heavy heart that we’re not back there to help. But we’re keeping them in our prayers right now.”
“We know firsthand the trials and tribulations many faced during the wildfires of Lahaina, and Kula. They were nothing short of horrifying. What was lost can never be replaced. But together we can rebuild our home to honor the fallen and celebrate the history of this special place.”
Kalepa was tearful as he addressed the crowd. But he then framed the moment as part of a greater lesson to be learned.
“I’m so grateful; we’re so grateful to receive this award. I feel like I’m about to take off on a massive wave,” Kalepa said. “To receive an award that bears the name of The Greatest, and the greatest are in this room, it is beyond my wildest dream. But I also never could have imagined that what happened last year on Maui—we as a Hawaiian people have been voyaging for centuries, using the stars, the sun and the moon, and we weathered all kinds of storms. Westernization, industrialization and nature. But last August was a storm we’d never forget or seen before.”
“We as a people, all of us, know how to sail through a storm. But it’s just as important for us to know how to sail around one. Because climate change. Climate change is here. There are more storms on the horizon for all of us. We all have to face that reality and understand that this is the next voyage we have to take as human beings, and creators of this Earth, to fix what has been broken and find harmony again with Mother Nature. People, take this message with you tonight. Mahalo and thank you once again, and aloha, good night.”
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.