It’s been a pretty good week for Bruce Jenkins.
On Wednesday, Triumph Books announced that a surfing story written in January 2021 by the longtime San Francisco Chronicle columnist would be included in “The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2022,” which will be released Oct. 4.
The book — which includes stories from a wide range of publications, including Sports Illustrated, GQ, ESPN, the Washington Post and the Atlantic among others — was curated by JA Adande, director of sports journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
In his story — “In Mavericks’ dream surf season, 51-year-old Peter Mel making big-wave history” — Jenkins wrote: “The Santa Cruz-based surfer is 51, with a devotion to Mavericks dating to 1991, and he’s. always been one of the best out there. But something happened over a three-day stretch this month, something that left Mel wondering, ‘Where do I go from here?’”
“It’s such a pleasure to see a surfing piece get acknowledged as something relevant on the national landscape,” Jenkins said about his story’s placement in the new edition. “I’ve been writing about the big-wave community since the late 1980s, stemming from my annual visits to Oahu’s North Shore and more recently about Mavericks, now universally linked to the most alluring and terrifying spots in the world. Peter Mel’s epic ride goes down with the greatest moments in the history of the sport.”
Wednesday’s announcement came four days after the Oakland Athletics honored Jenkins with their Ron Bergman Award, which annually honors a journalist for “meritorious contributions to the coverage of the Athletics.”
“It is one of my not-so-secret pleasures that we get to be spoiled by Bruce writing about surfing now and again, because the joy he takes in getting into it is transparent,” Chronicle sports editor Christina Kahrl said.
Jenkins said, “I’ve been immersed in the ocean’s gratification since I was a little kid, and became a pretty hard-core Ocean Beach bodysurfer in adulthood, but when it comes to the really big waves, I’m just another awe- struck observer who can hardly imagine what it takes to survive a worst-case scenario in giant surf.
“As a writer, I’ve been able to get close to these men and women, hear their stories and watch them summon the strength to paddle into 60-foot drops that could spell their doom. Almost invariably, I’ve found them characterized by courage, genuine humility and the barely conceivable ability to remain calm against the fury of untamed nature.”