Aamion Goodwin was crowned the winner of the inaugural Nixon High Tide Hold’Em held in Tavarua, Fiji. The Nixon High Tide Hold’Em was a no-holds barred challenge of skill, stamina, and luck, pitting 30 invited contestants against each other in multiple events.
Nixon handpicked the participants for the 8-day event from a wide range of backgrounds such as surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and entertainment and created daily contests ranging from ping-pong to poker, spearfishing to peer-judged surfing.
The invitation-only event saw 30 invitees take over the island for the only contest of the year on Tavarua. The Nixon High Tide Hold’Em was the brainchild of Nixon’s Brandon Lillard and team riders Chris, Keith & Dan Malloy. The goal of the event was to bring together participants from different corners of the globe for an all around island challenge that was as much about having fun as it was about competing on a broad spectrum of skills.
With personalities like Yadin Nicol, Brad Gerlach, Danny Way, Todd Richards, Asher Pacey, Claire Bevilacqua and Mark Cunningham all on the island at the same time there were plenty of heated battles and the level of competition was high.
Goodwin, who is the self-proclaimed “great at nothing, good at many”, consistently placed in the top 3 earning him the title of overall winner for the week: “I could see everyone wanting to come to this event,” said Goodwin. “The contests are super fun, the prizes are sick. I guarantee people will be practicing well before next year’s event.”
With the ASP excluding Tavarua as a stop for the 2007 World Tour, The Nixon High Tide Hold’Em is the only competition anyone will see on the island for the year. Attendees were familiar names and faces from the surf, skate, snow and entertainment communities and included: Chris Malloy, Keith Malloy, Dan Malloy, Yadin Nicol, Asher Pacey, Aamion Goodwin, Mark Healey, Mark Cunningham, Claire Bevilacqua, Brad Gerlach, Danny Way, Todd Richards, Dave Downing, Sal Masekela, Mike Escamilla, Tristan Prettyman, Joy Bryant, Kate Earl, and Lauren Ross.
High Tide Hold’Em Winners and Prizes
Overall: Aamion Goodwin (60-inch flat screen T.V. and a Joel Tudor single fin)
Surfing: Dave Downing (Mac iBook)
Ping-Pong: Tanivula (Ping-Pong table)
Poker: Yadin Nicol (Expenses paid trip to Vegas)
Fishing: Danny Way (Custom fishing rod and reel)
Tennis: Scott Aichner (Trip to Vegas and tennis gear)
Island Spirit: Larry Haynes (Bar tab on Tavarua paid in full)
Spearfishing: Mark Healey (Custom spear gun and barbeque set)
