by The Editors on November 22, 2010
Source Interlink announced today that they have moved four of their off-road motorcycle properties (Dirt Rider, ATV Rider, MiniMoto and EnduroCross) into the loving arms of Action Sports Group’s Publisher Norb Garrett. He seems happy about it.
“Bringing these dynamic titles and events into the ASG/Grind Networks group is another key step in our strategic plan to create the world’s largest action/adventure sports media company,” said ASG/Grind Networks SVP Group Publisher Norb Garrett. “By adding the largest off-road motorcycle title Dirt Rider, ATV Rider, a fast-growing arena motorcycle series such as EnduroCross, and the MiniMoto event, we have added an important piece of our overall content strategy for the Web and TV through both our vertical and horizontal efforts with our action sports portal GrindTV.com and Yahoo! Sports content partnership. Additionally, the brands create exciting new cross-marketing opportunities for our advertisers and marketing partners.”
If anyone can save these properties, it’s Norb. Follow the jump for the rest of the official release.
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by The Editors on November 21, 2010
Writer, adventurer, director Charlie Smith and Super Action Agent Circe Wallace were married this weekend (Saturday, November 20, 2010) in Las Vegas in front of family, friends, and business associates. Smith dropped his writerly veneer and went straight for the heart with his last tweet on Friday:
Life. Is. Perfect. . . Or saturday night it will be.
Circe followed that up on Sunday evening with the following:
The first day of the rest of my life was beyond perfect. So much love and the most beautiful friends and family..thank you @chasdoesntsurf!. . . Everyone who attended thank you for making the room glow with Love. Here’s to doing next level shit.
We’re still wondering who is going to be on the top end of Circe’s usual 15/85 percent split, while at the same time figuring they’re both giving 100 percent. Congrats. . .
by The Editors on November 19, 2010
Artist Drew Brophy has been paint-penning up surfboards for over 20 years and lately we’ve been seeing his work showing up everywhere. His latest design is for the January Surf Expo Show. Here’s what they had to say about him:
A show T-shirt has been part of the Surf Expo experience for years, and many of our longtime retailers proudly show off some pretty ancient specimens. That’s cool. This year we tapped artist Drew Brophy. Seemed like the perfect fit. Drew does a ton of work for a variety of exhibitors at Surf Expo — both in the surf section and also in our resort and souvenir areas. Plus, hailing from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Drew has been a longtime attendee and vocal fan of Surf Expo.
The Drew Brophy designed shirt (which has not been finalized yet) will be on sale at the info booth on the floor of the show January 6-8. 2010.
by The Editors on November 17, 2010
A recently released report by the US Forest Service titled The Effects of Climate Change on Lake Tahoe in the 21st Century: Meteorology, Hydrology, Loading and Lake Response suggests that the shred industry in the Lake Tahoe area could be up for extremely hard times in the future, according to a story in the New York Times.
Iconic Lake Tahoe could see its regional snowpack decline by as much as 60 percent over the next century, with increased floods more likely around 2050 and prolonged droughts closer to 2100, according to a new report from scientists who have studied the lake for decades. . . Such predictions could mean bankruptcy for ski destinations that surround the lake, including the home of the 1960 Winter Olympics, Squaw Valley USA. Squaw Valley and other resorts are an accessible stop for skiers throughout the West and the heavily populated California coast.
Guess that means we all better hit up Tahoe a little more this season.
[Link: New York Times]
by The Editors on November 17, 2010
Consolidated Skateboard’s Steve “Birdo” Guisinger (pictured right with Leticia Ruano) gets the local hero profile treatment on Santacruz.com and uses it to kick off their Don’t Do It Foundation. The non-profit organization is dedicated to supporting local core shops.
“It’s message,” Guisinger says. “’Keep the surf skate and snowboard industry in the hands of those that are passionate about it.’” . . . “If all you have is a mall or sporting goods chain in your town, we ask that you don’t support them, and instead order from a skater owned, online store,” it says. . . Guisinger sees it as a simple choice. “The only way for local stores to survive is to drive mall chains out of business,” he explains. “So we want people at whatever cost to not support the mall chain. You vote with your money. If you go to the mall chains, you’re only empowering them. Go to your local skate shop. If you don’t have a local skate shop, buy online from a local company.”
It appears a lot can be done by not doing something.
[Link: Santacruz.com]
by The Editors on November 17, 2010
Billabong’s Canadian core mall retailer West 49 is wrapping up its 8th Annual Coats For Kids program on November 28, 2010. Anyone who donates a used coat or jacket can get $25 off a new coat or snowboard jacket in the store, according to a story on Baytoday.com. And so far the program has given away a lot of jackets to the needy.
For seven years West 49 customers have consistently delivered strong community support by donating coats for kids who don’t have adequate winter clothing. To date more than 60,000 kids have received winter coats as a result of this initiative. . . “Our customers are aware of the important role they play in helping us meet our target for coats. In partnering with local charitable organizations we have an excellent opportunity to be proactive in helping less fortunate families,” said Cindy Mielke, Director of Marketing for West 49. “We surpassed our goal last year by almost 5,000 coats, we are sure we can collect and distribute even more coats to help kids stay warm this winter and are challenging our customers with a goal of 15,000 coats nationally for 2010.”
Yes. Action mall retailers can make a difference.
[Link: Baytoday]
by The Editors on November 17, 2010
According to a recent study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and reported in Time Magazine college students who drink more than 52 energy drinks “like Red Bull and Monster” each year are more likely to have problems with alcohol than students who don’t drink any of the caffeinated sugar water drinks:
These high-frequency energy drink consumers were also more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol dependence, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Compared with students who abstained from using energy drinks, the high-frequency users were 2.4 times more likely to be considered alcohol dependent; compared with the low-frequency group, they were 86% more likely.
Researchers weren’t sure if the data went the other way, however, as students may use the energy drinks to “overcome the affects of hangovers.” Either way, it reminds us of something a skate team manager said when we accidentally kicked over a can of Monster at a recent skate contest: “No worries,” he said. “You just saved some kid’s life.”
[Link: Time.com]
by The Editors on November 15, 2010
Since selling the Planet Earth brand to K2 Sports in 1997 the Chris Miller founded brand has done nothing but bounce around from concept to concept. In the most recent move K2 Sports has ditched the brand entirely and licensed it to a Quebec based W.L. Activewear. Owned by Phil Dixon, the Whiteland distributes AlpineStars, Bern helmets, and Aerial7 headphones in Canada as well as owning the Liquid Boardwear brand, according to a story on Sports One Source.
“This is a rare opportunity to take an established brand that is highly credible in the action sports market and deeply tied into the movement toward eco-conscious design and grow it on a global scale,” Dixon said. “It’s an ideal fit for the program that we have in place.”
All we can say is good luck with that. At least they’ve got Dave Seoane going for them.
[Link: Sports One Source]
by The Editors on November 15, 2010
One of the coldest Southern California summers on record apparently took it’s toll on Spy Eyewear parent Orange 21. The company said sales were down six percent to $8.2 million in the quarter ended September 30, 2010.
“We experienced a challenging quarter given the lack of sun in Southern California this summer, which negatively affected our net sales,” commented Stone Douglass, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. “Gross margins increased to 47% for the three months ended September 30, 2010 from 33% during the comparable period in 2009, aided by more effective sourcing in Asia as well as improved operations and a more favorable Euro to U.S. Dollar exchange rate on purchases from LEM, our manufacturing subsidiary in Italy.
Follow the jump for the rest all the details.
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by The Editors on November 12, 2010
It seems nearly everyone from Sports Business to the Sydney Mourning Herald has been caught up in the story that Kelly Slater is being rewarded for his 10th ASP World Championship Title with a three percent stake in Quiksilver.
While the whole “champ turns down $10 million bonus for large chunk of Quik” story has a wonderfully compelling arc, nothing could be further from the truth.
As we mentioned on January 28, 2010, Quiksilver announced that one of the reasons for their March 26, 2010 shareholders meeting was “To consider and vote upon a proposal to approve the grant of 3,000,000 shares of our restricted common stock to Kelly Slater as part of his sponsorship agreement.”
That proposal was approved by shareholders at the March meeting well ahead of Kelly’s title win. While Kelly will reportedly get a sizable bonus (seven figures) for his 10th title, the well-deserved stock grant is for his nearly lifetime dedication to brand, and not for his winning another title. Though, we can’t say it won’t help his negotiations down the road.
Source Interlink announced today that they have moved four of their off-road motorcycle properties (Dirt Rider, ATV Rider, MiniMoto and EnduroCross) into the loving arms of Action Sports Group’s Publisher Norb Garrett. He seems happy about it.
