San Diego’s Aldrin Garcia won his second Grind For Life High Ollie Challenge on Friday, August 14, 2010 on the floor of the Action Sports Retailer Show in San Diego, California. Garcia was the only skater to clear 44 inches (four inches higher than his 2008 winning jump).
After winning Garcia made a couple attempts at the world record. While he easily cleared 46 inches and landed on his wheel, he had to put a hand down so it did not count. After two more tries the time ran out on the event and Garcia walked with his $1,000 cash prize.
Every year Volcom chooses a theme and sticks to it for the entire trade show season. They’ve done hippies, hillbillies, and this year they raved it up with Volcom Techno Beach.
This clip is only one minute long. By the time the 2010 Fall Action Sports Retailer Show closes on Sunday, August 15, 2010 Volcom employees will have relived this minute 1,380 times. And then they will get to do it all again at Surf Expo next month, and at SIA in Janaury 2011. How’s that for dedication to the brand?
Mossimo has done it. Jean Paul Gaultier, too. Even Shaun White has done a deal with Target. Now Paul Rodriguez is taking money from the discount retailer, too. And to make it more real, he’s tied this deal to his childhood.
“I grew up right across the street from a Target and have many memories of skating over to the store as a kid,” said Paul. “I’ve always loved their brand and am excited about the relationship and potential of what we can do together.”
But more than anything, we’re guessing Paul loves that massive paycheck that only a multi-national discount retailing sponsor can provide. Wonder what products his name will go on first. . . we’re guessing they’ll do the entire Shaun White line with new P-Rod graphics.
The news filtered out August 10, 2010 on PerezHilton.com that Bam Margera had been “detained” in New Zealand. Then Stuff.co.nz said that Bam had been “ejected from Auckland Airport for being too drunk and obnoxious to fly,” but now Bam’s friends are reportedly saying that he may have been given the date rape drug Rohypnol. Bam told The Daily Telegraph the following:
“I was totally boozed one night and remember waking up with this chick on top of me going “I love you, I love’ and I was like ‘who the f … are you!?” he said backstage at a gig for US rock band CKY on Saturday.
Promoting Jackass 3D down under is apparently a dangerous job.
At one point, as the last heat rolled through the hubba section of the 2010 Maloof Money Cup Street finals it appeared that the four skaters in the heat where perfectly in tune with the universe. Chris Cole, David Gonzalez, Torey Pudwill, and Jake Duncombe landed trick after trick. It was like watching a “best of Maloof” video. Every time Cole landed something the crowd would roar. And for a while we all thought they’d run the whole section without anyone missing anything.
Then there was Nyjah Huston. In one of his sections with Garret Hill, Tommy Sandavol, and Ryan Decenzo, he knocked out 16 tricks in a row without bailing on one. Sean Malto, Justin Brock, Billy Marks, and Bastien Salabanzi were nearly running into each other during each of their sections. It seemed each skater was putting the down the best performances of their careers.
But when the scores were totaled Chris Cole was on top again to win his third Maloof Money Cup street final in a row. Not to say there wasn’t some booing from the crowd and a bit of emotion from the second place finisher. A kid standing next to us couldn’t believe it. “Are they seriously booing Chris Cole?” he said. “How is that even possible?”
Cole has now won $300,000 in Maloof prize money in just two years. Just think if the Maloof’s hold 10 events a year?
In the last minutes of Ben Hatchell’s jam heat at the 2010 Converse Costal Carnage he stepped off and felt his knee twist the wrong way. At first he couldn’t even get out of the bowl. Someone had to reach down and pull him out.
After walking it off he dropped right back in again. On his way toward the cradle announcer Brian Shaefer mentioned that he would give Hatchell $100 for a front blunt in the over-vert section of the bowl and as soon as he’d said it Ben was up in the cradle on his back trucks and popping right back in frontside. Like it was nothing. But that’s how he rolled the entire day.
From the stands it was pretty obvious that while Ben Raybourne, Tom Remillard, Ryan Reyes, David Loy, and Jaws were throwing down some of the fastest lines, no one really came close to Hatchell. Later, up in the VIP with an ice pack wrapped to his knee we asked him if he was okay. Counting his $100 bills he looked up and said, “I hope so.”
We stopped by the 2010 Maloof Money Cup at the Orange County Fairgrounds yesterday to pick up our credentials and checked out the first half of Am and Pro street qualifying. (That’s David Loy going off the rocks).
As one industry insider told us: “You can’t believe the level of talent that isn’t making the cut.” Let’s just say the finals are going to get crazy. Watch them live on Fuel TV Sunday August 8, 2010 at 6 PM PST of the second half of Pro qualifiers right now (2:30 PM PST Saturday).
For the second year in a row we’ve hung out at the Converse Coastal Carnage mini park for practice. Something about the smaller crowds, missing TV cameras, and no pressure often makes practice more fun to watch than the finals. But don’t let that stop you from watching the qualifiers and finals live on the US Open of Surfing website on Saturday and Sunday August 7-8, 2010.
Follow the jump for the 12 finalists who will skate on Sunday.
With the 2010 US Open of SurfingNike (with Hurley, Nike 6.0, and Converse) is presenting what is likely one of the most spectacularly produced action sports events so far. Every single detail of the 2010 US Open of Surfing looks right. From the layout of the village, to the music stage, the four live webcasts, the iPhone app, and the Converse mini-park everything is well designed, attractive and functional.
For more of what we’re talking about click here for the photo gallery from the Village, the Surfing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and the Converse Coastal Carnage.
