On March 9, 2012 the NSSA State Championships kick off the NSSA’s seven event Championship schedule with a three-day tournament featuring top college, high school, and middle school teams being held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach, California.
The NSSA’s version of March Madness is sure to be packed with hype, talented athletes and passionate team rivalries as the battle for State titles guarantees excitement and team spirit. Adding to the fervor, the competitors will be performing in surfing’s most prominent stadium at the pier‚s famous south side sandbars. Competition will commence on March 9th with the College Championships. Saturday, March 10th will begin with the High School Championships and then continue with remaining College preliminary rounds. The third and final day of the State Championships on March 11th will feature the Middle School Championships and finish off with all the State Championship finals.
A sign that went up two weeks ago at Elands Bay on South Africa’s west coast states that Kite Surfing, Wind Surfing, and Stand-Up boarding is not allowed and that those who break the law could face a R1000 fine, appears to be a hoax, according to a story on iOL News.
The mystery sign, however, appears to be a hoax and has not been sanctioned by the municipality. . . But despite this, surfers have reported that police have even taken the sign seriously, and some have called on particular types of surfers to clear the water. . . “People don’t know whether the sign is legit or not. Nobody knows who put it up,” said Alan van Gysen, a photographer for ZigZag magazine and who photographed the sign. . . “There has been no official statement from the council,” he said yesterday. . . He said many wind and kite surfers feared risking a fine if they entered the water with their boards.
Sounds like the sign is working. Wonder where we can get one?
Surfer Peter Garrett (not of Midnight Oil fame it seems) was hit by a shark while surfing near dusk off the Taranaki Coast of New Zealand, according to a story on Stuff.Co.Nz.
Matt Thomas and James Bruce, who work as vets in Manaia and Eltham respectively, were surfing nearby when they saw and heard Mr Garrett panicking. . . “I heard him shrieking, he was freaking out and thrashing around,” Mr Bruce said. “He kind of kicked it off him and went in on the next couple of waves and went straight for the rocks.”
The vets saw Garrett shake off the shark and paddle in. The shark then began circling the men. They reportedly decided that it might be time to paddle in and offer some assistance. They bandaged Garrett up, took a picture, and sent him to the doctors. Luckily, everyone appears to have survived.
We’re still in the camp that can sit and listen to Greg Noll talk story all day long. And, that’s why we’re pretty stoked on these new “Da Bull” trunks from Billabong. They’re part of an exclusive collab between Noll Surfboards and Billabong.
The Noll Surfboards apparel line will be in stores in March and will feature a ten-piece collection including board shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, walk shorts and a special run of 200 Limited Edition signed and numbered “Jail House” striped trunks that will be auctioned exclusively online starting March 22 through to April 4. Opening bids will begin at $200 and consumers will be able to bid on board shorts based on their size and signing number.
Most mother’s know it’s never a good idea to dress fat kids in horizontal stripes, but the signed Da Bull’s shorts are reportedly “collectable.” Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
Two weeks ago (February 13-16, 2012) Nixon and Vans held the 11th Annual Nixon Surf Challenge on the Island of La Graciosa in the Canary islands.
Showing off some red-hot surfing action in front of the extraordinary scenery of the Island, the standouts of the event included Jonathan Gonzalez, Marlon Lipke, Nic Von Rupp and Joan Duru. Motivating each other to steadily push themselves to the next level, the team and the unique environment melted into a special vibe encapsulating everything that surfing stands for.
So let’s say your brand is under pressure. Your stock is at the lowest point it’s ever been. The “sharks are circling” and a private equity firm has been low-balling offers since they noticed your were in trouble. What do you do? If you’re Billabong founder and largest shareholder, Gordon Merchant, you buy more stock, according to a story in The Australian.
In a substantial shareholders notice lodged late on Friday, Mr Merchant declared he had bought 2.52 million shares in the surf, ski and skate wear brand at an average price of $3.13 each, lifting his stake from 15.1 per cent to 15.8 per cent.
Hey, if your fortune is already down $240 million what else can you do? Billabong has to come back around right?
“I feel so good now!” Burrow said. “I had a really good event last year, but came up short in the Final against Kelly (Slater). Then today when I found myself against Adriano (De Souza), I was really nervous because he got me in a Final in Brazil last year. He’s really tough and I don’t like competing against him to be honest. There was a lot of weight on my shoulders in that Final so it’s pretty rewarding to come out on top.”
For Stephanie Gilmore it was a return to form after last season’s rough start.
“To be carried up the beach with your friends underneath you with thousands of people around has got to be one of the best feelings in the world,” Gilmore said. “It took me back to 2005 when I won here as a grom. Last year went so quickly and it felt like I didn’t even exist on the rankings and that fire wasn’t really there. This year it’s so good to have that back! My cheeks are so sore from smiling already.”
Leap day (February 29, 2012) signals the end to the waiting period for the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau. Aside from the breath of relief likely heard around the Quiksilver Board of Diectors table we’re bummed we didn’t get to see things get massive at Waimea Bay.
“As much as we’d like to see this dedication run every year, the event is committed to meeting the criteria of 20 feet,” said contest director George Downing. . . “Those special winters of Eddie-sized waves seem to only come around every three to five years, so a season like this is to be expected. . . “On behalf of the Aikau family, we sincerely thank this year’s Invitees, Alternates, Quiksilver and the organizing team who remained dedicated and enthusiastic throughout the holding period. We would also like to thank the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the City & County of Honolulu for their special efforts to make this an enjoyable event for all.”
Guess we’ll just have to wait until next year and let Greg Long hang onto that 2009-10 title for one more year. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
Spy announced today that they’ve added surfer/shaper Ryan Burch and surfer Jared Mell as “multidimensional surf-sojourning brand ambassadors” for the eyewear company’s new Crosstown Collection.
“Ryan and Jared are super talented and respected at the creative forefront of contemporary surf culture, and they also have classic vibes in what they do that really resonate with what’s happening with SPY now,” says Devon Howard, SPY Marketing Director. “Ryan is a craftsman with a penchant for innovation, tempered by a deep reverence of classic surfing style applied to his board designs inspired by shaping pioneers like Bob Simmons and Carl Ekstrom. With Jared, his approach to nose riding and what he does with his clothing line at Insight are similarly progressive, hedged with deep roots. We’re really stoked to have these guys rounding-out an already stellar team of incredibly creative surfers backing Crosstown.”
The Crosstown Collection is billed as a “limited-edition line of vintage-inspired, handcrafted sunglasses” which sounds like a great market for Spy to paddle into. For the official word, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
With the swell beginning to fade at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast the real news of day three was who didn’t make it into Round 4. The short version is this: Matty Wilkinson, Kieren Perrow, Kolohe Andino, Bede Durbidge, Jeremy Flores, Freddie P, Yadin Nicol, Mick Fanning, Raoni Monterio, Adam Melling, 2 John Florence, and Travis Logie.
Oh, and Julian Wilson slayed it. Here’s what he said after logging the day’s high score:
“I lost in this round last year in a close one against Taj (Burrow) and went on to lose a bit early in the next few events so I was nervous before that one,” Wilson said. “I did want to make a statement. In my first two heats I wasn’t myself – it didn’t feel like it was coming together for me. Then in that heat I felt a lot better, felt solid on my board and good to get some high scores.”
For the official word and results from both the Quik and Roxy Pro follow the jump. [click to continue…]
On March 9, 2012 the NSSA State Championships kick off the NSSA’s seven event Championship schedule with a three-day tournament featuring top college, high school, and middle school teams being held on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach, California.
