Contest surfer Jack Freestone has just re-signed with surf hardware company Creatures of Leisure until 2022. And as we all know, having good sponsors during these times is a great thing.
“Having full faith in your equipment is crucial,” says Freestone. “At the end of the day as a surfer that’s something you can’t put a price on. Creatures put more thought and effort than anyone when making sure their leashes, tailpads, and boardcovers do what you need them to. I’m really excited to be continuing on with them into the foreseeable future.”
Or at least for a year and a half. For the official word from Creatures of Leisure, please follow the jump.
[Editors’ Note: Okay, just for historicity sake here goes the media story that we hinted we weren’t all that interested in covering because you don’t hold funerals for zombies.]
Today (October 3, 2020) it was announced that the Bible of the Sport of surfing, Surfer Magazine has been shuttered by what remains of American Media Inc. (now called A360 Media). The 60 year old chronicle of the surfing life will live no longer. Longtime Photo Editor Pete Taras said it this way on Instagram:
It’s with great sadness that I write that today was my last day at SURFER. Between Transworld SURF, SURFER, and SURFING, that was half my life. 21 years between the three. It’s really hard for me to put into words right now the feelings. I’m a weepy mess. I taught. I was taught. I cared so much for all the creatives I worked with over the years. We were family. Thank you @fijichili for providing that 16-year old film when I needed it. @chriscote , Marc Hostetter, @the_check_republic and Joel Patterson, you took a chance hiring me as a 23 year old Photo Editor. @eslate you gave me confidence to go full bore with my visual vision. @chatoaganza , you were always the creative guiding light. @jimmicane you always brought the heat! @todprod you taught me patience and professionalism. Lastly, I want to thank my wife @grettygt123 for having to deal with it all through thick and thin. With much love – Peter
Taras (and the rest of the Surfer Magazine staff) were only the first wave of “furloughs.” The employees in the Carlsbad, California offices who survived the first round will reportedly stay on the payroll until November 20, 2020. Then they too will be out of a job. Happy Thanksgiving to them and to you all.
Bike, Snowboarder, and Powder magazines are also being put to rest: RIP. Oh, and David Pecker remains true to his name, one more time.
Yesterday (September 13, 2020) marked the six month anniversary of the current now. Hard to believe we have been mired in this situation for half of 2020. On the one hand we’re blown away by all the calamity that we’ve been faced with, on the other, we’re thankful for all those oblivious deniers who keep on keeping on like there’s nothing wrong. Kudos to them for showing us that it is entirely possible to live a normal (albeit angry) life with your head firmly mired in the sand and/or up your own butt.
With that out of the way, here’s the news that caught our clicker in the past month (thought we were doing this weekly, but my how time flies). Follow the jump for the whole list.
Dana Brown, son of the late legendary surf filmmaker Bruce Brown, has a new film that follows one last trip that he took with his dad– a trip to catch up with all his old friends. It’s called A Life of Endless Summers: The Bruce Brown Story. It premiered in Newport Beach at a Drive-in theatre. And it is well worth a watch for fans of The Endless Summer or On Any Sunday. For the rest of the story, click the link.
The International Surfing Association (ISA) has opened their annual scholarship program that supports underserved surfers who are 18 and under. Here’s what ISA President Fernando Aguerre says:
“We have always known that our commitment to the global development of surfing goes way beyond competition. The ISA Scholarship Program is a shining example of that commitment, and for me personally, a great source of pride and gratification.. . While relatively small in resources, this program has had a huge impact on the lives of these young people. This program puts into practice our mission of a better world through surfing by fostering education and the joy of surfing.
Know someone who you think could benefit from one of these scholarships? Click here to apply. For the official word from the ISA, please follow the jump.
Good morning. Welcome to the new week, in the new-new, of the new now, with our same old list of stories. It may seems like each day is the same as the last, but this list of stories will prove that is not the case. Things are happening in the world outside. Some of them are good, many bad, but all of them peaked at least a small slice of our interest. Maybe your’s as well. Follow the jump for all the headlines.
A surfboard shaper from the East Coast (Paul J. Schmidt) created a gofundme campaign to raise money for legendary surfboard shaper Pat Curren and his wife Mary after meeting them in the Swami’s parking lot in Encinitas, California. You may remember two of Pat’s sons (Tom and Joe). We didn’t post the original gofundme story for all kinds of reasons, none of which is that we don’t want to help surf legends in need. Now, thanks to a post on BeachGrit we learned a little more about the Curren family’s side of the story from Joe Curren. Here’s how he responded on Instagram:
We drove past the VansWorld HQ in Costa Mesa, California last week on another of our NorCal-to-SoCal journeys. We saw empty parking lots, a large construction project in their backyard, and thought to ourselves–we should check in with Doug Palladini to see how Vans is handling the current situation. Few in action sports are dealing with more of the new now than the global president of Vans.
As many would point out, that would require us to do a little more work than we’re used to doing. Luckily, GroupY (which is turning 14 this year) got the old CrossRocket band back together and interviewed Doug for us– on video. Please, sit back and enjoy this interview conducted by former TransWorld Media Publisher, Snowboarder Magazine Editor, Swell.com Editor, content programming strategist, and media executive Rob Campbell.
Hawaiian surf royalty, two-time Pipeline Master, four-time Triple Crown of Surfing champ, and first Hawaiian world surfing champion Derek Ho has died of a heart attack on Friday, July 17, 2020, according to a story on SurferMag.com. He was 55 years old.
The stylish goofyfoot leaves behind a legacy of incredible Pipe feats and a community of friends and loved ones on the North Shore. Ho became a standout at Pipeline as a teenager, alongside his older brother Michael Ho, and by his early 20s, he had already charged his way to a Pipe Masters win. At 29, he became Hawaii’s first male world champ and solidified himself as one of the most talented and respected surfers along the Seven Mile Miracle. Up until this last winter, Ho was regularly seen packing some of the heaviest waves during the season’s best swells.
Derek was uncle to Mason and Coco Ho. Our thoughts are with Ho’s family, friends, and the entire surf world.
