by The Editors on December 6, 2010
Last night the Surfer Poll Awards were held in Hawaii for the first time and aside from the hordes of OC civilians who didn’t get the chance to slink int on flesh and bright smiles, it seems everyone was happy with the new, more intimate Turtle Bay Resort venue.
Hosts Sal Masekela and Freddy P. kept the show rolling perfectly (as far as we could tell from a live webcast that cut out every 6- 8 minutes) and in the end, there were very few surprises (Kelly won his 16th title). Follow the jump for the full results.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 6, 2010
Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, Corky Carroll and Hobie Alter are oddly involved in a food-service competition for space in the recently expanded John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, according to a story in the OC Register.
In separate proposals, two companies bidding for the airport food service contract are proposing restaurants named after the surfing celebrities.
HMS Host International wants to build Hobie Hut, a surf-themed beach bar and grill. Delaware North Companies is proposing Corky Carroll’s Surf Bar. . . While Carroll is famous for his personal adventures and surfing titles, Alter is known as an industry innovator. He is considered a surfboard manufacturing pioneer – one of the first to mass produce foam and fiberglass boards.
Sorry, Hobie and Corky we like seeing you make some money, but if anyone deserves a spot at John Wayne it’s Wahoo’s.
[Link: OC Register]
by The Editors on December 6, 2010
In a month when the covers of both Transworld Surf and Surfer Magazine feature portraits of Andy Irons against a black background, Surfer’s office mates at Surfing Magazine have a completely different take, according to a post by Stuart Cornuelle titled In Defense of Cowardice.
They’ve chosen not to do any work at all toward understanding or reporting the Andy Irons story. Not that they don’t have the scoop. Cornuelle writes:
The things we can’t say in our magazine could fill a…magazine…and Surfer’s the same, as is Transworld, and Surfline (ask L. Samuels), and even the venerated Stab, which is practically owned by Billabong. Make what you will of the fact that Brad Melekian, a Surfer Magazine writer, penned his Andy opus for Outside instead.
No. Surfing Magazine is going to remember Andy doing a big freesurfing cutback because as they say:
We’re not journalists. We don’t really chase leads or hound sources. We don’t chain smoke and flask-nip into the wee hours for no pay, just the satisfaction of spitting on the graves of our heroes. Sorry. Bookmark TMZ for your gossip fix — “you and every housewife in America,” to paraphrase Melekian’s well-researched article.
Guess it’s better than “the dog ate my homework” and Cornuelle got to call out Transworld Surf, Surfer, Stab and Billabong for good measure, but is this really a story to be proud of ignoring?
[Link: Surfing Magazine]
by The Editors on December 3, 2010
When Laguna Beach, California’s Thalia Surf Shop owner Nick Cocores’ discovered that the art gallery next door was packing it in he realized it was the perfect opportunity to not only expand his retail footprint, but also to partner with a popular brands.
“We approached Vans with the space coming available and asked them if they wanted to work with us,” Cocores said (pictured right with Steve Van Doren). “They were totally supportive and wanted to get on board. And so here we are.”
Thalia has carried Vans since the shop opened in 2001 but because the the cozy size of the shop the shoes were limited to a small wall section where Cocores was able to display 25-30 pairs of shoes. But now with close to 900 feet devoted to the brand he can obviously show more. “We can probably have 100 shoes in here now,” he said looking over the new Vans Thalia Surf Shop space.
Follow the jump for the rest of the story
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 3, 2010
by The Editors on December 2, 2010
Somewhere in the beginning of the waiting period of the 2010 O’Neill World Cup of Surfing we lost track of what was going on. We checked in lay day after lay day, and then we’d get completely caught off when the event would actually run. turns out Brazil’s Raoni Monteiro, 28, won for the men and the 16-year-old Australian Tyler Wright won the women’s event. How? We have no idea. We didn’t catch one wave.
Luckily, the ASP keeps track of these things for us. Follow the jump for official details and results. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 1, 2010
As much as we’d like to be at the Turtle Bay Resort on Monday, December 6, 2010 for the 40th Annual Surfer Poll Awards, we’re going to have to watch the antics of hosts Sal Masekela and Freddie P, and red carpet interviewers Mark Healey, and Saxon Boucher live on the Internet with the rest of the civilians this year.
Here’s a little of what we’re going to miss in person.
This year’s SURFER Poll Awards will be held in honor of recently lost legend, three-time World Champion Andy Irons. While acknowledging all of the surfers lost this year, the event will put a heavy focus on Andy and the legacy he leaves behind in and out of the water. Another focal point of this year’s show will be Kelly Slater’s 10th world title win. Touted as the world’s most dominant athlete, Kelly’s accomplishments have catapulted the sport of surfing and garnered the world’s attention.
We won’t be sipping Mai Tais on the lawn, but we won’t get pushed off the rocks either. Internet show begins at 9 PM PST Monday December 6.
For the rest of the details follow the jump.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on November 30, 2010
On Monday, November 30, 2010 big waves surfers gathered at Maverick’s for the opening ceremony for The Jay at Maverick’s big wave contest, according to a story in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
The day began with a touching opening ceremony honoring beloved Santa Cruz surfer Jay Moriarity, for whom the contest is named, and a paddle out and ceremonial surf ring in the calm waters by the reef break. . . The official contest waiting period begins Wednesday and continues through Feb. 28. The invitees get to vote on contest-worthy swells. Once the majority picks one, they will have 24-hours notice to get to the break near Half Moon Bay.
After all the boys have been through, it’s nice to the see the Maverick’s contest back on track. Click the link for the official heat draw.
[Link: Santa Cruz Sentinel]
by The Editors on November 24, 2010
Sal Masekela has kicked down the most personal, insightful interview with Kelly Slater we will probably ever hear. Sal takes Kelly through all the questions we’ve all had (and more) for the 10x ASP World Champion.
The two cover thoughts on contest pressure, mindset going into his 10th title win, Andy Irons, Kalani, the future and much, much, more.
Anyone who has ever had a question for or about Kelly Slater, or even casually wondered what the life of a pro board sports athlete is like, take a half hour, sit down in a quiet place, and listen to this. It’s that good.
[Link: Transworld Surf]
by The Editors on November 22, 2010
Outside Magazine has just published a Brad Melekian story titled Last Drop about Andy Irons that has everyone saying, “Whoa, gnarly.”
It is the story that the surf media would not or could not write. It does not include the toxicology reports that everyone is waiting for, but it does discuss some of the darker aspects in the life of the three time world champion.
In Last Drop Melekian quotes industry insiders including Art Brewer, Matt Warshaw, Evan Slater, and others talking about Andy’s troubles with alcohol and other substances. More importantly the story lays out a timeline for Andy’s last few days alive and talks about what could have killed him.
Despite Irons’s history of substance abuse and reports of illness, one can only speculate about what killed him, and it may be that a tragic combination of, say, dengue fever and prescription drugs did him in. Irons had been bouncing around time zones, had gone without sleep, had been drinking in Miami, and, at least according to his wife, was ill on the inbound flight to Dallas. . . Dr. Bruce Goldberger, director of toxicology at the University of Florida medical school, says combinations like this can be dangerous. “The usual doses of Ambien and Xanax are very safe, even when taken together,” he says. “But if there was an underlying medical condition like pneumonia or sleep apnea, the person would be at greater risk. Sometimes, we see deaths with perfectly healthy people when they take a small amount more of the medication than prescribed.”
Hopefully, we’ll all know more as when the reports are released.
[Link: Outside Magazine]
