by The Editors on April 8, 2009
Surfersvillage and Global Surf News have always bummed us out a little. Their “we post everything and don’t care who we steal it from” mentality made for some great fun in the early days as online editors at certain surf magazines delighted in posting completely bogus stories just to see how quickly the seemingly irony impaired minds behind Global Surf News would pick them up and run with them. Remember the Rip Curl Search at Swami’s story?
But now, with The Surfing Yearbook, Surfer’s Village has done something that we think will become standard for most publications in the action sports media space (if they’re smart). They have collected a year’s worth of posts from their websites, added some great photos, and a bit of commentary and perspective and are releasing it all in a 240-page illustrated coffee table book edited by surf journalist Phil Jarratt. Here’s what he said about it:
“What we’re aiming to do with The Surfing Yearbook is to present a fully-rounded picture of surfing that will appeal to everyone in the sport, culture and industry, from the lowliest grom surfing in his first amateur comp to the high-rolling CEO of the biggest surf corporations. We’re targeting the grom first because we know the CEOs will follow.”
We haven’t seen the $65 book yet (the official launch party is April 9, 2009 at Bells), but the idea seems perfectly timed.
[Link: The Surfing Yearbook]
by The Editors on April 8, 2009
Looks like Sony Australia is turning to Billabong to give the ailing electronics manufacturer a little help with the iPod driven cool kids (specifically with Joel Parkinson), according to a story on Current.com.au.
In his new role Parkinson will represent and endorse the Sony brand, Sony sub-brands and products with media, consumers and retail partners. . . “2009 is shaping up as a big year for me and it’s pretty cool that the partnership with Sony allows me to keep my fans up to date with what’s going on both on and off the world tour. Family, friends and supporters are important to me so documenting my year with products such as Sony’s Cyber-shot cameras, Handycam camcorders and VAIO notebooks will help me share my experiences and, hopefully, triumphs,” said Parkinson.
The video cameras are great, but we hope the money is good because not having an iPod can be almost debilitating.
[Link: Current.com.au]
by Sir Ben Marcus on April 7, 2009
To celebrate the Grand Opening of Jed Noll’s surfboard shop in San Clemente, Jed’s proud parents Greg and Laura Noll beat on the Redwood Wireless, which connected with the Coconut Wireless and sent out an invitation that apparently no one could refuse.
On a fresh spring afternoon in April – the 4th to be exacto – Jed Noll’s surf shop at 1709 North El Camino Real in San Clemente was the place, and the faces included three-plus generations of surfers, writers, photographers, industrialists and other surf notables.
Phil Edwards and C.R. Stecyk made rare public appearances and they cruised and schmoozed with Paul Naude, Bruce and Dana Brown and entourage, L.J. Richards and Eddie Talbot (E.T)
The Scandinavian countries were represented by the brothers Aaberg – Kemp and Denny and also Karl Ekstrom and a large number of tall attractive blondes.
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by The Editors on April 7, 2009
Lindsay Rose, a 15-year-old surfer from Goleta, California died Sunday after being found unconscious in the water at Sands Beach on April 1, 2009, according to a story on Noozhawk.
The Dos Pueblos High sophomore was discovered by other surfers face down in the water around 5:15 p.m. April 1 at Sands Beach near Devereux Slough. Paramedics were called to the scene and performed CPR and defibrillation, according to eyewitness accounts. . . .She was transported to Cottage Hospital where she was reportedly breathing on her own. Doctors put her in a drug-induced coma to help her recuperate, but she died Sunday morning.
Lindsay was a member of the Dos Pueblos High school surf team. Our thoughts are with her parents, family, and friends.
[Link: Noozhawk.com]
by The Editors on April 7, 2009
by The Editors on April 7, 2009
With the new all-elimination format on there really are no boring heats at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. The big news in yesterday’s round one was 19-year-old Owen Wright taking Dane Reynolds out at the knees.
“Dane (Reynolds) is an excellent surfer,” Wright said. “I let him have what I thought was average wave and he got a 6.8. He is definitely a solid competitor and I am just stoked to get through the heat. I had been watching a lot of heats and I thought that those guys that get the bigger score early are the one going through. I really focused on getting that first wave and ended up getting it.”
Next on Wright’s competition schedule: Kelly Slater. For the rest of the official release follow the jump.
[Link: Rip Curl Pro]
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by The Editors on April 5, 2009
It seems that executives who leave the privately held Australian surf giant Rip Curl can pretty much forget about keeping any of the shares they got as part of their employment. Most recently Rip Curl has bought back 150,000 shares from former board chairman James Strong for $1 a piece, according to a story in the Sydney Morning Herald.
It appears that the company has only paid $1 a share for Mr Strong’s stake, as part of an arrangement to buy them back at the price they were issued seven years ago. . . . But Rip Curl’s C-class stock is set at $62 a share, valuing Mr Strong’s 148,412’s shares at a nominal $9.2 million, according to documents filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. . . The final amount paid to the former chairman was part of a “confidential settlement agreement” relating to his departure, the company said in ASIC filings on Friday.
You don’t stay “closely held” by letting voting shares get to far from the nest, apparently.
[Link: Sydney Morning Herald]
by The Editors on April 4, 2009
After a long hold-down at Grajagan Australian industrial design student Grant Humphreys. 26. decided he needed a safer way to surf large waves. In his final year at University of New South Wales he designed a “rescue jacked,” according to a story in the Brisbane Times.
Mr Humphreys’s safety rescue jacket, dubbed the mAIRine, is for a situation where a surfer is held under water for a long period of time. There is a small air canister on the back and a mouthpiece that is designed for self-rescue. In the event of a surfer becoming unconscious, a manual spring-loaded timer triggers an inflation bladder, so they rise to the surface.
The project is a finalist in the James Dyson Award design competition, however, we still have two questions: does it work? And who is using it? Sadly, this story answers neither of those questions.
[Link: Brisebane Times]
by The Editors on April 3, 2009
When Oprah Winfrey launches her own cable network OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network early 2010 it’s going to be with a little help from a show with the surfing Paskowitz family, according to a story in the Chicago Tribune. The show?
“Surfer’s Healing” is touted as a “docu-soap” tracking former competitive surfer Izzy Paskowitz and his family.
The channel will launch the surfers program into 70 million homes, making it their biggest audience yet.
[Link: Chicago Tribune]
by The Editors on April 1, 2009
As baffled as we are by the timing of this announcement (no, it’s not an April Fools joke), it would appear from a story posted on the Transworld Business website that Transworld Media reduced its staff today by eight people.
Here’s what Transworld Business Publisher Rob Campbell said:
We’ve had to report on a lot of layoffs over the past six months. Unfortunately, those stories usually involved friends and great people we’ve had close working relationships with for years. Today, the news hits especially close to home. . . TransWorld has eliminated eight positions within the company. Departments affected are TransWorld Business, Transworld Surf, TransWorld Skateboarding sales, marketing, and finance. More specifically, TransWorld Business lost two editors.
These “eight positions eliminated” do not appear to include a change made yesterday in the sales group at TransWorld’s Tustin office.
[Link: TransWorld Business]
Surfersvillage and Global Surf News have always bummed us out a little. Their “we post everything and don’t care who we steal it from” mentality made for some great fun in the early days as online editors at certain surf magazines delighted in posting completely bogus stories just to see how quickly the seemingly irony impaired minds behind Global Surf News would pick them up and run with them. Remember the Rip Curl Search at Swami’s story?
