by The Editors on January 6, 2009
Think iPhones aren’t changing the face of action sports media? Check this: Surfline is reporting that the the Surfline iPhone app developed by Oakley has been downloaded 200,000 times in only six weeks.
With only a few short weeks on iTunes, the global surf report iPhone application has been downloaded across the world with the top country’s being United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and France rounding out the top 5. . . . Surfline CEO Jonno Wells says, “This application has given surfers the ability to check surf reports for their favorite beaches on the go. We are very excited about the early numbers we are seeing with this application and look forward to continuing to provide information to surfers at their fingertips.
No one should underestimate the power of the iPhone.
[Link: Surfline.com]
by The Editors on January 6, 2009
Kauai’s one-armed shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton just finished second in the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships January 5, 2009 in Sydney, Australia, according to a story in the Honolulu Advertiser. Hamilton was happy to finish behind France’s Pauline Ado.
“I’m really happy with my performance at this event,” said Hamilton, 18. “To make the final is really good for me. I haven’t had a good result in a while, so hopefully this will give me some confidence for the rest of the year.”
Congrats. We continue to be blown away by Bethany and look forward to seeing her surf on the WQS this season.
[Link: Honolulu Advertiser]
by The Editors on January 5, 2009
ASG goes all existential on us with their newly re-designed Surfer Mag site. Yes, we know it is today, we were just hoping to see some content. . . maybe it’s all below the fold. [Note: this has been fixed since the post went up, but it is still a complete waste of space on their homepage.]
[Link: Surfer Mag]
by The Editors on January 5, 2009
In a story titled 5 Cash-Rich Companies Being Given Away Motley Fool writer Morgan Housel says Volcom may be one of the stocks that Warren Buffet refers to as “a one-foot bar I can step over.”
Is retail dead yet? As a whole, perhaps, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some stores that stand out from the pack. Volcom might be one of them. While other apparel veterans like Quiksilver (NYSE: ZQK) and retailers like Macy’s (NYSE: M) are saddled with long-term debt, Volcom has kept its balance sheet spotless. . . . But with a bulletproof balance sheet and a well-known, powerful brand name, the main catalysts that typically shove recession-prone industries into the graveyard are nowhere to be seen with Volcom.
Apparently, being a millionaire is that easy.
[Link: The Motley Fool]
by The Editors on January 4, 2009
It’s been a long time coming but it looks like ESPN has finally begun to treat action sports as a part of their sporting news mix and not just some kind of fringe “X” thing out on a site by itself. Starting today EXPN is gone and in its place is ESPN Action Sports at http://espn.go.com/action/.
The new, nicely uncluttered subsection of the ESPN.com site is reportedly much more Google friendly and will be bringing “shitloads of traffic, bro.” It was supposed to have its own promo on the homepage of ESPN.com but we couldn’t find any and the new section doesn’t currently have an RSS feed (it should be up by the end of the week according to inside sources). A link to the Action Sports page is, however, listed under the ALL SPORTS menu in the main navigation of the ESPN site (three spots from the bottom of the list behind Rugby and just ahead of “bassmaster.”) Apparently the nav is ranked by importance to the average ESPN.com visitor.
While we don’t exactly consider “rally” an action sport, the new index does give each of the sports their own sub-sub homepage which will technically allow visitors to deep link straight to the content they’re interested in. Still, this “segregated part of the whole sports world” idea does result in a page with a couple snowboard stories right next to a big promo for the Gridiron Playoff Challenge.
Guess some things will never change.
[Link: ESPN.com/action]
by The Editors on January 3, 2009
David Lee rides the A Train for the The New York Times and explains what it’s like to be a New York City surfer.
Contrary to so many surf destinations, nothing about the subway platform on Broad Channel Island suggests the approach of the beach. There are no bleached blondes talking it up, no garish surf stickers on public property, just the resigned faces of commuters in a place that could be anywhere grim. . . . We boarded the same shuttle with our disparate intentions, and within minutes I could see the sea peeking from behind a high-rise apartment building, the north wind holding up the waves, curling lips on cold dark faces.
Truth is: surfers around the world do whatever it takes to ride waves and if that means the A-Train and surviving the Rockaway locals, then so be it.
[Link: New York Times]
by The Editors on January 2, 2009
by The Editors on January 1, 2009
Santa Cruz resident Ryan Rittenhouse has apparently trademarked a logo for the Santa Cruz Surf Club (founded in 1936) and has been selling all kinds of merchandise without giving anything back to the club which created the logo. Now the surfers are suing to get their logo back and accusing Rittenhouse of elder abuse and trademark infringement.
In 2006, the suit alleges, Rittenhouse visited original club member Harry Mayo, 85, who keeps a “museum-quality” collection of club photographs and memorabilia. Rittenhouse asked Mayo to sign over the rights to the logo and photographs “so that people in Southern California would not be able to use the name and logo,” according to the suit filed late Tuesday afternoon. . . . Mayo was pressured into signing Rittenhouse’s documents without first consulting a lawyer or other members of the club, the suit alleges. Rittenhouse also told Mayo he wanted to sell shirts bearing the logo, the suit said, and would give part of the proceeds to the original club members. Rittenhouse has not donated any money, the suit said.
Looks like something only a judge and jury will be able to sort out.
[Link: San Jose Mercury News]
by The Editors on December 31, 2008
It is time to take a look back at the most viewed stories of the last half of 2008 (we went online July 1, 200). The posts listed below are ranked by the number of pageviews each received. Follow the jump for the complete rundown:
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on December 30, 2008
Fuel TV is finally living up to its potential with the recently release news that the cable channel will be broadcasting the 2009 Mavericks contest live on the Internet and in HD.
We’re excited about working with Mavericks to create a truly historic event—the first live webcast of a surfing event in HD over the Internet,” said Gene Pao, Fuel TV Vice President of New Media and International Development. “The quality of the viewing experience will really be unmatched anywhere online in the action sports world. This demonstrates that Mavericks is a true leader in bringing the best possible action sports experience to fans, and Fuel TV is proud to be a part of it.
The event goes off with only 24 hours notice sometime between January 1 and March 31, 2009. This should be good: especially since we threw the box in on cable months ago.
[Link: Fuel TV/Maverickssurf]
Think iPhones aren’t changing the face of action sports media? Check this: Surfline is reporting that the the Surfline iPhone app developed by Oakley has been downloaded 200,000 times in only six weeks.
