by The Editors on October 16, 2012
Spy is stoked to announce that they have someone to manage their elite surf team. It’s Chris Abad.
A respected and experienced pro surfer, Abad brings added authenticity to SPY’s booming eyewear business, which has seen tremendous growth over the last year and a half. . . “If you can’t out-surf Abad, you may be taken off our roster,” laughs Devon Howard, SPY marketing director. “In all seriousness, his former team manager roles, Surf Ride retail experience, and event marketing at SPY this past year make him a natural fit. But he’s more than just another guy with a great resume. Everyone loves Abad—he’s good people.”
Congrats, Chris. For the official word, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 14, 2012
Travis Logie (ZAF), 33, took out Damien Hobgood (USA), 33, in Round 2.
Props to anyone who was able to stay up through a full night (at least in the US) of Rip Curl Pro Portugal holds. But finally, as the sun dropped low over the Atlantic, Brett Simpson and Matt Wilkinson finally got into the water to kick off the final four heats of Round 2.
“We’ve been down since 6:30am assessing the conditions,” Simpson said. “Wilko (Matt Wilkinson) and I have been having fun all day as he was here too – we’re friends out of the water, but we were just trying to catch the best waves we can. I had a really good opportunity solidify my lead out there more, but was unable to.”
Simpson slipped through that one, but in round three he’ll meet Gabriel Medina and that could be even more challenging. For the official word form the ASP follows the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 13, 2012
Joel Parkinson used his current ASP WCT World number one position as a launching pad to post the highest score in round one at the 2012 Rip Curl Pro Portugal. It kind of looks like he’s serious.
“I’m here to win,” Parkinson said. “Everyone is. I’ve had a few seconds this year but am keen to put a win on the board. I’m not thinking about the World Title race really. I need to get some wins first before that can become a reality.”
All the favorite (minus Jordy Smith) made it out of Round 2, but there are still four more heats to go. Follow the jump for the official word from the ASP. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 12, 2012
Journalist Fred Pawle talks to Graham “Sid” Cassidy about a deal he nearly landed that was allegedly “the most spectacular offer the sport of surfing has ever seen, one that makes the offer from Californian media company ZoSea, which was accepted amid subdued optimism from within the sport this month, look amateur by comparison,” according to his story in The Australian.
But, in a tumultuous meeting in Hawaii in December 1996, the ASP board voted to request amendments to a contract it had signed with CSI earlier that year. CSI, the goose that had spent that year laying golden eggs, declined. At considerable expense, it walked away. Surfing has never recovered from it.
Nice to look back and claim that a past missed deal that just as easily could have ruined profession surfing was what doomed it, but it is interesting in comparison to the reportedly $20 million ZoSea deal. Click the link to read the rest.
[Link: The Australian]
by The Editors on October 10, 2012
Last Friday (October 5, 2012) the Association of Surfing Professionals sent out a press release (along with the above pretty picture) saying they had “entered into a Term Sheet with ZoSea Media. . . designed to enhance the organizational structure of the sport as well as the direction of professional surfing in the coming years.”
That’s pretty much all the detail we got other than the names of the guys behind ZoSea Media. They are Terry Hardy (right, most well known for being Kelly Slater’s agent) and Paul Speaker the former President of Time Inc. Studios and current Quiksilver board of directors member.
According to his bio on PTTOW! site (an invite-only youth marketing summit he co-founded) Hardy is “a pioneer in youth lifestyle & media [who] has been fortunate to work with the industries leading talent and brands including Kelly Slater, Bam Margera, Tony Hawk, Quiksilver, Roxy, MTV, Sirius/XM, GoPro, Pepsi, Fox, and ESPN.” No one will forget he is also the one who spearheaded the last run at the ASP with his rebel Slater Tour back in 2009.
Paul Speaker (right), on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have much experience in action sports, but his entertainment resume is certainly colorful. Aside from his time at the National Football League in 1995 (where he was “director of marketing and ideas”) he seems to have a knack for showing up just as things are about to fall apart. He arrived at indy film production company The Shooting Gallery in 1998 and left shortly before the Shooting Gallery shut down “without warning” in 2001, according to a story in The Village Voice, for what they described as “several factors, from the slowing economy to the grandiose ambitions of head entrepreneurs Meistrich and his high school friend, Chief Financial Officer Steve Carlis.” Speaker, however, was not mentioned in the Voice story. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 9, 2012
Steamer Lane will be lifted back into its rightful place on the world tour November 1-11, 2012 as the O’Neill Coldwater Classic returns the Santa Cruz, California break to World Championship Tour status.
With a long and rich history, the O’Neill Coldwater Classic at Steamer Lane is known for producing powerful and consistent conditions in a classic Northern California setting. Originating in 1987, the event has taken on various incarnations over the past three decades. It was once an ASP WCT event (prior to the ASP creating a two-tier system), but for the past few years, it has run as an ASP Star or Prime event. With this year’s upgrade to the highest echelon of professional surfing, it will not only bring the top caliber of talent to Steamer Lane, but a lofty $425,000 prize purse as well.
Follow the jump for the official word from the ASP. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 9, 2012
Whenever we hear that a former pro surfer has a “new album” coming out we automatically begin cringing. With the exception of Donovan Frankenreiter (and we admit to cringing a little at the start) the road most surfing troubadours walk is not paved with critical acclaim or booming success.
Into this milieu drops three-time world surfing champion Tom Curren (right). His debut EP Summerland Road goes on sale October 16, 2012.
Still one of the most well known, beloved and legendary of professional surfers, Curren has a mystique that was enhanced by his musical aspirations and abilities. During his years on competitive surf circuit, Curren always found opportunities to create and perform music, developing bands with names such as Skipping Urchins and Plankten. His sound reveals musical influences ranging from jazz to African music to acoustic guitar melodies, reflections of a world-traveling competitor. His diverse repertoire made such an impression on Jackson Browne that he asked Curren to join his touring band last year.
If the bluesy smooth title track is any indication, the Summerland Road EP is set to push him right in there on the successful side (a positive mention in Vanity Fair can’t hurt). For the official word follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 9, 2012
No doubt she’s a cute little Sheila, but does Laura Enever really need to bring sexy back? Apparently. So here you go. Ass pans and all.
[Link via Monster Children]
by The Editors on October 9, 2012
The 30th Annual Vans Triple Crown of Surfing has signed on 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater to go up head to head against 2011 champ John John Florence for a one-time $100,000 winner takes all cash bonus (that’s in addition to all the money the winner will win by being the top finisher in the three jewels of the crown). Slater hasn’t won a triple since 1998.
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is the world’s premier series of professional surfing events that runs from November 12 through December 20 in the famous winter waves of Oahu’s North Shore, Hawaii. The final event of the 3-event series — the Billabong Pipe Masters — is the final event of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour and will crown the ASP World Surfing Champion.
All this just for surfing Haliewa, Sunset, and Pipeline with a couple other guys out. Follow the jump for dates and times. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on October 5, 2012
It was a Quiksilver dream final at the Quiksilver Pro France 2012. The master versus the prodigal son with Kelly Slater facing off against event wildcard Dane Reynolds in surf that allowed them both to shine. Slater landed his first win in France in 20 years.
“It has literally been 20 years,” Slater said. “I had my first win here 20 years ago and that’s pretty crazy. Obviously when you go out there you want to win the heat, but I would have been really stoked if Dane (Reynolds) pulled a 10 out of his hat at the end of the heat, it would have been pretty rad.”
Though he didn’t win, Reynolds had fun and that all that he seems to care about.
“That was a lot of fun out there,” Reynolds said. “I just really like these waves and I wasn’t really worried about competing or winning the heat. I always put a lot of pressure on myself, maybe not on winning but to surf well. I’ve liked every day of this event. Yesterday was intense and challenging and the day before was the same. Today was just perfect and fun. Today was a playground, you can’t ask for any better than that.”
This win (his third of the season) puts Kelly Slater firmly in second place in the World Rankings behind Joel Parkinson. And already the world tour numbers man is figuring out his chances.
“When you start working the numbers a little bit, I got that 500 pointer and a 13th, two bad results, already,” Slater said. “Parko (Joel Parkinson) is sitting on a 9th and a 5th. If I couldn’t get past Parko today, it would have put a lot of pressure on me, but this has now put the pressure back on Mick (Fanning) because Parko, John John (Florence) and I did well here at this event.”
For those who didn’t want to stay up until 2 AM PDT to watch the finals, the entire event is online. Watch it here or follow the jump for the official word from the ASP. [click to continue…]
Spy is stoked to announce that they have someone to manage their elite surf team. It’s Chris Abad.
