by The Editors on July 5, 2009
Writer Jordan Colinoff uses the Asian X Games and a Chinese street skater named Li Zhixin to make the case that skateboarding is growing in China for a story on GlobalPost.com.
The publicity generated by the X Games and the potential market for sponsor companies are leading to a huge push to attract young Chinese to skateboarding. In addition to the big event in Shanghai, the X Games also goes on an eight-stop road show throughout China. . . Surprisingly, the sport, seeped in a rebel history, has found little resistance from the authoritarian Chinese government. In 2005, officials even allowed American skateboarder Danny Way to make history by becoming the first person to jump over the Great Wall on his board. Perhaps the government sees the potential market value of the sport, or maybe it’s just getting to be too strong a sub-culture to fight.
We’re guessing it’s more the former. If The Party can handle Tiananmen Square we’re pretty sure they stop skateboarding if they wanted to, but then if they’re going to make the world’s skateboards and clothing, they might as well let their people roll.
[Link: GlobalPost.com]
by The Editors on July 5, 2009
Australian market analysts Fat Prophets believe that any problems Billabong will have in the near future are tied pretty directly to the sagging economy in the US, according to a story in the Courier Mail.
“Although the economic downturn in Australia will, in our view, prove comparatively light, that is not the case for the US,” the Fat Prophets report said. . . “This is likely to prove a significant headwind for the company in the months ahead, potentially extending into the 2010 calendar year.”
Other analysts agree and say the company could have similar problems in “Europe and Australasia in fiscal year 2010.”
[Link: Courier Mail]
by The Editors on July 3, 2009
Kelly Slater beats Brazil’s Adriano de Souza and wins the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Imbituba.
“There were much better waves in the Final than there were for my Semifinal,” Slater said. “Adriano (de Souza) found a pretty good rhythm early on and posted some pretty good scores, but I felt comfortable out there and felt that the waves would come to me if I were patient. Both of my scoring rides allowed me to a bunch of maneuvers and I felt that the scores were maybe a little high, but I haven’t had many good scores this year, so it was bound to go my way at some point.”
Can’t say we’re not stoked. Follow the jump for the entire ASP press release the is posted all over the net.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on July 2, 2009
Amer Sports, the parent company of Salomon, Bonfire, and Atomic, just lost one of its larger investors as Novator Finland Oy announced today that it sold its entire 20 percent stake in the company to “institutional investors” at a 15 percent discount vs. Wednesday’s closing price, according to a story on Reuters.
Amer Sports shares were 15.4 percent lower at 7.02 euros 0718 GMT. . . Novator sold its 14.7 million shares at 7 euros each through SEB Enskilda.
Doesn’t exactly sound like a confidence building revelation.
[Link: Reuters]
by The Editors on July 2, 2009
We have to admit, since the former ASG head’s run on the old Sacklunch message boards we haven’t really kept up with exactly what Don Meek has been up to. We know he’s always in the middle of something big, so this latest bit of news wasn’t all that surprising.
In a bid to leverage its advertising sales infrastructure, the parent company of the Los Angeles Times has reached an agreement to sell national print and online ads for the Dallas Morning News, the flagship media division of A.H. Belo Corp. . . “We are going to take advantage of what we have built as a company to give advertisers access to the top markets in the U.S. You add Dallas to Chicago and Los Angeles and you have three of the top five markets in the country,” said Don Meek, president of Tribune365 National Solutions Group.
Newspaper ad sales? Mr. Meek never has been afraid of a good challenge.
[Link: LA Times]
by The Editors on July 2, 2009
Kelly Slater actually made it out of a round 3 heat against Ben Dunn on one of his own boards in the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro (stop number four on the 2009 ASP WCT). According to the ASP press release it was a “self-shaped, asymmetrical quad-fin.”.
“I seem to be riding a new board every time I go for a surf,” Slater said. “This one I just rode was an epoxy swallow-tail and seemed to go really well in these conditions. I’ve spent the lay days hanging with some friends here in Brazil and having a few fun surfs around town. I’ve pretty much just been cruising and testing out some equipment.”
Reminds us of the old “million monkeys typing” bit. Eventually, something has to work, right?
[Link: Australian Surfing Life]
by The Editors on July 2, 2009
YoBeat clowns Neff’s boost of the Micheal Jackson death rush with a tribute to DC Snowboards infomercial king Billy Mays.
No one could sell like Billy Mays, so just a day after his tragic passing, YoBeat designed this shirt to celebrate his life and commemorate his legacy. But wait, there’s more. Look stylish and impress your friends! Only 19.95 and if you order now, we’ll throw in shipping absolutely free.
Get them while they’re cold.
[Link: YoBeat]
