July 2009

Parko Nabs Another One At J-Bay

by The Editors on July 15, 2009

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The waves at The Billabong Pro at J-Bay were so good that for the past two nights we’ve been falling asleep with a computer on our laps and cracking it open each time we’d wake up during the night to check in on the comp. We were kind of hoping to wake up early enough this morning to see the finals (click here to watch it on video), but ended up missing them by about an hour and a half. Four AM has always been a rough hour for us, but not apparently for Joel Parkinson. He kicked the final off with a 9.47 and even though Damien Hobgood was killing it like few goofy footers have he couldn’t line up the scores.

“I knew the waves were dying down towards the end of the day and it was going to be important to get on the board early in Final,” Parkinson said. “I’ve been sitting up the point at Boneyards for most of the event and trying to find the ones that would run all the way down the point – that one was no different. As I stood up I had a really nice line on it and I tried to make the most of it. Turned out to be a crucial part of the heat.”

For all the official press release results, follow the jump, or click here to watch all the heats on video.
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The ESPN/Slater Surf Tour?

by The Editors on July 15, 2009

0182365 M500Kelly Slater and an ESPN made-for-TV pro surf association? That’s the idea being discussed in a story posted on Wetsand yesterday.

You’ve probably read the details by now, about ESPN giving the whole pro surfing thing another shot, but with real money and a completely new format that will culminate in an eight-event summer tour, ESPN coverage, live webcasts and a three-year commitment. But there is a significant rub. The tour will feature only 16 surfers, and allegedly, those surfers will be comprised of the top 8 rated surfers in the world, and 8 hand-picked wild cards. . . Slater has been understandably critical of the way the sport has been governed for some time. His dissatisfaction stems from the fact that the ASP is a toothless body, which it is. It has no real assets. It acts merely a sanctioning body that’s controlled by the owners of its events: Quiksilver, Billabong, Rip Curl, Hurley, Vans and O’Neill.

For as much criticism as the “toothless” ASP gets, it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where adding ESPN to the team would make it better for surfers, surfing, or the audience.

[Link: Wetsand]

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The Icons Clash Tonight

by The Editors on July 13, 2009

Occy Live-1It’s kind of hard for us to get too wound up about watching to old guys surf, but when those two old guys are Mark Occhilupo and Tom Curren it does change things a bit.

In a major coup for surf fans world wide, this year at the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay spectators can watch a LIVE webcast of these two superstars as they re-ignite their intense rivalry in the world’s best right hand point wave, going head to head for the first time in over two decades. . . Each has won eight of their 16 previous encounters and the Clash of the Icons will provide yet another chapter in their 26 year rivalry.

And that all starts tonight at 10:15 PM PST. If The Billabong Pro in perfect J-Bay surf isn’t enough to keep you up, maybe Occy and Tom Curren can make it happen.

[Link: Billabong Pro via Surfer]

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Another Sunday Night In SLC

by The Editors on July 13, 2009

Last night a Salt Lake City, Utah man was reportedly hit with a skateboard after he allegedly tried to sell some fake drugs in Pioneer Park, according to a story in the Salt Lake City Tribune.

The skateboarder, whom police arrested on suspicion of assault, said the alleged drug deal took place at Pioneer Park about 5:15 p.m. Sunday, spokesman Dennis McGowan said. . . At some point after the alleged buy, the skateboarder tracked the man down to 50 North and 600 West and hit him with the skateboard, McGowan said. . . Police found and arrested the skateboarder at a nearby coffee shop.

Get arrested for assault? Why not volunteer for some drug charges as well.

[Link: The Salt Lake Tribune]

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Dead Skateboarder Found In Road

by The Editors on July 13, 2009

A “passing motorist” found the body of a 20-year-old male skateboarder at the side of the road on Nashua, New Hampshire’s Todd Road on Sunday night July 12, 2009, according to a story on WMUR.com.

Police said the man had a visible head injury, and it appears he died accidentally and hadn’t been lying in the street for long. The man’s skateboard was found close to his body. . . A toxicology test is also being performed

[Link: WMUR.com]

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Up In The Maloof Money Cup

by The Editors on July 13, 2009

071209M 44

Back in the day, the story that usually got written following a hot afternoon spent at a Carl’s Jr. sponsored blow-out skateboarding event in the heart of Orange County, California would have been filled with whining and complaining–loads of it.

There would have been whining about not having access to the proper locations, or about how far away media parking was, or that the event wasn’t treating the skaters or the endemic media right. Those stories were reckless fun to write, but they really can’t be written anymore because those days are over. This was especially true at the Maloof Money Cup Presented by etnies and Monster.

We rolled in skeptical. Anything this slickly produced can’t be good, right? We watched the seemingly flawless Fuel HD live webcast on Saturday night and thought that it all might just be some kind of TV hoax. But when we arrived at the Orange County Fair Grounds on Sunday afternoon July 12, 2009 we discovered that it really was as good as it looked online.

071209M 32The Money Cup was set up perfectly from the parking, to the media access, to the grand stands for the civilians, all the way to the vert ramp/mini mega and the street set up that California Skateparks built. Media got front row seats to the entire street course, and great spots at either end of the vert ramp. The fans had elevated grandstands that offered a great view on the entire event. There was even shaded VIP seating up top for the super VIPs (we got shut trying to get up there, but then so did Pierre Andre (click the watch the video) so we didn’t feel so bad).

The only problem was that the skate action was so rapid fire that it was really difficult to keep up with what was going on. It was almost easier to follow on the webcast because at least then someone was eliminating the options and forcing us to focus on one thing at a time.

071209M 72When faced with P-Rod, Chris Cole, Sean Malto, Peter Ramondetta, Nyjah Huston (pictured left), and Torey Pudwill in a jam format heat skating on different parts of the section it got kind of crazy. We found that they only way to follow along was to sit with three or four friends who we could turn to when we heard the crowd erupt and say, “What was that?” The amount of quality skating being thrown down literally required eight eyes to take it all in.

So, rather than try to get any of it down here, we’re going to suggest that everyone do what we’re going to do as soon as we post this: point the browser over to Fuel.TV and watch the vert and street finals again so we can figure out exactly what we saw. Either way we know one thing: we’re already looking forward to seeing it again next year.

In the meantime, click here to check out our Maloof Money Cup photo gallery, or follow the jump for the complete results.
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Getting Schooled At Windell’s

by The Editors on July 10, 2009

WindellsacademyWho said, “You’ll never go broke building places for rich people to store they’re annoying progeny”? Must have been us. That’s why we think Windell’s Academy is such a genius idea.

The most progressive camp in the action sports industry, Windells Camp, has established Windells Academy accredited schooling for grades 9 – 12 where student athletes have the option to live on campus, giving them full access to all of Windells facilities, and the opportunity to ride twelve months a year at Timberline Ski Resort. Whether they’re into snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding or BMX, students will be able to earn a traditional education while being immersed in their favorite sport.

The “school” offers the Kaplan High School program an online collection of workbooks that the kids can complete in about two hours a day. In fact, kids don’t even have to go to Windell’s to get this education. They can do it at home right now. But we guess that’s not the point.

The point is parents can now ship their kids off to Windell’s year around and never again have to worry about shuttling them to and from school, to the skatepark, the snow hill, or listen to them whine 24 hours a day. And the kids no longer have to deal with their dad’s new 22-year-old “wife” hogging the xbox all afternoon.

It’s like heaven on earth for everyone involved. Get all the info after the jump
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Montreal River Surfers Keep The Dream Alive

by The Editors on July 10, 2009

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New York Times writer and former pro snowboarder Jesse Huffman drops in with a group of surfers in Montreal Canada who have a great little surf spot the Lawrence River.

Nearing the wave, I turned the board upstream and released the rope when I was inside the wave. A dense, solid but fluidly dynamic water surface rushed beneath my board. It was a moment of mild vertigo, depth and perspective hard to pinpoint in such an alien environment. I lasted a few fleeting seconds before washing out the back, long enough to feel the potential.

Surf what you’ve got. . .

[Link: New York Times via Baby Mama]

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Leisure Trends’ Rear View Mirror Report

by The Editors on July 10, 2009

LeisuretrendAccording to the 2008 SIMA Retail Distribution Study released yesterday by the Boulder, Colorado based research firm Leisure Trends Group 2008 saw a slight decrease in skate/surf retail sales (down 3.5 percent to $7.22 billion) and the “softness was most apparent in the fourth quarter of 2008.”

Apparently, December 08 was a bad month in retail. Who knew? Or how about this insight. Did you know that: “Passion and youth largely drive the surf industry. Surfers and skaters view the industry as a lifestyle, not a passing trend.”

But don’t worry, according to SIMA President Doug Palladini the “powerful brands” will see us through:

“While the surf/skate retail industry is not immune to the downward pressure on retail sales nationwide caused by the global recession, the resiliency of the surf/skate industry is very positive and promising,” says Doug Palladini, SIMA President and Vice President of Marketing for Vans. “Powerful brands with close connections to their consumers will see us through these challenging times and put us in a strong position as the overall economy rebounds.”

Thank god for the titans of industry. For more of this kind of in-depth analysis into last year’s retail disaster, follow the jump.
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Surfer Grabs Shark By The Tail

by The Editors on July 10, 2009

Article-1198796-05Aa7655000005Dc-960 468X321South African surfer Paul Buckley, 37, was surfing near South Africa’s Mossel Bayon, when he got hit by a shark, according to the Daily Mail.

‘No doubt I was scared. I feared for my life so I just grabbed it. I thought if I held it by the tail, its mouth could not reach me again.’ . . . Mr Buckley, 37, was released after a few seconds and then frantically swam the 100m back to shore near Stilbaai, which is near the tourist resort of MosselBayon which faces the Indian Ocean. . . Witnesses bundled him into a car and rushed him to a doctor so the bite – which was nearly 37cm wide and 3cm – could be closed. . . The businessman was then taken to hospital where he received 150 stitches.

South Africa has an average of six shark attacks a year.

[Link: Daily Mail]

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